Celebrating Addie’s 160th Birthday!
Homestead staff celebrating Addie’s 160th Birthday
Today Homestead staff are celebrating Adelaide Hunter Hoodless’ 160th birthday. “Addie” Hunter was born on February 27th 1857 in rural St George, Ontario, Canada, and was the youngest of 13 children.
Far from her humble beginnings, personal tragedy propelled Addie to became an internationally renowned advocate for education reform in the areas of agriculture, home economics and domestic sciences. At a time when the suffragette movement was finding its first beginnings, Addie was already founding three domestic science colleges in Canada, and was commissioned by the Ministry of Education to write the first textbook for these university level programs. Adelaide travelled all over the province, speaking on the subject of domestic science. She was a lively and engaging speaker, and famously asked: “Is it of greater importance that a farmer should know more about the scientific care of his sheep and cattle, than a farmer’s wife should know how to care for her family?”
But perhaps her most famous achievement was to be the inspiration and co-founder of the first branch of the Women’s Institute in Stoney Creek, Ontario – a movement that soon spread internationally and is ongoing to this day.
Today we celebrate all that Addie achieved in her life, and the incredible legacy that she left behind.
Happy Birthday Addie!
To support the Homestead and help celebrate Addie’s 160th birthday, help us light 160 candles on Addie’s birthday cake. Visit https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/addie-160 to learn more.
