Our "Woman of the Year"

Was searching The Cranbrook Guardian for an article or announcement on one of their own bloggers, Jenny Humphrey, who has been recognized as the “Woman of the Year 2012” for the Canadian Federation of University Women - Cranbrook.  Seeing none, I took it upon myself to write something for the blog.

Jenny Humphrey spearheaded the creation of this blog, The Cranbrook Guardian, featuring topics of interest regarding the welfare of our city, attracting over 12,000 hits a month, and more - depending on the topic of the day.  She attends nearly every City Council meeting, and is often seen taking pictures about town, so that she can report on matters that affect our community, and items of interest.

She has been the driving force behind the restoration of the Fink Fountain, the creation of the Centennial Garden near Gerick Sports, and was involved initially with the beautiful hanging flower baskets which adorn Baker Street.  Her membership in the Community Forest Society, Cranbrook in Bloom, Women’s Wednesday hiking group, Citizens for a Livable Cranbrook, The Cranbrook and District Arts Council, and the Cranbrook Garden Club (she initiated the Club’s Cranbrook Open Garden Day), have enriched those organizations as well as our community.

Ms. Humphrey is a retired teacher, and has touched the lives of many youth in our area. 

While in England studying landscape design, she made a point to learn about types of trees best suited for our climate and shared this information with City of Cranbrook staff.  She has since offered a course in Landscape Design through City of Cranbrook Leisure Services Department.

Her passion for wanting to see the preservation/restoration of heritage buildings in our City has resulted in countless hours of researching and investigating the potential she sees within each one.  Sometimes to no fruitful end, but she will gladly share her findings with anyone else that seems interested.

Whatever her interests are, Jenny’s been fondly referred to as Ms. J. Marple - after the name of the British series “Miss Marple” named for the lead female crime investigator. 

For all of this, for the betterment of our community, we are grateful for her tireless efforts.  Please join in the celebration on Thursday, March 7 at 4 PM, at the Manual Training Centre (attached to the Cranbrook Library building.)

Well deserved honour, Jenny!  Congratulations.

Submitted by Sharon Cross