Elizabeth Chard, a Halifax native, is a pioneer for women in an administrative capacity in Nova Scotian sports, not to mention Canada-wide athletics. Suffice it to say that Elizabeth Chard has done just about everything. She now takes a deserving place amid the luminaries in Nova Scotia’s Sport Hall of Fame.

Chard has always been able to make quick decisions and keep her priorities in order, from her days as a student at Queen Elizabeth High School to her 26 years as Registrar at Saint Mary’s University and her two terms as President of the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union.

Her academic prowess led to a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Education degree from Dalhousie University, which provided the means for a part-time lecturer position at Saint Mary’s, and an eventual assistant and associate professorship at the Robie Street institution in the mid to late 1960’s.

“Being the first full-time female faculty member at SMU started my interest in administration and sport”, said Chard. “It was logical I became first dean of women and dean of residence, as Saint Mary’s was going from an all-male institution to a co-ed one. It seemed everything that needed to be done for the few women students, I would do.

“I was dragged along to an Atlantic Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Association meeting as a voting delegate, and that was the start of my interest.”

And that interest has yet to wane. She served as a member of the Atlantic Universities Athletic Association executive from 1975-1980, and was AUAA president between 1976-1978. Her CIAU presidency ran from 1980-1984, and in 1982, she received the Austin-Matthews Award for outstanding contribution to Canadian intercollegiate sport.

Her volunteer organizational activities include: one World and one Canadian wheelchair basketball championship, the Pan-American Games for disabled athletes, and the Nova Scotia Special Olympics. She served on the organizing committee for various Atlantic Bowl football championships and was Assistant Chef-de-Mission for Canada’s entry at the World University Student Summer Games in Kobe, Japan, in 1985. She served as Chef-de-Mission for the 1987 World Student Summer Games in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, in 1987.

She is the recipient of an honourary Gold M from Saint Mary’s, the highest award its students association can give to a non-student, and a Recognition of Women Award from the YWCA.

Throughout all this, she has remained Registrar at Saint Mary’s, still keeping her number one priority in order — the students.

“The job of Registrar has been a rewarding one because I have retained my connection with the students. If the university wasn’t growing, I’m not sure I would have remained as Registrar, but I am very happy in this position.”

Elizabeth passed away on May 5th, 2007.

Bio Courtesy of Jody Jewers