Ivy Lawrence Maynier '45

Ivy Lawrence Maynier '45 (1921 - 1999)
First woman of colour to graduate from the U of T Law School

"Ivy Lawrence Maynier was a pioneer . . . [She] exemplified all that was good and important in an adult educator. She was pragmatic, innovative, people-oriented, radical at times, strong-willed and an agent of social change."

Excerpt from an obituary by Lennox Bernard, School of Continuing Studies, University of the West Indies

Born in Montreal of Trinidadian parents, Ivy Lawrence Maynier defied the barriers of discrimination. After graduating from McGill University, where she was President of the Women's Debating Union and the first woman to be awarded the McGill Debating Key, Ivy received a scholarship to attend U of T law school at a time when there were few students of colour. Her pioneering spirit stayed with her throughout her career. After her call to the bar in England in 1947 and a five year appointment with the United States Information Service in Paris, Ivy moved to Trinidad and Tobago. There she pursued her lifelong passion for adult education and developing courses, programs and lectures that would make university more accessible to dispossessed groups and communities in her country. In 1959 she married a career diplomat and moved to Jamaica where she continued her career in education at the University of the West Indies. Ivy is remembered as a leader who instilled in others the courage to pursue their dreams. A bequest from Maynier established the Ivy Maynier Bursary at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.