Norah Willis Michener was the wife of Roland Michener

Roland Michener

Daniel Roland Michener , commonly known as Roland Michener, was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 20th since Canadian Confederation....

, the 20th Governor General of Canada

Governor General of Canada

The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...

. As the spouse of a Governor General, she held the title of Chatelaine

Viceregal consort of Canada

The viceregal consort of Canada is the spouse of the serving governor general of Canada, assisting the viceroy with ceremonial and charitable work, accompanying him or her to official state occasions, and occasionally undertaking philanthropic work of their own...

 of Rideau Hall

Rideau Hall

Rideau Hall is, since 1867, the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and the Governor General of Canada. It stands in Canada's capital on a 0.36 km2 estate at 1 Sussex Drive, with the main building consisting of 170 rooms across 9,500 m2 , and 24 outbuildings around the...

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An advocate of strict and proper etiquette

Etiquette

Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...

, she published a guide to formal etiquette for the wives of federal Members of Parliament. Ironically, it was at the beginning of Roland and Norah Michener's term at Rideau Hall that curtsey

Curtsey

A curtsey is a traditional gesture of greeting, in which a girl or woman bends her knees while bowing her head. It is the female equivalent of male bowing in Western cultures...

ing to the Governor General and his wife was abolished, reportedly because Maryon Pearson

Maryon Pearson

Maryon Elspeth Pearson, née Moody was the wife of Lester Bowles Pearson, the 14th Prime Minister of Canada.Maryon and Lester Pearson married on August 22, 1925. They met at the University of Toronto, where he was a teacher and she was a student.Maryon Pearson was also known for her sharp tongued wit...

 refused to defer in this way to people she had previously known as friends.

A noted philanthropist

Philanthropist

A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...

, her efforts included the creation of a wildlife preserve in the Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...

 which was named in her honour. The Micheners also endowed a number of efforts in memory of their late daughter Wendy, a noted Canadian journalist, including the Michener Award

Michener Award

The Michener Award is one of the highest distinctions in Canadian journalism. The award was founded in 1970 by Roland Michener, who was Governor General of Canada at the time, and his wife Norah...

 for public service journalism and an annual Wendy Michener Fund to endow research in arts and humanities at York University

York University

York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....

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