A polymath is a person whose knowledge spans over a substantial number of subjects and is known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to exhibit creativity and solve problems. Jean Morrison was a polymath.
Morrison, of Vankleek Hill, died on Wednesday, March 13 in her 102nd year. Morrison did not just see a lot of history in her long life, she lived it.
Born and raised in Montréal, Morrison graduated McGill University in 1943 with a science degree at a time when women studying the sciences were uncommon, let alone women attending university.
“I was a bacteriologist,” Morrison explained at her 101st birthday celebration on August 30, 2023. She also worked with the psychology department at the university on developing psychological tests that were used to judge military recruits’ fitness for service during World War Two.
Fifty years later, Morrison earned a master’s degree in history from Concordia University. By that time, her interests had gone into oral history, and she collected hours of recorded interviews that took her as far as China and Lebanon. Some of her historical research during the 1960s was for the influential Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, also known as the Dunton-Laurendeau Commission. Morrison’s research for the commission explored the cultural impact of the nationalization of Shawinigan Water and Power into Hydro-Québec.
Morrison and her husband Jim lived in Mount Royal and then Hudson. They raised a family of four children. In 1973, they relocated to a farm near Vankleek Hill where they operated a mixed farm and started out with little agricultural knowledge.
“We knew absolutely nothing about the farm!” Morrison said in 2023.
Morrison was active in politics during the 1960s and 1970s. She was an avid organizer for the federal Progressive Conservatives.
In addition to politics, history, and science, Morrison was also a puppeteer and competed internationally. She once had the honour of offering tea to the Prince of Wales, now King Charles III. In 2017, she was a torchbearer for the Canada Games.
Morrison later relocated to Winnipeg to be closer to family where she had a minor career as a stand-up comedian. However, she returned to Vankleek Hill and spent her final years at Heritage Lodge. It was there at age 99 in a Tik-Tok video of her dancing, she attracted new attention as a fan of the annual NFL Super Bowl and occasional source of commentary on Montréal radio station CJAD AM 800. Morrison was known for her large, elaborate hats and love of laughter.
To say Jean Morrison saw and did a lot in her life would be an understatement. She also had a deep understanding of contemporary society and its challenges.
“I think it would be very difficult to raise children today,” Morrison said at her 101st birthday celebration.
“It used to be black and white, now everything is gray,” she remarked.
Despite those concerns about the present, she treasured her longevity and experiences.
“I’ve had an absolutely wonderful life,” said the 101-year-old polymath.
Funeral arrangements for Jean Morrison have been entrusted to Hillcrest Funeral Home in Vankleek Hill.
