Florence Davy Thompson

She was born on 13 September 1865 to Samuel Lucas and Florence Davy in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, where her father owned a brewery.[1] Her mother was the daughter of the American consul in Leeds, and arranged for her own daughter to receive a superb education from a private tutor, William Dawson.[1] In 1892 she married customs clerk William Henry Thompson and moved with him to Winnipeg, Manitoba.[1]

On arriving in Canada, she demonstrated her artistic talent, winning prizes for her watercolour paintings at the 1892 Winnipeg Industrial Exhibition.[1] (Her grandfather, named Samuel Lucas like her father, had been well-regarded in England for his painting.)[1]

Thompson collaborated with professors at the University of Manitoba and the Manitoba Medical College, writing and illustrating scientific treatises.[1] In 1906 and 1907 she published four papers on pancreatic islets with professor Swale Vincent and in 1909 she worked on a paper on thyroid and parathyroid glands with professor Jasper Halpenny.[1] She published two more physiology papers as sole author.[1][2]

The faculty of the university were anxious to establish a library and, in 1905 Vincent was asked to lead that effort.[1] In 1908 the library was established and Thompson was made the librarian, but with an honorarium of only $100 rather than the $1,000 Vincent had recommended.[1] In 1910 (by which time her salary had increased to $900) she travelled to McGill University in Montreal to further develop her skills.[1]

In addition to her scientific writing, Thompson presented papers to women's clubs on topics as diverse as furniture and lace-making.[1] She was active in the Local Council of Women, the Women's Canadian Club, and University Women's Club.[1][3]

Thompson died suddenly of appendicitis in 1915.[1] At the time of her death the library's collection had expanded to over 7,500 works.[1] The man who would be hired to replace her as university librarian in 1916 was paid $2,000.[1]

• University of Manitoba Libraries