Memorable Manitobans: Lillian “Jimmy” Coo (1914-2005)

Lillian Coo Click to enlarge

Journalist.

Born at Winnipeg on 28 November 1914, daughter of Abbie Coo and Lillian Margaret Delaney (1886-?), she was a noted sprinter while a student at Wesley College in the 1930s. After graduation, she began writing a column for the Winnipeg Free Press called Cherchez la Femme which covered the local women’s sports scene. The column ran from 1937 to 1942, during which she was an executive member of the North End Amateur Athletic Club, Winnipeg Women’s Softball League, Manitoba branch of the Women’s Amateur Athletic Federation of Canada, and Winnipeg branch of the Women’s Press Club of Canada. In 1942, she enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force (Women’s Division) and served as a flight officer based at Ottawa, Ontario for the duration of the Second World War. She resumed her column from 1946 to 1947 before moving to Washington, DC to work for Canada’s Department of External Affairs. After a decade there, she married and moved to South Africa where she died at Scottburg on 14 February 2005.

Sources:

Birth registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“Coo got the scoop,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 January 2018.

Obituary [Coral Coo Rubec], Ottawa Citizen, 27 February 2005.

The Girl and the Game: A History of Women's Sport in Canada by M. Ann Hall.

This page was prepared by Christian Cassidy.

Page revised: 10 February 2018

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!