Community activist.
Born at Winnipeg on 23 November 1910, daughter of Minnie Campbell, her family moved to Transcona in 1912 where she lived until 1929 when she married George Frederick “Fred” Van Slyck (1910-2001) and moved to Dugald. There she became involved in all aspects of community life. She was an active painter and was co-author and illustrator of a history of the Springfield district, published in 1977. Van Slyck was the driving force behind the establishment of the Dugald Costume Museum, which opened in 1983 with herself as President Emeritus and Curator. She was awarded the Margaret McWilliams Medal in 1972 and the gold seal from the Red River Valley Historical Society in 1975.
Her book on the history of the Springfield district won the 1977 Lady Tweedsmuir Trophy. She was a member of the Winnipeg Sketch Club, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Manitoba Society of Artists, Manitoba Historical Society, Museum of Man and Nature, Association of Manitoba Museums, Canadian Museum Association, Costume Society of Ontario, Canadian Costume Society of British Columbia, Costume Society of America, and Costume Society of London (England).
In recognition of her community service, she received City of Winnipeg Community Service Awards (1973, 1978), an Altrusa Achievement Award for Community Service (1978), a Certificate of Commendation from the American Association of State and Local History (1980), and an Award of Merit from the Canadian Museums Association. She received a Good Citizenship Award and Distinguished Service Award from the University of Manitoba, and she was inducted into the Order of Canada (1985).
She died at Winnipeg on 2 May 1992.
Birth registration [Winnifred Campbell], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Marriage registration [Winnifred Campbell, George Frederick Van Slyck], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 7 May 1992, page C37.
Obituary [George Frederick Van Slyck], Winnipeg Free Press, 25 May 2001.
Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 3 September 2024
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