During a week in which young activists are raising their voices for action on climate change, a quiet memorial for one of Armstrong’s early environmentalists will be held on Friday at Pleasant Valley Secondary School in Armstrong.
Mildred Inglis - born Mildred Gladys Ronson in 1922 in Rosetown, Saskatchewan - moved to Armstrong in 1955 to teach. She would stand as a positive influence on the community for more than four decades, and though Inglis passed away in 2013, her influence lives on.
Inglis was instrumental in starting the Armstrong Spallumcheen Environmental Trust, and in turn the charitable organization has provided bursaries to PVSS graduates over the years.
For 10 years Inglis taught at what was then the Armstrong Jr. Sr. High School, where she met and married fellow teacher Stephen Inglis in 1956.
Inglis had a passion for the natural world and she quickly left her green imprint on the community. She encouraged her students to recycle at a time when recycling was a rare practice. Her class teamed up with Vernon, applying for a grant to have recycling containers built at the local landfill.
Inglis’s family will be in attendance at the ceremony, as well as Environmental Trust director Dave Derbowka. Fellow Trust member Marge Andres will speak in tribute to Inglis, her friend of many years. Chelsea Prince, the school’s new principal, will also be there to offer a few words.
The Trust is donating a tree and a plaque in Inglis’s name, in honour of the work she did as a builder of the group.
The gathering will take place at PVSS on Friday, Sept. 27 at 12:30 p.m.
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