--June 19, 2026.
On June 12th, 2026, Bishop’s University announced a new research chair in English Quebec Studies. As the name suggests, this research chair was made possible by a generous bequest by Marjorie Goodfellow, who passed away in October 2024. Those familiar with Marjorie will know that she dedicated decades of her life to the promoting and sustaining English-language rights in the region. With that knowledge, it comes as little surprise that this is how Marjorie wanted to use a portion of her estate.
Born in Sherbrooke, Marjorie began her professional life in Library Science in Montreal and Ottawa but returned to the Townships in 1971. Here, she worked as a library consultant, genealogical and historical researcher, and gradually became deeply enmeshed in community advocacy. Among her many contributions, Marjorie helped found the Townshippers’ Association and the Eastern Townships Heritage Foundation, served on various committees to champion for access to healthcare services in English, as well as volunteered as a board member of numerous other organizations. She was also a QAHN member and a contributor to Quebec Heritage News magazine.
The new Marjorie Goodfellow Chair in English Quebec Studies, set to have its first Chair holder within the next two years, will be open to Bishop’s University faculty from across disciplines. The breadth of the research chair’s focus will allow for numerous potential research avenues, including history, literature, sociology, political science, education, and linguistics among others. In a press release from the University, they shared further that the Chair holder will “lead research initiatives, contribute to knowledge creation and curriculum development, and mentor students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, helping to nurture the next generation of scholars in English Quebec Studies.”
The special event to announce the research chair, which I attended on QAHN's behalf, also served as the first launch of Marjorie’s book, And Friends Saw Us Home, which she was in the final stages of completion at the time of her death. Her book uses her family history to tell the story of the community around the Scotch Road, now the Chemin des Écossais. Copies of her book are now available for purchase at limited locations, including Black Cat Books in Sherbrooke (Lennoxville).