Two years later...

Once again, September 26th has come and we are stunned when we consider that it is two years since Marika left us. Where does the time go? It scarcely seems possible that more than two years had passed since we saw her in peak form, filling a room with her presence, humour, and intellect.

David came to Vancouver to spend the weekend with Vicky and Mark so that we could be together on this anniversary. We know that she would have been happy for us to be with each other and thinking of her fondly. We were touched by the cards, emails, and facebook postings by friends and relatives, and enjoyed some good food and drink that we know she would have appreciated.

Good news on two fronts:

- We are closer to finishing a tribute volume featuring the entire content of this blog, with additional testimonials and photographs.

- Marika's final manuscript is almost ready for publication! There had been some revisions that were needed which she could not complete due to her illness. Her friends Geoffrey and Marelene Rayner-Canhem have made the necessary revisions and we received confirmation from UBC Press that the book is in the final stages of preparation required prior to publication. We are so grateful and excited that Marika's hard work will not be silenced by her untimely departure, and express our sincere thanks to those who helped to make this possible. Updates will be posted as the timeline becomes more defined.

The three of us will be going to Four Corners in the American Southwest, a location David and Marika had wanted to go to but didn't on their few visits to the area. We are looking forward to making a family holiday to this area that Marika loved so much.

With thanks and love for your thoughts and wishes,

David, Vicky, and Mark

A painting made in memory of Marika by her friend Marsha Ross

One year ago...

Where does time go? It is almost incon-ceivable that a year should have passed since Marika died. Her cousin Franci wrote to us today, saying "Years go by, now there’s one that has passed, 365 days and many heart beats. We think very much of you, especially this day." Certainly we have all been thinking of Marika a lot this year.

We had decided to spread some more of her ashes this morning at English Bay, near where Vicky and Mark live. It is a beautiful beach right in downtown Vancouver, along which Mum and Dad would walk when they visited.

We woke up relatively early (though not quite as early as Mum might have) and headed over to the beach before sunrise. There were already several people out, jogging, walking, feeding the birds (Mum would have disapproved of the latter).

We found a quiet stretch of beach and went right up to the water. The waves were coming in at a good speed, but were very shallow. We each took a turn scattering some ashes into the water.
We enjoyed the view for a few more moments, and then went off to have breakfast. We've had some messages and phone calls from friends and relatives, and will be thinking of Marika lots more today...

Marika's Story

This is David's speech from the Celebration of Life.



I would like to thank each and every one of you for being here to help celebrate Marika’s life. It is a daunting task trying to condense 70 years of action-packed living into 10 minutes, and obviously there will be all too many omissions.

I am getting some help. Marika’s sister, Gyöngyi, will add some family insights, Mary Baldwin will deal with her academic career, and Annelie Johnson will speak about her artistic endeavours.

First, a little context. Marika was born in Budapest on December 4th, 1937 to Martin and Sara Gosztonyi. She was loved and cherished from the beginning, and had the advantages of an upper-middle class upbringing for a while. All too soon, life was disrupted by World War II. Life became quite difficult, and when Gyöngyi was born on September 16th, 1942, the operating room lights went out due to an air raid. They survived the war and its various trials and tribulations, and eventually the Russians fought it out with the fascists in Budapest, and one result was the destruction of Martin Gosztonyi’s office. For a few years, some semblance of normalcy returned. Although gifted intellectually, during this period Marika detested school. Being very intelligent she was totally bored in large classes doing rote learning. Conformity was never her style.

The next major event in Marika’s life was the 1956 Hungarian uprising. She thought, “NO, not again!” At 19, she and some others were escorted over the Hungarian border at night with a guide who was able to succeed in avoiding military patrols wanting to stop this type of activity.

She was delighted to leave Hungary to stay nine months in Stockholm with her father’s brother Charles, who was a very successful violinist and had 3 children of his own. It was at this time that a family Swedish connection was established which has endured to this day. After that, it was on to Montreal and, eventually, one big winner was your truly! We met on March 14th, 1964 at a Welsh party that we both came close to missing. Fortunately we went and it was essentially a case of ‘Lust at first sight’.

After that life became complicated and interesting for a while, as we were both already married and Marika had a daughter, Vicky. In the summer of 1964, we set off from Montreal in a 1958 Chev on a three-and-a-half-week, 9000-mile driving holiday: Montreal, Winnepeg, Banff, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Yosemite, Nevada, Chicago, Niagra Falls, Montreal. We had one Texaco credit card, spent 27 dollars on accommodation including one-night hotel stays in San Francisco, Chicago, and the mid-west. In Chicago we saw Oscar Peterson and his trio at the London House. For $2.50 each, we sat 10 feet away from him and each had a B&B – quite amazing and unforgettable.

What did I learn on this trip? That Marika was easy to talk to and had a wonderful sense of humour, that she was an intellectual, and that when she was hungry, you got her and food together at the very first opportunity and not 30 miles down the highway. She was into Archeology at this point and walked on mountain slopes looking down for Indian Arrowheads, unsuccessfully. One of her many talents was to go into our antiquated tent wearing Jeans or shorts and come out 10 minutes later looking like a fashion queen. She looked fantastic if we stayed in the tent too! It became quite clear that we wanted to spend our lives together. Eventually, after some difficulties and challenging legal proceedings courtesy of Quebec, we were married in Montreal on July 23rd, 1966 and did just that.

Marika’s next interests were birding and pottery. Birding became an obsession and typically she was not simply a twitcher (a lister), but took an advanced correspondence course in Ornithology offered by Cornell University. She quickly became a hot-shot authority on birding.

On November 26th, 1969, Mark arrived early in the morning, much to Vicky’s chagrin. He too was loved and cherished, and with Vicky to translate his weird sounds, did not speak coherently until he was 2-and-a-half when in the Laurentians, north of Montreal, he said, “Shut up, you stupid Jays.” Indeed they were very noisy at the time. Our next cross-Canada trip saw Marika trying to look up for birds and down for artifacts at the same time. Birds won out. By this time, we were really organized, well-equipped campers, with good tents and clothing, and 2 Coleman stoves for cooking excellent meals.

After I got an M.A. and a pay raise, Marika went back to the University of Montreal and took an M.A. in History of Science (in French, her 3rd language), and then continued her History of Science studies at McGill, taking a Ph.D.

Eventually she was appointed Principal of Simone de Beauvoir Institute of Women’s Studies at Concordia University. This was when her academic influence and feminist interests really expanded and she was able to help a lot of people. However, it was a demanding job and she had to deal with some difficult personalities and dynamics. At once tense meeting, with motions flying around all over the place, she exclaimed, “I’m getting motion sickness”. As could be expected, this defused the situation.

When I retired from teaching at the end of 1994, Marika obtained a job to be the first Chair of Women’s Studies at UNBC starting in 1995. We were glad to be out of Quebec just before Parizeau’s referendum and in Prince George, with its wonderfully kind and caring community. Once again, though, Marika had difficult dynamics to contend with at UNBC. She could and did help many people, and to help herself, she took up painting with the energy, enthusiasm, and ability that she brought to all her pursuits.

We were in Victoria for only 4 and a half years, and people here might not realize how we both formerly had a lot more energy in Prince George. Marika quickly made, as always, many friends in different areas of life and additionally became part of a wonderful painting group, The Madronas, here at the Goward House, where she requested to have this celebration of her life. She was always very happy painting here with a wonderful group of women in a beautiful natural setting.

Over the years, we had many holiday trips, camping in the East and West, and also visiting Europe, Sweden in particular. We also made four trips to Australia, two to New Zealand, and one to Fiji. Our last holiday, which rivaled the success of our first one, was a 2-week Alaskan Cruise which we both enjoyed enormously. Marika was seemingly fit, enthusiastic as always, and looked fantastic as the dated August 5th photo clearly illustrates.

A few weeks after our return, she was admitted to hospital. During her last days, she still ran the show, indicating where paintings, cards, and pictures should be placed. She talked beyond her strength, but as always communicated superbly. Mercifully, her intellectual ability remained, and it is worth mentioning that she had an in-depth knowledge of archeology, anthropology, ornithology, philosophy, chemistry, literature, languages, pottery, painting, classical music, opera, jazz, and photography. She was a true pantheist and loved nature to the fullest.

In her final days, tributes and comments poured in and some of these comments were repeated: “zest for life”, “caring”, “sympathetic”, “encouraging”, “inspiring”, “vibrant nature,” “vivacious.” She had the same restless energy as did William Rowan, about whom she wrote a biography with that title. Perhaps one day, someone will write a book on Marika’s life. It would be a rich topic with no shortage of subject matter in many areas.

At this point, I would like to propose a toast to Marika.

You made a difference living life to the fullest;
You did it your way, and your way was fantastic.
Thank you for everything.
Well done, Marika!
Thank you!

Still influential at UNBC

Jennifer Swennumson, a former student and friend of Marika's, submitted an application to graduate studies at UNBC, where Marika had headed the Women's Studies department for several years. She listed Marika as her referee, giving this explanation:

Marika was to be my strongest reference. I knew her for many years personally and academically. Unfortunately before I was to submit my graduate application, she passed away suddenly. It is my wish to still have her as one of my referees as I know she would have wanted this, and it is partially my intention to honour an incredibly gifted woman who was vital to UNBC. In one of our many conversations, Marika always told me she would be the first individual to be my reference for graduate studies. To quote her, “You have a brilliant mind, Jennifer. It is time to enrol in graduate studies. If you do not do it, I will never forgive you. Academically, you are one of the strongest women I have seen and it is time to use your gift…your brilliant mind.” Marika Ainley, Winter 2008

She was accepted, and awarded a grant to assist with her studies.

Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing this story.

Marika in a Winter Wonderland

Of course we are all missing Marika terribly this Christmas - she was probably the most enthusiastic of all of us when it came to the holidays (she did love a party, as we all know). Here are some of the photos that were featured in the slideshow at the Celebration of Life that feature a more wintery setting.

December 4, 2008

Today would have been Marika's 71st birthday. At this time last year, the family was in Hawaii on our first birthday vacation trip. We certainly could not have imagined that it would be the last time we would celebrate David's, Mark's, and Marika's birthdays all together.

We decided some time ago that we would all spend Marika's birthday in Victoria, and had more recently discussed whether it would be an ideal time to spread her ashes. She had asked for it to be done at Cattle Point, a beautiful spot by the water in Victoria. We were uncertain if the weather would cooperate, and yet, as was the case with her Celebration of Life, conditions were ideal.

We arrived at Cattle Point just in time for the 7:49 sunrise. Its bright red tones were reminiscent of Marika herself. The wind had not yet picked up but there was a bit of a breeze by the time we had walked along the grass and reached the edge of the water.


The urn that we had purchased weighed a ton, so instead we brought the contents along with one of the pots that Mum had made in her pottery phase in the 70s. We decided that we would each take turns scattering some ashes, and that at the end the three of us would do some more together. David started off, then Mark, and then Vicky, before the three of us came together for the last bit.


As we walked back to the car, there was a brisker breeze, and the sun was brighter. We slowly drove off to have breakfast at Rosie's Diner, one of Marika's favourite places, and to continue spending the rest of her birthday together.

Marika's Academic Career

The following is the detailed overview of Marika's academic career that Mary Baldwin presented at the Celebration of Life.

Marika, or Marianne as she introduced herself to me when we first met, is one of my oldest and dearest friends in Canada. We met in the fall of 1966 in the Chemistry Department at Loyola College in Montreal, she had just begun working for Dr Nogrady, a fellow Hungarian, as a research assistant, and I had just started working as a laboratory instructor supervising organic chemistry labs. Loyola at that time was a Jesuit run 4-year college for men, and there were very few women who were not secretaries or office staff. We shared the problems of being isolated professional women in science, working mothers with young children – Vicky is between my daughters in age. We were both immigrants, and had experienced discrimination against married women in the workplace, and the problems of qualifications from another country, although we came from very different places. I came from Tasmania, while she left Hungary following the 1956 uprising, after completing a Diploma of Industrial Chemistry at the Polytechnical College of Chemistry in Budapest. She had worked in laboratories in Montreal while completing her BA at night school at what was then Sir George Williams University (now Concordia), with concentrations in English and French literature.

There were many upheavals and changes in the political and educational scene in Montreal during the late 60’s, and as time passed and our children grew, she became increasingly frustrated with the role of research assistant, where one’s contribution to a project may be substantial but the principal investigator receives the recognition. – and one may not be able to pursue good research ideas.

She was interested in anthropology and had applied and been accepted into a masters program when life intervened in 1969 in the form of Mark. She had introduced me to espresso coffee, and regularly made espresso in a little pressure machine in the basement kitchen, and quite suddenly she went off espresso coffee – I was not surprised when she finally admitted she was pregnant.

So graduate school was put on hold, and she was at home while Mark was a young child. During this time she found creative outlets through pottery and her passion for birding. I still have some of her hand built pots, when she was experimenting with form and glazes. She actively pursued her interest in birding, a lifelong passion, and completed Cornell University’s certificate in Ornithology in 1979.

Marika returned to work at Loyola in 1974, first as a research assistant and then as a laboratory instructor for General Chemistry, but did not give up on the notion of graduate school.. Although our careers took different paths, and I remained at Loyola then Concordia, we neither of us wanted to become “Mrs Godblesshers” referred to in Vivian Gornick’s book on Women in Science, content to mind laboratories for years. A chemistry colleague Michael Hogben who was involved in Interdisciplinary Studies at Loyola at the time suggested she check out the History of Science program at University of Montreal. She had found her field, and enrolled in the Institut d’histoire et de politique des sciences, where she was able to combine her interest in the scientific contributions of amateurs and her love of ornithology, completing an M.Sc in 1980: “La professionalisation de l’ornithologie Américaine 1870 –1979”. This was tough, and a real triumph, as much of the reading and seminars were in French, (a third language) and all theses at Université de Montréal must satisfy their language watchdog before submission, but this experience enhanced her French/english bilingualism. She was hooked on research, received a doctoral fellowship, and moved to McGill for her PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science program, expanding on the work she had begun in ornithology, on professionalisation of this field science, the role and contributions of amateurs, and issues of colonialism and science, receiving her degree in 1985 for her thesis:”From Natural History to Avian Biology: Canadian Ornithology 1860-1950”.

The work for her graduate degrees required extensive archival research across Canada, and interviewing those involved in ornithology who were still alive and their descendents for insights and information. These field trips for research were combined with the family summer camping holidays. David was then teaching high school in the PSBGM, and this pattern of travel and research has continued across the years – summer camping trips and travel destinations built around visits to archives and libraries and interviews with people relevant to the current research project across Canada, in the US, and on trips to UK, Sweden , and more recently sabbatical leaves in Australia and New Zealand.

In 1985 she received a research grant from SSHRC as an independent researcher to work on a scientific biography of William Rowan, a British trained ornithologist who came to Canada to establish the Zoology Department at the University of Alberta - she had become very interested in his experimental work on bird migration and the problems he encountered as a field researcher in the course of her doctoral research, and writing his scientific biography was a project dear to her heart.

However, research grants do not provide income to the individual, and there was a dearth of academic positions available in the 80’s. It was also very difficult at that time (before e-mail and the internet) to be an independent researcher without an institutional affiliation to provide a base, access to libraries and archives, colleagues for discussion and collaboration etc. She did complete the biography “Restless Energy – A Biography of William Rowan, 1891—1957” which was published with a SSHRC publication grant in1993.

Meanwhile a change of direction in her research interests took place. Marika and I regularly walked and talked in Hampstead, a mazelike suburb of Montreal, near their where she lived; I always got lost, but she knew every bird likely to be spotted en route. On one of these walks we realized that there was potential money for research in Canadian Women and Science under the umbrella of SSHERC’s new Women and Work program, and that she was eminently qualified to apply for it. Margaret Rossiter’s book on American (meaning US) Women Scientists had come out in 1982, but there was little historical information about Canadian women natural scientists at that time, although she had come across women naturalists in her graduate work. She received a SSHRC PDF in 85-86 to work on History of Canadian Women in Science, which she spent in the History Department at McGill, and in 1986 obtained the first of two SSHRC major strategic grants covering 1986-92 for Women and Scientific Work, as an Independent Scholar. She still wanted an institutional affiliation and I introduced her to Arpi Hamalian, the Principal of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute at Concordia University, who suggested that she become a Research Fellow of the Institute, which was the start of her association with the Institute.

Women and Scientific Work in Canada has been one of the main themes of her research, which has branched in many directions, including oral histories of living Canadian women scientists, archival work on earlier women scientists, their lives and struggles, interviews with their descendents, and examining how they pursued their scientific interests despite barriers. More recently her work has expanded to women and the environment and issues related to the transfer and recognition of First Nations environmental knowledge, and the cultural parallels between the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian experience, all having been former British colonies.

In 1988 she began teaching part-time in the Women’s Studies program at the Simone de Beauvoir, developing a course in Historical and Contemporary Perspectives of Women, Science and Technology. On one of our walks when discussing the problems she encountered in finding reading material for her course, asking for preprints of papers and conference presentations from colleagues working in this area in Canada, I suggested the solution was for her to create a book. So she solicited a series of essays, which she edited and “Despite the Odds: Essays on Canadian Women and Science” was published in 1990.

She spent a year at Carlton University as Visiting Scholar in their Women’s Studies program then in 1991 became Principal of the S de B and director of the Women’s Studies program for the next four years. During this time she provided dynamic leadership to the Institute, introducing innovations in the curriculum and teaching methods, actively encouraging research seminars and fostering collaborations with colleagues in other departments. She herself was actively involved in collaborations with colleagues at on oral histories, feminist research methods, and feminist biography . She also gained experience in academic administration.

In 1995 the opportunity to become Professor and Chair of Women’s Studies at the new UNBC in Prince George provided a fresh challenge and a secure tenured academic position. It was a major move, supported by David, who was able to take retirement from the school system where he had taught for more than 30 years. At UNBC she had the opportunity to shape and teach in their Women’s studies program, develop a graduate programme, and supervise graduate students. She loved teaching and working with her graduate students on their research projects. Her outstanding contribution to UNBC has been recognized when she was made Professor Emerita following her retirement in 2002, and the move to Victoria.

Marika was a highly productive and well funded scholar recognized in her fields by her peers. She was elected for three terms as President of the Canadian Science and Technology Historical Association, from 1993-1999, and President of the Women’s Studies Association 1999-2000. In addition to her own books, she has contributed more than 20 book chapters to other collections, written numerous peer reviewed journal articles, made contributions to Oxford Companion to Canadian History, the Biographical Dictionary of North American environmentalists, the New Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, as well as writing many reviews of books in history of science, women and science, and ornithology, and serving as a consultant to several museums and Science Centers.

She believed in sharing the ideas and insights which she developed, and as well as regular conference presentations, for the past twenty years she has been an invited speaker several times a year to a wide range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary gatherings.

There were always multiple projects on the go, and most recently, despite her illness, since retirement she had finally completed and submitted for publication the book synthesizing years of her historical work on Canadian women scientists in academia.. She received the first reviews of the manuscript “Overlooked Dimensions: Women and Scientific Work at Canadian Universities1884-1980” suggesting some revisions late this summer, but sadly was not able to complete them. It is my hope that her book will be published, and this valuable work not lost.

Marika’s path from research assistant in chemistry to eminent scholar in History of Science and Women’s Studies would not have been possible without the love and support of David and her children, Vicky and Mark. David’s Yorkshire skepticism, dry wit and endless patience kept her grounded, and provided encouragement through all the difficult times and frustrations. He has driven countless miles across the years enabling her research on a shoestring while sharing her love of nature and photographing birds. He has been, she always told me, the best editor of her writings, ensuring clarity and clear use of language – if David did not understand, the text needed change.

For me, Marika has been a wonderful, vibrant, warm and colorful friend, who has given me support and encouragement for more than forty years. She left us too soon, but has touched the lives of all her many friends and colleagues who are gathered here today for this celebration. She has given us all so much, and her life has had a ripple effect on our lives. For me, titles of her books in many ways reflect her life – she herself was full of Restless Energy and her career is an example to us all of what can be accomplished in scholarship and creativity Despite the Odds.

Mary Baldwin