“We know that tonight you will be your magnificent self…with the heart of a woman, the mind of a man, and the tongue of an angel”. These were the words used by Allan Cullen, QC., addressing Kate Andrews as they prepared to celebrate her appointment to the Senate of the University of Alberta in 1957. Not exactly politically correct in this day and age but seemingly appropriate for that time period.
Kate was instrumental in the evolution of rural education from the one-roomed school to the large consolidated unit. She was the first woman chairperson of the Lethbridge Community College, the first woman school board trustee in Alberta, first woman on a divisional school board, and first woman in Canada to hold a seat on the Board of Referees of the National Employment Services. Buckingham Palace awarded her the Queen Elizabeth Coronation Medal for outstanding achievements in education. She was appointed to the Senate of the University of Alberta, represented southern Alberta on the Alberta School Trustees Association and was elected as this organization’s first woman president. Kate was the first woman to receive an honorary membership in the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce. Another honorary membership came from Beta Sigma Phi. The Quota Club named her Woman of the Year for her exemplary life as mother, wife and citizen.
When Kate Andrews High School in Coaldale held its opening ceremonies in 1961, she attended with pride and presented the school with a piano.
On January 12, 1967 two weeks after her death, the Kate Andrews Building, on the Lethbridge Community College campus was named after her as a tribute.