Wellesley Township Heritage & Historical Society
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Picture

Deborah Glaister Hannay, 1906-1986

Deborah Glaister was born in Wellesley Township on August 19, 1906, the daughter of Dr. William Glaister and Mary Louise Morton. After graduating from S. S. #16, Wellesley, she attended the University of Toronto for her undergraduate degree and medical school. She graduated in 1932 and went to England for post-graduate work at the British Post-Graduate Medical School and Hammersmith Hospital.

On her return to Wellesley, she joined her father's practice and was the first woman to practice medicine in the township. She was well-liked and was known affectionately as "Dr. Debbie." In 1941 she married John Rainnie Hannay and joined the Canadian Women's Army Corp to serve her country overseas.
 She subsequently transferred to the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps where she attained the rank of Captain. She served as one of the few female Canadian doctors overseas. 

After the war, Dr. Glaister opened a practice in Kitchener and later joined Freeport Hospital and became its Chief of Staff. She died in 1986. In 2010 she was inducted into the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame.

​Click on the photos below to view a slide show.