Dr. Elizabeth Beaton was born in Antigonish County where she grew up on a small (by today’s standards) mixed farm. She now lives on Swan St., Whitney Pier and has two children, both women, one in the United States and one in Montreal. Elizabeth loves to garden, ride her bike, swim, and walk her dog in the Ukrainian Park.
“I enjoyed everything about our self-sufficient farm and our rural community – caring for animals, making hay, 4-H activities and the fall fair, swimming in brooks and lakes, exploring the woods, going to ‘town’ on Friday nights.” Later she witnessed the sad, government-sponsored demise of the small mixed farm. All her life she admired those who had the courage to continue with small farming operations.
After high school, Elizabeth became a medical lab technician, training at St. Martha’s and Halifax. She went to St. John’s, Newfoundland to work at the Waterford Hospital. “Why Newfoundland? Well, all the other graduating lab techs were going west to Toronto, so I went east. I guess it was me realizing that I was destined to go against the grain. My fondest of many memories was the Caplin run, a time of community celebration.” Because of a snow storm she was rescued in Bonavista Bay by lovely people who became like family to her.
In 1967 Elizabeth undertook a “Centennial Project”, joined CUSO and went to Guyana where she worked in the Mercy Hospital, at the Georgetown Zoo, and at the Government Analyst Department. She stayed in Guyana for 6 years, partaking fully of the exciting land of huge rivers and immense savannahs, and the richness of many cultures and exuberant politics.
Elizabeth returned to Canada to go St. F.X, getting a Celtic Studies degree, followed by an MA in Folklore from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Quite a few years later, she did an Interdisciplinary (Geography, Religion and History) Ph.D. Studies in at University of Manitoba. “All of my post-secondary education was directly influenced by my Guyana experience and my farm background as the best way to understand the human condition and to appreciate peoples’ cultures and their relationship to the land.” The Beaton Institute at Cape Breton University was the ideal work situation for Dr. Beaton to explore culture and the land, “human geography”. “I stayed at the Beaton for 24 years. People asked me if I owned the place; I think they thought I was Sister Margaret Beaton who founded it many years before! Not only was this work rewarding, but I worked with good people who treasured and supported Cape Breton traditions. They continue to be dear friends.”
Elizabeth moved to the Department of Community Studies where she stayed until she retired in 2009. Again, that situation enabled her to learn about Cape Breton society and culture, this time through her students who came into the program and then went on their way to do great things in the Cape Breton community and further afield.
“My big academic passion has always been field research. When I was in Guyana, I collected oral history from people around me. Back in Canada, I was fortunate in being able to concentrate my research on Cape Breton Island, and my fascination with Whitney Pier was a major influence. I was so taken with Whitney Pier that I moved here and bought a house as soon as I could. My MA thesis was on the implication of fairy lore in Cheticamp; my Ph.D. thesis was on housing and community in WhitneyPier. There were many research projects between and around these activities, including ethnic churches in Whitney Pier, religious and mutual benefit institutions and organizations in Cape Breton, the steel industry in Sydney which was two years of the most research fun I ever had, social housing in Cape Breton?s urban areas, immigration to Whitney Pier and to rural areas of Cape Breton, the experience of living with toxic soils in our neighbourhoods, community and economic development in diverse communities, especially Whitney Pier. My current major research is on farming in Cape Breton, full-circle it seems, from my first love, the small farm.”
Most of these projects have had an advocacy aspect, especially in community development of Whitney Pier; all resulted in national and international presentations over the years. There were publications as well and these continue. Being involved in The Pier Times and Novynka were special experiences, and Dr. Beaton loved that they included so many Pier people.
“The most memorable community project for me continues to be PierScape. I remember that first conversation on Victoria Road with Sandra Dunn who was already a strong community activist and Evelyn Davis who is a magnificent community stalwart. Evelyn spoke of Whitney Pier?s strong, but generally unrecognized, artistic component. We decided that a festival was the best way to bring about recognition. That first time, many worked very hard to make it happen and I have the t-shirt to prove it.”