Bishop O'Grady changed many lives.
He changed mine before I even met him, when I joined a friend to be a volunteer teacher in one of the new church-related schools in Prince George. Having intended to stay for the school year, I decided to continue teaching in B.C., later married, raised a family and became a Canadian citizen.
Bishop O'Grady was responsible for the construction of many church-related schools throughout northern B.C., from Prince George west to (I believe) Prince Rupert. Those schools were attended by Indigenous, Caucasian and other students.
A young Indigenous woman who became a friend of mine, from the Williams Lake area, attended the high school named Prince George College since the public schools at that time did not accept Indigenous students. She then went on to become one of the first Indigenous registered nurses in B.C.
Many people are unaware of the fact that B.C. provincial schools chose not to accept responsibility for educating Indigenous students during the 1960s. Many young students, including next-generation survivors, benefited from Bishop O'Grady's altruism.
Changing street names and signs is an example of revisionist, short-sighted denial of factual history.
Mary Ellison
Williams Lake
