Phyllis “Pat” Grosskurth, born March 16, 1924 in Toronto Ontario and died August 2, 2015. In 1965 Pat Grosskurth became the first female professor hired by University of Toronto. She was a literary biographer, whose work was often controversial and ground breaking, hired by the English Department. Her first biographical work, John Addington Symonds: A Biography, won the Governor General’s award in 1964. She won a second Governor General’s Award in 1986, for Melanie Klein: Her World and Her Work. In 2000 Phyllis Grosskurth was awarded the Order and Canada and in 2002 she was awarded the Order of Ontario. Phyllis was described by her daughter as the life of the party. She enjoyed hosting intellectual dinner parties and was asked to deliver lectures all over the world, including Brazil, Italy, Germany and France. More interesting information can be found at the following websites:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/08/09/biographer-phyllis-grosskurth-91-was-a-fiery-literary-force-obituary.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllis_Grosskurth
http://famouscanadianwomen.com/famous%20firsts/Academics%20and%20Librarians.htm
