Celebrating Elizabeth Epperly’s Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree at Memorial University’s Convocation Ceremony

On October 20th, 2022, Dr. Elizabeth Epperly, founder of the L.M. Montgomery Institute and the first woman president of UPEI, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at the Memorial University’s fall convocation ceremony. Join us in celebrating Dr. Epperly’s pioneering contributions to Montgomery studies and her exceptional achievement.

Victorian scholar, L.M. Montgomery specialist, author, curator and university administrator Dr. Elizabeth Rollins Epperly was born in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Her parents were passionate readers and read aloud to their children for years. A fascination with Montgomery’s writing led her to Prince Edward Island, where she became in 1969 the first student to register at the newly amalgamated University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI).

She graduated with degrees in English literature —a bachelor of arts at UPEI; a master of arts at Dalhousie University; and a doctoral degree at University of London, England — specializing in 19th-century British novels and poetry. She taught at Memorial University (where she served as head of English) and UPEI where she founded the L.M. Montgomery Institute, served as UPEI’s first woman president from 1995–98, became a professor emerita of English and was awarded an honorary doctorate.

She published two books on Anthony Trollope before daring, in 1992, to publish The Fragrance of Sweet-Grass, the first full-length critical study of all of Montgomery’s novels. Since then, in addition to dozens of essays and book chapters, she has published books on Montgomery’s photography, scrapbooks, letters and Canadian context.

Dr. Epperly has served as curator for real-time and virtual Montgomery exhibitions and has pursued Montgomery research in Sweden, Japan, Spain, Scotland and China, as well as in the U.S. and Canada.

The biennial international L.M. Montgomery Institute conferences, which she began in 1994, are credited with anchoring Montgomery studies.

Since retiring from UPEI in 2006, she has published more Montgomery books and essays, and mentored students and administrators.

For her commitment to higher education, not only as a pioneering Victorian scholar and authority on L.M. Montgomery, but as a woman leader in academic administration, Elizabeth Rollins Epperly is awarded the degree of doctor of laws, honoris causa.

To read the original post by Memorial University, click here.