In 1963, UNB alumna Rebecca Watson (BA 1941) became the first woman branch manager with the Bank of Montreal in Canada. "Becky's Bank" as it was known, shared a building with the University Bookstore on campus and had the distinction of being managed at that time by one of only three female bankers in Canada.
A long time support of alumni activities, Watson holds the distinction of being the Alumni Association's first female Treasurer (1973-77); its first female Vice-President (1980); and its first female President (1981). At UNB's 32nd Convocation in 1986, which celebrated the centennial anniversary of the admission of the first woman student, Mary Kingsley Tibbits, Watson received an honorary LLD and in 1992, she was the recipient of the Alumni Award of Honour for her outstanding contributions to the Alumni Association.
Source(s):
- Alumni News, Fall 1981, p. 2.
- University Perspectives, vol. 13, no. 2, October 1986, p. 3.
- [UNB Honorary Degrees Database]