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SHAUNAVON — Former residents of the Shaunavon area have given back to the community through the donation of a beautiful stained-glass window to the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre.

Margaret Springett and her sister Annabelle Black donated this transom window to the Grand Coteau Centre and it is now installed above the entryway to the building. | Photo courtesy The Shaunavon Standard

The McEwen sisters, Margaret and Annabelle, graduated from Shaunavon High School in 1948 and 1950, respectively. Margaret Springett resides in Moose Jaw and Annabelle Black in Toronto. Margaret explains that when Annabelle moved to Toronto to study dental hygiene in the early 1950s, someone asked her how big Shaunavon was. She said, “Well, we’ve got nine elevators, so we’re a pretty good size!” 

Following her training in dental hygiene, Annabelle married Dr. Wilfred Black, a dentist from Ontario. Dr. Black commissioned an artist, his cousin’s wife, Katherine Louise Black of Mississauga, to create a transom window for their townhouse. The design includes grain elevators and a train, serving as a reminder of Annabelle’s prairie roots. A transom is a small window set above a larger window or a door, or, more specifically, above a transom, which is the horizontal beam above a door or window. The designs of transom windows can be quite elaborate since they're often used for decorative purposes; it's not uncommon for them to be made of leaded or stained glass.  (from )

Margaret collected pictures and photos of grain elevators and sent them to Annabelle in Toronto so that the artist could create a depiction of these prairie icons. “I sent every picture I could find,” explains Margaret, “I made colour photocopies of pictures and paintings of elevators and trains. I sent a picture of a set of elevator salt and pepper shakers that I have. The artist had never seen an elevator in person.”  Dr. Black passed away in 2002 and Annabelle later moved to a care facility. The transom window was saved from their townhouse. She wanted to donate it somewhere in Saskatchewan. The sisters thought of their hometown of Shaunavon, and the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre agreed to accept the donation. At one point, Annabelle drove from Ontario to B.C. to visit a grandchild, and she stopped in Moose Jaw, leaving the window with Margaret. The artwork was safely stored under a bed until Joanne Gregoire, director of Culture in Shaunavon, picked it up in Moose Jaw in 2023. The sisters paid to have the window framed and it is now installed above the entryway to the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre. The window is not the only item in the museum collection with ties to the McEwen sisters; their 1948 and 1950 Graduation class photos can be found in the archives.

Eldest sister, Margaret Springett, maintains ties to Shaunavon through her ongoing subscription to The Shaunavon Standard and through connections with family and former neighbours.  

Margaret spent a lengthy career as a Registered Nurse, taking her initial training in Moose Jaw. She says, “I became a nurse because it didn’t cost anything; not a cent for anything. But I wanted to be one anyway, so that worked out. Annabelle went to the University of Toronto to take her dental hygiene training. We did pretty well for 小蓝视频 little prairie chickens of the 1930’s.”

Margaret eventually got her degree in nursing. “I had been training nurses at the school in Moose Jaw. Some of them were graduating and going on to university so I thought I better catch up! I started going to night classes and taking correspondence and received my degree in 1967.” Early in her career, she worked in the Operating Room for Dr. F.H. Wigmore, for whom the Moose Jaw Regional Hospital is now named. She adds, “I spent time in Climax when I first graduated nursing. I remember that I had to keep the furnace going at the hospital and one day I was shovelling coal, and my bright white cap fell into the coal bin!” She returned to Moose Jaw, got married and, when the nursing training school opened, she started teaching there. Her last nursing position was as a Health Educator for the province until those positions were eliminated. She retired in 1987 but continued with casual work at Extendicare in Moose Jaw. Margaret continues to care for others through non-nursing projects. She knits dozens of ‘Izzy’ dolls each year for children in third world countries. Her designs include Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Raptors, in addition to many other colorful varieties. She sends 100 dolls to Guatemala mission efforts each year through the Rotary Club, and another 45 to a school in Costa Rica. She keeps busy replenishing her ongoing supply. 

Her husband, Richard, passed away ten years ago. Margaret still drives and lives a healthy and independent life at age 94, residing in the same home she has lived in since 1959. The couple never had children of their own, but did form a special bond with a local Sudanese couple and, subsequently, their four children who call her ‘Grandma.’ Margaret says, “I helped her (the mother) with the children and taught her to cook. Now she brings food for me!” Margaret still loves to bake herself and her commitment to health care continues as she provides her famous muffins, lemon loaf and health care-themed cookies for volunteers during the annual Moose Jaw Health Foundation Radiothon, hosted on 800 CHAB. She is a loyal CHAB listener. My first encounter with Margaret was receiving a letter in the mail from her, along with a CHAB ‘sunspot’ sticker, in response to an article I had written about one of my adventures with CHAB.

We appreciate Margaret’s loyalty to the Shaunavon Standard and her hometown community. I recently met with Margaret at her home in Moose Jaw, presenting her with an I Love Shaunavon mug, pin and keychain, courtesy of the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre. Special thanks to both Annabelle and Margaret for keeping their hometown close to heart. Drop by the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre at 440 Centre Street to view the stained-glass transom.