Kate Armstrong’s Account as First Female Cadet at RMC is Recognized with OHS Alison Prentice Award
The Ontario Historical Society proudly presents the 2019-20 Alison Prentice Award, which recognizes the best book in Ontario women’s history published in the last three years, to Kate Armstrong for her book, The Stone Frigate: The Royal Military College’s First Female Cadet Speaks Out, published by Dundurn Press.
Kate Armstrong’s The Stone Frigate is a first-hand account of the prejudice faced by the first female cohort admitted to the Royal Military College in Kingston. Armstrong was one of thirty-two women who joined eight hundred male cadets in 1980 at the rigorous officer training school. Her memoir captures the dominating, misogynistic world of one of Ontario’s most patriarchal institutions and her experience challenging it. Armstrong’s grit, humour and sense of justice shine through as she navigates a gruelling environment determined to see the female cadets fail. Armstrong’s story also reveals the demeaning traditions all cadets experience, the strong bonds of friendship formed amid training, and the failure of Canada’s military leadership to swiftly adapt to change. The Stone Frigate is most deserving of the Alison Prentice Award for its vivid, engaged writing that places the reader in the author’s boots and its documentation of a critical chapter of women’s history.
The Honours and Awards Committee is pleased to present this year’s Alison Prentice Award to Kate Armstrong.
Author Kate Armstrong discusses her book and the significance of the Alison Prentice Award.
The Ontario Historical Society is proud to recognize Kate Armstrong for her book, The Stone Frigate: The Royal Military College’s First Female Cadet Speaks Out, published by Dundurn Press. The Alison Prentice Award is presented to the best book on Ontario women's history, published in the last three years.
Founded in 1888, the Ontario Historical Society is a non-profit corporation and registered charity dedicated to the preservation and celebration of Ontario’s history for people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. To learn more about the OHS’s Honours and Awards Program, or to submit a nomination, please visit https://www.ontariohistoricalsociety.ca/index.php/categories or contact the Society’s offices by telephone or e-mail.
-The Ontario Historical Society-
Contact: Daniel Dishaw - ddishaw@ontariohistoricalsociety.ca - 416.226.9011
Twitter: @ontariohistory Facebook: /ontariohistoricalsociety www.ontariohistoricalsociety.ca