Celebrating Women's History Month at the OVC: Dr. Jean Rumney

The history of women at the OVC is one that is continually being discovered. The first woman to graduate from the college was Elizabeth Barrie Carpenter in 1928, over sixty years after the OVC was founded. Over the next few decades, small numbers of women would train at the OVC. The 1980s would see the number of women student veterinarians outnumber men at the OVC, despite the attitude of some faculty that women were not suited for the profession.

Dr. Jean Rumney was the first Canadian woman to graduate from the OVC as a member of the Class of 1939. The third woman to graduate from the OVC, Rumney was among the early women pioneers who overcame barriers to studying and practicing veterinary medicine in Canada and beyond.

Born in 1910 in Victoria Falls, Ontario, Rumney suffered a severe bout of polio as a child, which significantly affected her health. She entered the OVC after pursuing business education following high school. After graduating nearly top of her class from the OVC in 1939, she went on to have a long career in practice at the Blue Cross Animal Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, a practice founded in 1935 by her brother, Dr. Wilfred Rumney (OVC 1925). The practice was one of the first purpose-built companion animal hospitals in Canada. Rumney became a well-known veterinarian in Hamilton and well-regarded by the hospital’s many clients. Rumney was also active in the veterinary profession. For example, she participated in the popular Vetescope, a substantial veterinary interactive exhibit held at the Canadian National Exhibition in the 1960s. She passed away in 1975 and dedicated her body to scientific study.

The Rumney family continues to be part of the veterinary landscape of Ontario. Jean Rumney’s cousin Joel Rumney, OVC 1983, owns and operates North Simcoe & Midland Veterinary Services with his wife, Dr. Edie Haberfellner (OVC 1987). Their daughter, Dr. Rose Rumney, graduated from the OVC in 2017. A mixed-animal practitioner, she achieved a rare, perfect score on her North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE).

Further information on the history of women at the OVC may be found in a 2020 article authored by the OVC’s former Dean, Elizabeth Stone and Kevin Woodger.

For more information on the Barker Veterinary Museum, please visit the museum’s website.

Photos for this story were provided by C.A.V. Barker Collection, Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph Library