Fredelle Maynard (1922‒1989) was born on 9 July in Saskatchewan. When she was nine, Maynard’s family moved to and settled in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Maynard completed her B.A. at the University of Manitoba in 1943; she completed an M.A. in English at the University of Toronto in 1944, and a Ph.D. in English Literature at Radcliffe College (Harvard University) in 1947. In 1948 she married and had two daughters, Rona and Joyce. Throughout her career, Maynard taught in the public school system as well as in secondary schools in New Hampshire, and she began publishing magazine articles in the 1950s. She became a known expert on child care, publishing articles in various U.S. and Canadian magazines and journals, and was the host of “Parents and Children” through TVOntario. Maynard published her first memoir, Raisins and Almonds, in 1972; it became an instant best-seller in Canada, gaining her a community of fans. Shortly after this, Maynard left her husband. In her second memoir, The Tree of Life (1988), Maynard writes candidly about the nature of her marriage with an alcoholic man. Maynard also published two books on childcare, Guiding Your Child To A More Creative Life (1973) and The Child Care Crisis (1985). In 1989, Maynard was diagnosed with brain cancer. That spring, she married her longtime partner, Sydney Bacon, and died later that year on 3 October.
Sources:
“Fredelle Bruser Maynard 1922 - 1989.” Cabbagetown People. www.cabbagetownpeople.ca/person/fredelle-bruser-maynard/.
“Fredelle Maynard fonds.” University of Manitoba Libraries. umanitoba.ca/libraries/units/archives/collections/rad/maynard.html.
Maynard, Rona. “Question of the day: how can I find Fredelle Maynard’s books?” Rona Maynard. 7 September 2007, ronamaynard.com/question-of-the-day-how-can-i-find-fredelle-maynards-books/.