Cold War Comforts: Canadian Women, Child Safety, and Global Insecurity

Acknowledgements

xi Acknowledgements I always enjoy reading acknowledgements because authors are usually so giddy that the book is finally finished that they are full of glee, love, and good humour. More importantly, acknowledgements are excellent reminders that, although writing and research can feel like a solitary experience, nurturing a book from beginning to end is greatly dependent on the generosity of so many people whom the author encounters on his or her journey. I am incredibly lucky to have been surrounded by wonderful mentors, peers, colleagues, oral history participants, and family from the time this book was only the flimsiest of ideas for a dissertation. Cold War Comforts began as a dissertation in the Department of History at York University. I am eternally grateful that Kathryn McPherson did not laugh when I suggested a thesis project based on the vague connections between 1950s fallout shelters and international adoption in the 1970s. As my supervisor, Kate pushed me to develop my ideas into something coherent and meaningful, particularly by reminding me that a good story was incomplete without answering the persistent question “So what?” I was joined at York by two indispensable thesis committee members, Molly Ladd-Taylor and Marcel Martel, who went above and beyond to offer feedback, advice, and support on every word written. For future York grad students, I present to you—your thesis committee dream team! The York History Department was also brimming with encouragement from other faculty members and fellow students. Bettina Bradbury always xii Acknowledgements had time to offer encouragement and guidance. Myra Rutherdale, Craig Heron, Marlene Shore, and Jennifer Stephen were gracious with their wisdom and their interest in my project. The same can be said of my fellow York classmates and friends, particularly Susana Miranda, Kristine Alexander, Greg Kennedy, Sean Kheraj, Natalie Gravelle, Jason Ellis, Sarah Glassford, Jenny Ellison, Christine Grandy, and Lisa Rumiel. I also benefited from the social and professional networking of the Toronto Area Women’s Canadian History Group, where I met Samantha Cutrara, Alison Norman, Robin Grazley, and Jennifer Bonnell. I am very lucky to be part of this new generation of historians and genuinely awesome people who are so willing to support each other through graduate work and beyond. I would also like to acknowledge the substantial funding I received for the dissertation stage of this project from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship, the Avie Bennett Historica Dissertation Scholarship in Canadian History, and the John A. Macdonald Fellowship in Canadian History. Once I finished my PhD, I was fortunate to have found a similarly supportive environment to continue the research and writing for Cold War Comforts at Wilfrid Laurier University. I benefited from the interdisciplinary nature of the Laurier Brantford campus and the company of my fellow historians in Brantford and Waterloo. I am appreciative of the energy and support radiating from my Laurier colleagues, including James Cairns, Rebecca Godderis , Katherine Rossiter, Trish McLaren, Katherine Bell, Stacey Hannem, Charles Wells, Ken Werbin, Lisa Wood, Rob Kristofferson, Geoff Spurr, Peter Farrugia, Terry Copp, and Cynthia Comacchio. Laurier generously provided me with research and travel grants that allowed me to make the transition from dissertation to book. This included the funding to work with two excellent research assistants, Annalise Clarkson and Heather Gauthier. I am honoured to be included in Wilfrid Laurier University Press’s Studies in Childhood and Family in Canada Series, home to so many other books that inspire my teaching and research. From the early stages of my proposal, I had the pleasure of working with series editor Cynthia Comacchio, whose touch always had the effect of immediately improving my words and ideas. Editor Ryan Chynce’s patience and advice was much welcomed by this first-time author. I appreciate Rob Kohlmeier’s and Benjamin Lefebvre’s work putting together the book’s final touches. I would like to thank each of the three anonymous reviewers for taking the time to evaluate my scholarship and offer perceptive feedback. Acknowledgements xiii My research only exists because of the foundation laid by other scholars of women’s and children’s history. Furthermore, Karen Dubinsky, Dominique Marshall, Karen Balcom, Veronica Strong-Boag, Mona Gleason, Franca Iacovetta, Tamara Myers, and Frances Early generously shared their research and offered advice at critical stages of my project’s development. The research and writing of this book was made possible by the assistance of helpful archivists, librarians, and staff...