This page is a tribute to a dear friend and co-worker who passed away on September 24, 1998. Felicity functioned as the administrator co-ordinator of our field practicum office and was always around to provide support to the rest of us who had to be retrained constantly on the details & processes associated with the field office.

Felicity had the remarkable skill of making you feel that you were always
doing an excellent job, even when you weren't. If only the rest of the faculty
would do the kind of job that you were doing, things would be so much better.

Besides a great sense of humour, and limitless patience, Felicity loved technology and was enthralled with the latest advances in computer technology. The advent of the Internet was particularly thrilling and she helped to pioneer what I believe was the first social work computer-based, practicum matching tool. Felicity also studied HTML which is the language of the Internet or WWW and she was keenly involved with the development of our Faculty's website.

It is in the spirit of her interest and commitment to technology and the WWW that I wanted to express my affection through offering her a cyberpresence on the WWW. The section below will contain the words and thoughts of her many friends.

A Memorial Service was held for Felicity at the Faculty on Friday, December 11th, 1998. The following are parts of this service:

Michele McDonell read the following poem by Henry Scott Holland (1867-1918), Canon of St. Paul's Cathedral...

DEATH is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away
into the next room.
I am I
and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
that we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name,
speak to me in the easy way
which you always used.
Put no difference in your tone,
wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow
Laugh
as we always laughed
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Let my name
be ever the household word
that it always was,
let it be spoken without effort,
without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was;
there is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you,
for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just round the corner.
All is well.

The following is an excerpt from Rob MacFadden's tribute to Felicity which concluded the memorial:

FELICITY COULTER

As I was leaving my home to come to the memorial service for Felicity, I decided to check the time and room number for the service. I went through a moment of panic. I could not find the invitation. My first unbidden thought was that I would telephone Felicity … that she would be able to tell me. Then it came to me once again that Felicity was not there to call. I sat down feeling quite shaky and had to blink away some tears. However, it made me think on how much I had relied on Felicity to help me through the years and how gracious and kind she had always been in supplying me with that help.

Felicity was totally committed to the students and to helping their field instructors in the community. She did so much for us all in so many different ways. I first met Felicity approximately 18 years ago when I first became a field instructor. I remember feeling nervous and a little scared as I took on this responsibility. I remember Felicity’s kindness and guidance in helping me keep track of the responsibilities involved. This was remarkable when one remembers all the other field instructors that she also helped in this manner.

I have difficulties with my memory and have always had to struggle with being organized enough to function in my work related roles. I know that I would not have been able to manage in the various roles I have had with the Faculty of Social Work through the years from field instructor, Educational Co-ordinator for Social Work at The Hospital for Sick Children, Secretary and Chair of the Teaching Centres Committee, Secretary and Chair of the Association of Field Practice Educators and the various committees to which I belonged if it had not been for Felicity. She never was impatient with me when I would have to call and request information on times and dates I had already received in the mail and misplaced. She would always help with mailing lists, addresses and phone numbers that I might need. She would always encourage me and offer suggestions for the correct wording in any of the written announcements or news letters to the field instructors I might need to make as Chair of the Association of Field Practice Educators. She did all these things without ever seeming to be annoyed or disapproving. Interestingly, I have spoken to other field instructors and Faculty members, who do not have problems with their memory and are well organized, who stated that, despite this, they too relied on Felicity to help keep them on track and that they never once remember her expressing any irritation about this. Despite all the demands on her time and the numerous duties she so successfully fulfilled she was unfailingly gracious to us all.

Felicity was outstanding in her ability to encourage and inspire others and to make them feel good about themselves. Whenever I would agree to some small thing that was in my ability to do for the student practicum program Felicity would say to me, “Ruth, you are so wonderful!” and although I knew that I was far from wonderful it made me feel good to know that Felicity thought I was. In the difficult world of so many demands on time and energy it made me want to give as much as I was able to the students. The gracious response I always received from Felicity was one of the very rewarding aspects of being involved in the student program.

It was in my role of Chair of the Association of Field Practice Educators that I began to appreciate not only Felicity’s kindness, but also her keen intelligence and brilliance. She was always so enthusiastic, creative and skilful in helping and planning any event or conference that we were organizing for field instructors. My last involvement with Felicity was in the help she gave in the establishment of the web site for field instructors and our endeavour to establish the Field Instructor Resource Centre and the seminars that we organized for field instructors as part of the resource centre. Felicity had that rare ability not only to be able to have a dream of what could be but also the ability to complete all the small and large steps that were required to make that dream a reality.

I feel that one of the great privileges in my life was to have known Felicity. If I have known any one who I thought of as saint-like in her compassion, helpfulness and inspiration to others it was Felicity. If I could speak directly to Felicity today I would say “Felicity, you often told others that they were wonderful but we all knew who was truly wonderful … it was you”.

Ruth Curtis

FELICITY COULTER

As I started to write this, I tried to remember if there was a period when I was at the Faculty of Social Work and Felicity Coulter wasn’t. I thought: “Surely Felicity was not at the School of Social Work (as it was then called) when I arrived in 1970 – she was far too young for that”. But I seemed unable to fathom this place without Felicity. Such was the centrality of her role and especially of her presence here for me.

In all those years when she and I were at the Faculty, I relied on Felicity. Whether as a program planner or as a field liaison – those crystal clear roles we in the Faculty have had a perverse pleasure assigning ourselves – I would advise students and field instructors to check things out with Felicity whenever I couldn’t answer their questions (and that happened quite often).

Not once in all those years did Felicity show anything but a genuine interest in the students and field instructors. Not once did she show the slightest annoyance with me, though year after year I would forget stuff I should not have forgotten, and consequently would drop in on her regularly so that she would get me back on course. She was always gracious; and even when I obviously interrupted her in the midst of dealing with a mountain of work, she would have a smile for me.

And she treated the students with the same graciousness and care. One of our graduates told me that Felicity always made time to listen to students – they all knew that, and they deeply appreciated her thoughtfulness for they also knew how busy she was.

The facility Felicity had to reach out to people and make them feel good about themselves and their work was manifested in a very special way with young first-time practicum instructors. I know that for many of them, it was Felicity’s words of encouragement and the trouble she took to apprise them of the good things she had heard about them directly from the students (for example “All the students want to have you again”) that bolstered their spirit to carry on when they were not yet quite sure of themselves and of their competence.

Of course, Felicity knew about competence. She was a superbly efficient administrator. I never saw her ruffled; and in the position she held, that was no minor feat.

Above all, however, Felicity Coulter was a gentlewoman, in the most profound meaning of that word. She was kind; she was refined in her bearing, in her actions, and in her relationships; and her outward mildness concealed a steely inner strength.

I will remember her fondly always, and every time I think about her, it will be with a smile on my face.

Margot Breton

Felicity Coulter joined the Faculty of Social Work in 1976 when Fran Knoll, the Field Coordinator hired her as secretary to the Field Practicum Office. In those days the Office occupied a large area across from the elevators on the 6^th floor and was a big, friendly space where the faculty-based field instructors hung out when we weren’t in the agencies with students. Felicity always had a pot of coffee, a warm welcome, and the ability to continue with her work---mounds of typing in those days, despite the constant ‘conferencing’ going on between people like Doug Gardner, Carolyn Singer, Joyce Cohen, Lilian Wells, Margot Breton, and myself. When Ralph Garber joined the faculty as Dean the Practicum Office and Felicity moved to the southwest corner of the 6^th floor. Felicity was now in a small office which was constantly crammed with doctoral students, many of whom were teaching assistants in the Lab, which had now been added to Felicity’s workload. There was a warmth and acceptance emanating from Felicity that attracted so many of us to go in there and talk and talk. Often Ralph and Win would drop in from the Dean's office. She was a great listener, always able to be positive, and offer an encouragement when it was needed. She had great patience and presence of mind…I often think of Friday afternoons in the fall term in those days, people would be in and out of her office with practicum and lab issues, having discussions about a new curriculum, asking her to help them with typing for a research project, any number of issues…..and Felicity would be calmly going about her work.

In those pre-computer days Felicity had the Practicum Office organized on a huge bulletin board where on little pieces of paper she had the names of about 60 agencies, 250 field instructors and 250 students. All the pieces were arranged in the dyads that they were matched with, but I think Felicity knew every one of those matches in her head. This was the early eighties and there she was, organizing the 5 or 6 faculty with responsibility for the field, the ffls, the agencies, students, and field instructors, helping us plan beautiful end of year receptions and programs, and working with about 8 faculty and teaching assistants to develop the lab which had reams and reams of material…and all this was done with a typewriter. She never complained about the workload, was always focused, and often came in on the week-end. She delighted in ‘being on top of things’ and took real pleasure from a job well done.

Felicity was an early pioneer in the use of computers and one of the first to use the mainframe. One year Felicity came back from a terrific vacation in Europe and told me that she had been thinking that if anything happened to her, what would happen to the Practicum…so many of the systems were “in her head.” And she was right, we relied on her ability to figure out the complicated matching process and more and more she led us through the process. So, she determined to develop the clearest systems possible. As soon as we had access to computers Felicity initiated the use and development of a variety of programs for all aspects of the work. She was always on the look out for new training programs, and absolutely delighted in learning new skills and creating ever more efficient and stream-lined ways of administering the practicum. She was also a generous tutor and would answer the most ridiculous questions about how to use the computer or a new program.

Felicity was recognized for her performance, initiative, and superb organizational skills and through the years was promoted to senior administrator of the Practicum Office. For close to 23 years she was at the center of this crucial relationship between the university and the community and she represented the Faculty incredibly well. All who came in contact with her, students, community social workers, commented on the fact that they could always count on Felicity. Judy and I recently did some research on the relationship between the faculty and the community and we were struck by the many spontaneous comments from field instructors about how wonderful Felicity was; she always found the information they needed, she helped them sort through and understand the procedures, and she was always friendly and available.

Felicity was a natural problem-solver and so many of us valued her patience, thoughtfulness, and good sense in the face of crises and challenges. Her personal qualities were always present in her work; she was patient, generous, listened, supported and easily gave encouragement. She always saw the best in others and was so positive. Through the years, the faculty in the field office, Joyce Cohen, Carolyn Singer, Imogene Taylor, Nora Gold, Ann Goldenberg Bergman, Rox, Andrea, Judy, and myself all developed very close and important relationships with her. She was a part of our various groups and celebrations; loved our lunches out, and took pleasure in the little presents and cards we gave each other. Since Felicity and my offices were side by side for 14 years, I often commented that I felt enveloped by her natural grace; she was so able to provide a calming place for so many of us.

In the past year as Felicity coped with her difficult illness she helped us stay in close touch with her, was open about her experience, and encouraged us to stay hopeful. We often commented on how she comforted us as we faced the reality of her illness. Felicity Coulter deeply touched the many students, faculty, and community social workers who knew her. She added a personal and caring touch to the work of the university. We were extremely fortunate to have worked with her for so many years. We feel her absence greatly and are inspired by her memory.