Gertrude Mulcahy (1918 -) Inducted 1993

Gertrude is the sixth child of the late Mr. and Mrs. Teefy Mulcahy, of Orillia, but from then on she was first in everything. Graduating from the Orillia Collegiate Institute, she went off to the University of Toronto to study commerce, where, in 1940, she received her honours Bachelor of Arts degree, but discovered companies where she applied for an accounting position were not interested in hiring a woman. This was especially hurtful when she was turned down by the prestigious chartered accounting firm Clarkson Gordon, which had been founded by her great-great-grandfather, Thomas Clarkson. That firm finally recognized her good work as an auditor with the Bank of Canada, and, in 1947, she became the first woman to qualify as a chartered accountant with them. In 1969, Gertrude earned her MBA from York University.

Gertrude joined the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) in 1949, where she served as secretary of the Board of Examiners and progressed to Accounting Research Director. Over her long career with the CICA, Gertrude received national and international acclaim for her commitment and outstanding contribution to the accounting profession.

Her technical writings, speaking engagements, appearances as guest lecturer at universities and colleges across Canada, and participation in meetings and conferences in Canada, the USA and Great Britain won her high recognition from the accounting profession and business community.

Her list of "Firsts" include: 1st woman elected a Fellow Chartered Accountant of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario; 1st woman to receive its Award of Outstanding Merit; 1st woman to receive the Presidential Certificate of Merit from the CICA. In 1992, the YWCA honoured her as a "Woman of Distinction".

Truly, it can be said Gertrude was a pioneer woman in the chartered accounting profession and Orillia is proud of her.