 Lynne Thornton
Trained as a classical actor, with a minor in English and journalism, and a master’s equivalent in speech, Lynne’s career travels have been far and wide. She soon discovered a life in theatre in Canada didn’t always pay the rent or put a roof over her head. That’s when her ingenuity kicked in.
She played most of Shakespeare’s women on stage, then found a niche in Neil Simon’s comedies, established a professional theatre company where she was producing and acting, was Aunt Harriet in “Harriet’s Magic Hats” for children’s TV, plus recording many radio dramas for the CBC. When the money got thin, she put her journalism skills to work, added PR skills and worked with Pierre Berton for 18 years doing research for his books and promoting them in western Canada. That led to forming McClelland and Stewart West, a wholly owned subsidiary of one of Canada’s largest publishing companies. MSW published all the Glenbow Museum’s books and art catalogues for three years.
Lynne’s writing and PR skills took her to Petro Canada, the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, the Calgary Real Estate Board, and Alberta Science Foundation. She taught English / Communications for 15 years at SAIT. Every opportunity she could invent resulted in her students standing in front of the class to give a “presentation”. She realized how important it is to be able to speak with some confidence in front of a group.
A couple of years ago Lynne was surprised when she received her long-term service award for Chinook Learning Services. She’s taught creative writing, public speaking, business writing, and listening skills. She’s currently developing a new and “very exciting” self development topic for Chinook Learning Services. Lynne is the first female president of her Rotary club, an international service organization. She is also chairman of the Historical committee of the Calgary Stampede.
Lynne’s skills and enthusiasm for living are reflected in her classroom. “I think I have three jobs to do for my students: teach them something useful, keep them interested, and make learning as much fun as possible.”
Program Area
|
