On Tuesday, October 24th friends, family and former professors of Hannah Wallace gathered at McGill’s Outdoor Learning Space, located outside the McGill Faculty of Education building on Peel Street, to celebrate Hannah’s memory.
Hannah Wallace passed away at the age of 22 on May 4th, 2022. She was an active member of the Bull & Bear, joining the team in 2019 and contributing as a staff writer prior to becoming an Arts and Culture section editor from 2021-2022. She was pursuing a Bachelor of Education, specializing in secondary-school English. Hannah touched the lives of many, both in the Bull & Bear community and beyond. The Editorial Board invites you to read “Remembering Hannah Wallace,” a tribute to Hannah written by our past Editorial Board, as well as a collection of Hannah’s published writing online.
The ceremony sought to honour Hannah through the dual themes of growth and community. Attendees formed a circle in the middle of the garden to introduce themselves and share their relationship with Hannah; some stories overlapped while others remained distinct. However, everyone was united in their connection to her. Following introductions, Bull & Bear executive editor, Hannah Murray, read a passage from Hannah’s contribution to the Spring 2022 Print Issue, in which she discussed her continuously evolving relationship to literature. Following this, the circle broke up and attendees began to converse more intimately as a variety of plants were brought out to the garden. A planting ceremony arranged by Emily Sprowls, who currently runs the community garden, followed.
As Dr. Sheryl Smith-Gilman, McGill Faculty of Education Associate Dean of Academic Programs, outlined to the Bull & Bear, the planting ceremony aimed to honour Hannah by fostering growth in parallel with the flourishing of her own legacy and memory. The perennial garden is now dedicated to Hannah Wallace, and a plaque with her name on it will soon be added to a new garden bench.
The Editorial Board would like to express their thanks to the Wallace family as well as to Dr. Smith-Gilman and Emily Sprowls for their respective roles in the organization of and participation in the memorial. Like the garden planted in her honour, Hannah’s memory will continue to flourish.
