David French, Canadian playwright, died from cancer he was , 71

 David French, OC  was a Canadian playwright died from cancer he was , 71.

(January 18, 1939 – December 5, 2010)  Early life

French was born in the tiny Newfoundland outport of Coley’s Point,^[1] the middle child in a family of five boys. His father, Garfield French, was a carpenter, and during World War II worked for the Eastern Air Command in Canada. After the war, David’s mother, Edith, came to Ontario with the boys to join their father and the family settled in Toronto among a thriving community of Newfoundlandian immigrants.
French attended Rawlinson Public School, Harbord Collegiate, and Oakwood Collegiate. He was indifferent to books until Grade 8, when his English teacher, to punish him for talking in class, told French to sit down and read a book. The book David happened to pull off the shelf was Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. French says that by the time he finished reading it, he not only knew that he wanted to be a writer^[1] – he knew that he was one. Almost immediately he began to publish original stories and poems.
After high school, French trained as an actor. He spent a summer at the Pasadena Playhouse, and studied at various acting studios in Toronto. In the early 1960s, he played roles on stage and in CBC television dramas. Then he began writing for television. Over the next several years he wrote many half-hour dramas, including The Tender Branch, A Ring for Florie, Beckons the Dark River, Sparrow on a Monday Morning, and The Willow Harp. He also wrote episodes of the popular children’s program Razzle Dazzle.

Work for the stage

The Mercer family play cycle

In 1971, he became aware of a new theatre, the Tarragon in Toronto, that was producing a play called Creeps. After seeing the play, French was so impressed that he called up the director, Bill Glassco, and asked him to read a play he had been working on, Leaving Home (1972). Glasco produced the play and it filled the final slot in the Tarragon’s first season. A collaboration between the two men followed which lasted for over thirty years, with Glassco directing each of French’s premiere productions.
Leaving Home is a landmark play in Canadian theatre history. After its very successful run in Toronto in 1972, the play went on to be produced at virtually every regional theatre in the country – the first Canadian play ever to do so. It also received many international productions, including an off-Broadway run. Leaving Home is taught in high schools and universities across Canada, and is one of the most familiar of Canadian plays. It was named one of the “100 Most Influential Canadian Books” by the Literary Review of Canada) and one of the “1,000 Essential Plays in the English Language” in the Oxford Dictionary of Theatre.^[2] Leaving Home introduced audiences to the Mercer family, who would come to figure largely in David’s work. The Mercers, like the Frenches, were a Newfoundland family transplanted to Toronto.
Of The Fields, Lately (1973^[3]), French's sequel to Leaving Home, also produced at the Tarragon, won the Chalmers Award for 1973.^[1] “I wrote it because people kept asking me what happened to the Mercers after Ben leaves home,” said French. It was adapted for CBC television and was produced across Canada and abroad, including a critically acclaimed run in Argentina (in a Spanish translation) and a production on Broadway.
French eventually wrote five plays about the Mercer family. Salt-Water Moon (1984), the third play, is a poetic drama about the courtship of the parents, set in Newfoundland in 1926. Salt-Water Moon has had hundreds of productions since its original run. The French language version, translated by Antonine Maillet, has been produced across Canada. Salt-Water Moon won the Canadian Authors Association Award for Drama, the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best New Play, and the Hollywood Drama-Logue Critics’ Award.
1949 (1988), a fond look at the extended Mercer clan as Newfoundland prepares to join Confederation, premiered at CentreStage. And Soldier’s Heart, which explores the effect of the First World War on two generations of Mercers, was produced at the Tarragon in 2001. Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre has done acclaimed revivals of Leaving Home and Salt-Water Moon, with a Of The Fields, Lately revival running during the summer of 2010.^[4]

Other work

The immensely popular backstage comedy Jitters (1979) has been regularly revived in Canada, and enjoyed a six-month run at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut. Other works include the memory play That Summer (1999), which opened the Blyth Festival’s 25th Anniversary Season; the mystery-thriller Silver Dagger (1993), a finalist for the Arthur Ellis Award; One Crack Out (1975) a pool-hall drama produced in Toronto and off-Broadway, and the comedy The Riddle of the World (1981). All of his plays have been published and are in print. (Talonbooks and Anansi).
French also undertook translations of Miss Julie (August Strindberg), The Forest (Aleksandr Ostrovsky), and of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, a version of which was produced on Broadway starring Laura Linney, Ethan Hawke, Jon Voight, and Tyne Daley. French was helped by Russian scholars when preparing the latter two texts.^[1]
As a senior playwright, David mentored many aspiring writers. He was Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor^[2] (2007/08) and The University of Western Ontario (2002/03), and has done a short-term residency at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. He taught a course in playwriting each summer at the Prince Edward Island (PEI) Conservatory.^[2] He also gave Canada Council-sponsored readings from coast to coast, and often visited high schools and universities that were studying his plays. French’s work is popular with community theatre groups across North America.
David French was the first inductee in the Newfoundland Arts Hall of Honour. He received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, and the Harold, (a Toronto theatre peer award). He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2001.
He died in Toronto on December 5, 2010 from brain cancer.^[5]

Works

• Leaving Home - 1972
• Of the Fields, Lately - 1973
• One Crack Out - 1975
• Jitters - 1979
• Salt-Water Moon - 1985 (nominated for a Governor General's Award)^[6]
• 1949 - 1989
• Silver Dagger - 1993
• That Summer - 2000
• Soldier's Heart - 2003

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John Leslie, American pornographic film actor and director, died from a heart attack he was , 65

John Leslie Nuzzo ^[1] was a prolific porn actor who went on to have a long-running career as a producer and director of adult movies died from a heart attack he was , 65. Usually credited under the name John Leslie, he has also worked under a variety of pseudonyms, including John Leslie Dupre, Frederick Watson, and Lenny Lovely.


(January 25, 1945 – December 5, 2010)

Career

Beginning with 1973's Sensuous Delights, Leslie was a performer in almost 300 adult films. He won numerous awards during his days as a performer. He appeared with some of the era's most noted porn stars, including Seka, Kay Parker, and Annette Haven. His most noteworthy roles were in Talk Dirty To Me (1980), Nothing To Hide (1981), and Talk Dirty To Me, Part II (1982).




He was one of the first porn actors to make the transition from performing to directing, beginning with 1987's Nightshift Nurses. Since then he directed more than 90 adult movies, including The Chameleon (1989), Curse of the Catwoman (1992), Dog Walker (1994), and Drop Sex (1997), along with the Voyeur, Fresh Meat and Crack Her Jack series. He won many awards for his work behind the cameras as well. Though much of his recent work, in keeping with current trends in adult video, has been in the gonzo genre, such as the "Fresh Meat" and "Crack Her Jack" series, Leslie has continued to make feature films, or "sex dramas"; most recently, in 2007 he directed the film "Brianna Love, Her Fine, Sexy Self."

John Leslie in "Talk Dirty To Me" from Miki Maus on Vimeo.


In the early 1970s, he was a vocalist and harmonica player for the The Brooklyn Blues Busters, a southeastern Michigan-based musical group sometimes accompanying John Lee Hooker.^[1] The Brooklyn Blues Busters were the backing band for Victoria Spivey during the 1973 Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival.^[1] Nuzzo also worked as a bartender in the early 1970s at Mr. Flood's Party, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
He was a member of the AVN^[2], Legends of Erotica^[3] and XRCO^[4] Halls of Fame.
John Leslie died on December 5, 2010, from a heart attack,^[1] at his home in Mill Valley, California at the age of 65.^[5]

  Awards

• 1977 AFAA Best Supporting Actor for Coming of Angels^[6]
• 1980 AFAA Best Actor for Talk Dirty to Me^[6]
• 1980 CAFA Best Actor for Talk Dirty to Me^[6]
• 1981 AFAA Best Actor for Wicked Sensations^[6]
• 1982 AFAA Best Actor for Talk Dirty to Me 2^[6]
• 1982 CAFA Best Actor for Talk Dirty to Me 2^[6]
• 1984 AFAA Best Actor for Dixie Ray and for Every Woman has a Fantasy (tied with himself for both movies)^[6]
• 1984 XRCO Best Copulation Scene for Every Woman has a Fantasy^[7]
• 1985 AFAA Best Supporting Actor for Taboo 4^[6]
• 1985 AVN Best Supporting Actor - Film for Firestorm^[8]
• 1986 XRCO Best Actor for Every Woman has a Fantasy 2^[6]
• 1988 AVN Best Actor - Film for Firestorm 2^[8]
• 1988 XRCO Best Actor for Beauty and the Beast^[6]

As a director

• 1987 XRCO Best Director - Video for Nightshift Nurses^[6]
• 1988 XRCO Best Director for Catwoman^[6]
• 1989 AVN Best Director - Video for Catwoman^[8]
• 1992 XRCO Best Film for Chameleons: Not The Sequel^[4]
• 1994 XRCO Best Film for Dog Walker^[9]
• 1994 XRCO Director of the Year^[9]
• 1995 AVN Best Director - Film for Dog Walker^[8]
• 1995 AVN Best Director - Video for Bad Habits^[8]
• 1997 AVN Best All-Sex Release for John Leslie's Fresh Meat 3^[8]
• 1997 XRCO Director of the Year^[9]
• 1998 AVN Best All-Sex Release for John Leslie's Fresh Meat 4^[8]
• 1998 XRCO Director of the Year^[9]
• 1999 AVN Best All-Sex Release for John Leslie's Fresh Meat 5^[8]
• 1999 AVN Best Director - Video for The Lecher 2^[8]
• 2000 AVN Best All-Sex Release for The Voyeur 12^[8]

Other awards

• 1989 AVN Best Screenplay - Video for Catwoman (with Mark Weiss)^[8]
• 1995 AVN Best Screenplay - Film for Dog Walker^[8]

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Don Meredith, American football player (Dallas Cowboys) and commentator (Monday Night Football), died from a brain hemorrhage he was , 72

Joseph Don "Dandy Don" Meredith  was an American football quarterback, sports commentator and actor died from a brain hemorrhage he was , 72. He spent all nine seasons of his professional playing career (1960–1968) with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his last three years as a player. He subsequently became a color analyst for NFL telecasts from 1970 to 1984. As an original member of the Monday Night Football broadcast team on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), he famously played the role of Howard Cosell's comic foil.

(April 10, 1938 – December 5, 2010)

Football career

Southern Methodist University

Meredith was born on April 10, 1938 in Mount Vernon, Texas, located approximately 100 miles east of Dallas.^[1] He attended Mount Vernon High School in his hometown,^[2] where he starred in football and basketball, performed in school plays and graduated second in his class.^[3]
Even though he was heavily recruited by then-Texas A&M head coach Bear Bryant,^[3] Meredith decided to play college football at Southern Methodist University (SMU). He led the Southwest Conference in passing completion percentage in each of his three years as the starting quarterback, and was an All-America selection in 1958 and 1959.^[4] His fellow students jokingly referred to the school as "Southern Meredith University" due to his popularity on campus.^[5] He completed 8 of 20 passes for 156 yards in the College All-Stars' 32–7 loss to the Baltimore Colts in the Chicago College All-Star Game on August 12, 1960.^[6]
He would be honored twice by SMU in later decades. He was the recipient of the university's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1983. His jersey number 17 was retired during halftime ceremonies at the SMU-Houston football match on October 18, 2008.^[4] He was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982.^[7]

Dallas Cowboys

Meredith was selected by the Chicago Bears in the third round (32nd overall) of the 1960 NFL Draft.^[8] Bears owner George Halas made the pick to help ensure that the expansion Dallas Cowboys got off to a solid start. On November 28, 1959, one month prior to the draft, Meredith had signed a personal services contract with Tecon Corporation which, like the Cowboys, was owned by Clint Murchison. He was eventually traded to the Cowboys for a third-round pick in the following year's draft. He is considered by some to be the original Dallas Cowboy because he had come to the team even before the franchise had adopted a nickname, hired a head coach or participated in either the 1960 NFL Expansion Draft or its first NFL Draft in 1961.^[9][10] Their crosstown rivals in the American Football League (AFL), the Texans, also chose him as a "territorial selection" in their 1960 draft, but were too late to sign him.
Meredith spent two years as a backup to Eddie LeBaron, eventually splitting time in 1962 before he was given the full-time starting job by head coach Tom Landry in 1963. In 1966, Meredith led the Cowboys to the NFL postseason, something he would continue to do until his unexpected retirement before the 1969 season. His two most heartbreaking defeats came in NFL Championship play against the Green Bay Packers, 34–27 in Dallas (1966), and in the famous "Ice Bowl" game, 21–17 in Green Bay (1967).
"Dandy Don," while never leading the Cowboys to a Super Bowl, was always exceptionally popular with Cowboys fans who remember him for his grit and toughness, his outgoing nature, and his leadership during the first winning seasons for the Cowboys. Meredith, along with Harvey Martin, is among the few players to play his high school (Mount Vernon), college (SMU), and pro (Dallas Cowboys) career in and around the Dallas, Texas, area. During his career, he had a 50.7 percent completion rate, throwing for 17,199 yards and 135 touchdowns with a lifetime passer rating of 74.8. He was named the NFL Player of the Year in 1966 and was named to the Pro Bowl three times.

Post-football career

Following his football career, Meredith became a color commentator for ABC's Monday Night Football beginning in 1970. He left for three seasons (1974 to 1976) to work with Curt Gowdy at NBC, then returned to MNF partners Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell. His approach to color commentary was light-hearted and folksy, in contrast to Cosell's detailed and intellectual analysis and Gifford's rather ponderous play-by-play technique. He was known for singing "Turn out the lights, the party's over" (a line from a Willie Nelson song, "The Party's Over") at the time the game was apparently decided.
Meredith's broadcasting career was also not without a few incidents of minor controversy; including referring to then-President Richard Nixon as "Tricky Dick", announcing that he was "mile-high" before a game in Denver, and turning the name of Cleveland Browns receiver Fair Hooker into a double entendre. (saying 'Fair Hooker...well, I haven't met one yet!') He retired from sportscasting after the 1984 season, a year after Cosell's retirement. His final broadcast was Super Bowl XIX with Frank Gifford and Joe Theismann, which was ABC's first Super Bowl.
Meredith also had an acting career, appearing in multiple movies and television shows, including a recurring starring role as Detective Bert Jameson on Police Story. He was in a series of commercials in the 1980s as Lipton Tea Lover, Don Meredith, a.k.a. "Jeff and Hazel's Baby Boy". He was featured in an episode of King of the Hill, ("A Beer Can Named Desire") in which he misses a throw that would have won the main character, Hank Hill, $100,000.
In 1976, Meredith was inducted into the Cowboys' Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium along with former running back Don Perkins.
Meredith was selected as the 2007 recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award. He received the award at the Enshrinee's Dinner on August 3, 2007.


Family
Meredith was married three times: first wife, Lynne Shamburger, a former SMU cheerleader,which lasted from 1959–1963, and produced one daughter, Mary. From 1965–1971, he was married to the former Cheryl King. Two children were products of that marriage: son Michael and daughter Heather. He met his third wife, the former Susan Lessons Dullea, ex-wife of actor Keir Dullea, as they both were walking down 3rd Avenue in New York City. They married in 1972.

Death
Meredith died on December 5, 2010, at the St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico, after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was 72 years old.^[10]

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Virgilio Teixeira, Portuguese actor (Return of the Seven, The Fall of the Roman Empire, El Cid). died he was, 93

Virgilio Delgado Teixeira  was a Portuguese film, television and stage actor, known for roles in both Portuguese and American films. He was known as a Portuguese "hearthrob" and a leading actor during the 1940s and 1950s.^[1]

(October 26, 1917 - December 5, 2010)

Teixeira was born in Funchal, Madeira, on October 26, 1917.^[1] He began his career in Portuguese and Spanish cinema before taking roles in Hollywood productions.^[1] Teixeira made his film debut in the 1943 film, Ave de Arribação.^[1] In 1948, Teixeira portrayed Julio, the love interest of Amalia Rodrigues's character, in Fado, História de uma Cantadeira, which was directed by Perdigão Queiroga.^[1] His later work in Portuguese film and television included A Mulher do Próximo in 1982 and the telenovela, Chuva na Areia, in 1984.^[1]
Teixeira's Hollywood credits included roles in Alexander the Great, Return of the Seven and Doctor Zhivago.^[1]
Additionally, Teixeira served as the first director of the Centro das Comunidades Madeirenses.^[1]
Virgilio Teixeira died in Funchal, Madeira, of respiratory problems on December 5, 2010, at the age of 93.^[1] He was survived by his wife, Vanda Teixeira.^[1] President of the Regional Government of Madeira Alberto João Jardim called Teixeira a "Great Madeiran" following his death.

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King Curtis Iaukea, American professional wrestler, died after a long illness he was , 73

Curtis Piehau Iaukea, III  was a professional wrestler better known as King Curtis Iaukea. Iaukea won championships in several of the major regional US promotions, both as a single and in various tag team combinations, during the 1960s died after a long illness he was , 73. He then competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) where he won the WWF Tag Team Championship. He was also later The Master of the Dungeon of Doom in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Under the name "Iau Kea" he appeared in the film The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze with Moe Howard declaring "That's not a man! That's a committee!".

(1938 - December 4, 2010)

 Biography

He was the grandson of Colonel Curtis Iaukea, a vice chamberlain and diplomat to the court of King Kalākaua and Queen Liliuokalani ^[1] and later Sheriff of Honolulu and son of a Honolulu Police Department Captain also named Curtis Iaukea. He attended Punahou School and the University of California Berkeley as an economics major where he lettered as a lineman until he dropped out. He played as a tackle for the BC Lions from 1958-1959.^[2]
In the early mid sixties, 1963 - 1964, post football and before his pro wrestling debut with 50th State Wrestling, Curtis "the Bull" Iaukea briefly worked as a disc jockey for KUMU Radio station in Kaimuki under then station owner/manager John Wiser. Playing a "Classical Music" format, he provided the first OJT job internship cueing records and tapes as a station gopher/programing assistant for a young upcoming south-shore surfer Steve Gilbert, whom he paid out of his own pocket. As a result of necessitated chair replacement, KUMU DJ's benefitted for years getting to use the extremely solid yet comfortable steel swivel DJ chair with lumbar support, a legacy of "Da Bull's" near 300lb girth which simply demolished several prior replacement bar stool type chairs becoming a major expense of legendary proportion.

Professional wrestling career

In Australia, King Curtis was a part of the face tag team known as the People's Army with Mark Lewin and Spiros Arion.
His first sojourns to Australia were in the 1964–1965 season, where he was a villain. He was teamed with Skull Murphy. King Curtis initially wrestled as Curtis Iaukea in his first run in Australia. The King Curtis tag was the one that stuck as he feuded against Mark Lewin. After becoming a fan favorite in time for the seventies, King Curtis feuded against Tiger Singh and various Japanese "brothers." King Curtis was also a member of an alliance known as "The People's Army."
After retiring in the mid-1980s, he turned to managing. In ICW, knows as King Curtis, he managed Kevin Sullivan and Mark Lewin, taking on the gimmick of a crazed cult leader. His faction feuded with Joe Savoldi and Austin Idol. Curtis Iaukea re-appeared briefly in the WWF promotion as a manager and mouthpiece for Kamala and Sika. He also appeared briefly in WCW as 'The Master' of The Dungeon of Doom stable in the mid-90s.

Championships and accomplishments

• All-Star Pro Wrestling

• NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• American Wrestling Alliance

• AWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Championship Wrestling from Florida

• NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

• NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions

• NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
• NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Hawaii version) (6 times)

• NWA San Francisco

• NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version) (1 time)

• NWA Western States Sports

• NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Pacific Northwest Wrestling

• NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Haru Sasaki

• World Championship Wrestling (Australia)

• IWA World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
• IWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Buddy Austin (1) and Mark Lewin (2)

• World Wide Wrestling Federation

• WWWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Baron Mikel Scicluna

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Ken Lehman, American baseball player (Brooklyn Dodgers) died he was , 82

Kenneth Karl Lehman  was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who pitched for three different teams between the 1952 and 1961 seasons. Listed at 6' 0", 170 lb., he batted and threw left-handed  died he was , 82.^[1]

(June 10, 1928 - December 4, 2010)


Born in Seattle, Washington, Ken Lehman was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers organization in 1946 out of Kirkland High School and entered on their farm system in 1947. He played four seasons, reaching the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League in 1950 before enlisting during Korean War.^[2][3]
Following military discharge, Lehman made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 1952 and later pitched two scoreless innings in Game 2 of the 1952 World Series against the New York Yankees.^[4]
After three successful years with the Montreal Royals of the International League, Lehman returned to the Dodgers for the entire 1956 season. He then was purchased by the Baltimore Orioles during the middle of the 1957 season and pitched for them through 1958.^[1][2]
Lehman collected career numbers in 1957 while pitching for Baltimore, when he posted a 8-3 record with a 2.78 earned run average and six saves in 68 innings of work, appearing primarily as a left-handed specialist and spot starter.^[1]
From 1959 to 1960 Lehman pitched for the Buffalo Bisons of the International League. He returned to the majors in 1961 season, appearing in 41 games with the Philadelphia Phillies.
After that, Lehman spent one more season in AAA with Buffalo and the Jacksonville Suns, retiring after 1962 with a 14-10 mark and a 3.91 ERA in five major league years. In eleven minor league seasons, he posted a 141-101 record with a 3.60 ERA in 340 games.^[1][2]
Following his playing retirement, Lehman coached at the University of Washington from 1964 to 1971, retiring with a record of 96-177. He later worked in the Mount Baker School District for 31 years.^[3]
Lehman died in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, at the age of 82.^[5]

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Heather Stilwell, Canadian anti-abortion activist and politician, leader of the Christian Heritage Party (1993–1994), died from breast cancer. she was , 66

Heather Stilwell  was a political activist and former school trustee in Surrey, British Columbia died from breast cancer. she was , 66. A staunch Roman Catholic, she was well-known for her opinions opposing homosexuality, abortion, and sex education.
She and her husband Bill were involved in the creation of the Christian Heritage Party in 1984 after a dozen or so people discussed the concept of such a party, which was registered with Elections Canada in June 1986. 


(January 26,1944 – December 3, 2010)

From April 1993 to March 1994 she was the interim leader of the party and ran in the 1993 federal election in the riding of Surrey—White Rock—South Langley. One of the most contentious policies of the Christian Heritage Party Policy is Section 6.4.3. which states: "Concerning the welfare of this Nation's citizens, we favour recriminalizing in the Criminal Code of Canada the murder of pre-born children, sexual deviancy, and pornography." She entered the leadership race for the CHP at the 1994 convention, but withdrew and instead ran for the party presidency.
Heather Stilwell was also executive vice-president and leader of the socially conservative BC Family Coalition Party which later merged into the British Columbia Unity Party. Stilwell ran unsuccessfully in the 2001 provincial election, as a candidate in the riding of Surrey-Panorama Ridge.
She was former national board member and Western Regional Coordinator for the pro-life group Campaign Life, which strongly opposed what she referred to as "special rights for homosexuals".
She was former President of the Alliance for Life, a national pro-life group based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and one-time President of the Surrey-Delta Pro-Life Association, the Pro-life Society of British Columbia, the Surrey-Delta Alliance For Life and the federal (Canadian) Alliance for Life. She was a member of the socially conservative lobby group REAL Women of Canada.^{[citation needed]}
As co-founder of the publicly funded Surrey Traditional School in 1994, Stilwell played a key role in objecting to library books that offended her Christian beliefs. These books were temporarily banned as they dealt with topics such as Halloween, the Wicca religion and native-Indian spirituality. After pressure from the public, the school board allowed these books back into the library.^{[citation needed]}
Stilwell went on to become a member and eventual chair of the Surrey School Board. She voted to ban sex education and condom machines in Surrey schools. In 1997 she also voted, along with the majority of the school board, that three books dealing with families where both parents were of the same sex not be included as optional learning resources. These books were requested by a kindergarten teacher to teach his pupils about diversity and tolerance.^{[citation needed]}
A legal battle to overturn the decision to ban the three books went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, where the school board's decision was overturned in 2002.^[1][2][3][4]
The judgement in the case cited the need for families headed by same-sex couples to be respected. Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin dismissed the board's concerns that children would be confused or misled by classroom information about same-sex parents. She pointed out that the children of same-sex parents are rubbing shoulders with children from more traditional families and wrote: "Tolerance is always age-appropriate, children cannot learn unless they are exposed to views that differ from those they are taught at home." The legal fees ended up costing Surrey taxpayers over $1,200,000.^[5] Stilwell ran as an independent candidate for the School Board in the Surrey municipal election held Nov 19, 2005, and won re-election.^[6]
In May 2007 Stilwell proposed a motion to ensure that if the film An Inconvenient Truth, about global warming, were used as a resource in the Surrey School District, other resources which give an opposing view would also be used. This motion was unanimously passed by other members of the Board of Education. An article on the CBC website has quoted her on An Inconvenient Truth: "I think there is climate change, there's no question about that. Whether what Al Gore says about it is the truth, I have questions."^[7]

[edit] Death

In 2008, she resigned from the school board when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She died from the cancer on December 4, 2010, aged 66.^[5]

Electoral record

Election	Division	Party	Votes	%	Place	Winner
1993 federal	Surrey—White Rock—South Langley	CHP	871	1.2%	6/12	Val Meredith Reform

Preceded by Charles Cavilla

Christian Heritage Party of Canada leaders 1993-1994

Succeeded by Jean Blaquière

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