2002 Inductees: Betty Thistle
Category: Administration/Support Category
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BETTY THISTLE is a name that was long associated with the Kiwanis Music Festival Association of St. John's. She started working with the Festival Committee in 1965. At that time, the administrative work was done by a part-time secretary working from home. But the Festival was growing. In a very few years, it had grown to the point where its administration demanded the expertise of a professional, and Betty Thistle was the first person to fill that role. Since that time, she played a key part in the many "firsts" that the Festival has seen.
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In 1967, the Kiwanis Music Festival ceased utilizing various separate venues scattered about the city, and moved to the recently opened Arts and Culture Centre on Prince Philip Parkway. At that time, the Centre was able to accommodate all the Festival's competitions. This move brought more focus and popularity to the Kiwanis Festival, but also a demand to conduct a professionally run event. Betty immediately accepted and rose to this challenge.
Another "first" followed closely on the move to the Arts and Culture Centre. This was the brand new experience of having the Festival involved with television through CBC. In 1968, the local CBC television station, CBNT, televised highlights of the Festival and the Final Concert of Festival "stars". This major event required Betty to become the key liaison between the Festival Committee and CBC. Issues such as timing, the non- broadcasting of adjudications, and the selection of the most entertaining performers, put pressure on Betty to advise and recommend, but yet be very sensitive to all Festival competitors, while at the same time, assist CBC in creating a quality television production.
The seventies and the eighties saw Festival growth every year, and eventually the position of Festival Executive Secretary had to become a full-time one. Betty Thistle was there through it all. This included several moves of the Festival Office location, as well as the annual move of the entire Office to the Arts and Culture Centre.
The mid-eighties saw the emergence of the personal computer as a viable business tool. The Kiwanis Music festival Association decided that the time was right to replace the typewriter with the computer word processor. Betty quickly realized that the computer could be used for much more than simply producing words on paper. She was instrumental in defining and guiding the creation of a database system for the Festival that is still in use today. All Classes, Entries, marks, placings, and awards are automated. Presently the database system is vital to the creation and smooth running of a successful music festival, and gives its operation the ability to move forward into this new millennium.
Betty Thistle gave many years of dedicated service to the Kiwanis Music Festival, and played a very influential role in the Festival's advancement and growth in our community.
It is with much pleasure that we proudly induct her into the newly created Kiwanis Music Festival Association of St. John's HALL OF HONOUR in the ADMINISTRATION/SUPPORT CATEGORY.
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