Trudy Cowan has worked and volunteered in the heritage and museum field for many years. Her service on heritage organization boards includes roles as Alberta governor and chair, Heritage Canada Foundation/Canada’s National Trust; Alberta member and vice chair, Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada; and board member with numerous local, provincial and national groups. Awarded an honorary doctorate for her heritage contributions by the University of Calgary in 2003, she is a published author of articles, children’s stories including Clarence’s Engine and Quarantine: Keep Out! and has brought her one-woman theatrical “In-Person-Ations” of historical Canadian women to stages across the country. When she retired from full-time work in the heritage world, she began quilting, bringing her life-long creativity in the needle arts, painting and drawing and her love of textiles and colour together with her long experience as a storyteller.