May Cutler facts for kids

May Ebbitt Cutler (born September 4, 1923 – died March 3, 2011) was a talented Canadian writer, journalist, playwright, and publisher. In 1967, she started Tundra Books from her own home. This made her Canada's first female publisher of children's books. She also served as the first female mayor of Westmount, Quebec, for four years, from 1987 to 1991. When she wrote more serious books, she used the pen name Ebbitt Cutler.

May Cutler's Journey

Growing Up in Montreal

May Ebbitt was born in the eastern part of Montreal in 1923. Her parents, Francis and William Henry Ebbitt, were Irish immigrants. Her father was a police officer. She had two older brothers, William and Jack.

In 1953, May married Phil Cutler. He was a Canadian labour lawyer and later a judge. Phil passed away in 1987. May and Phil had four sons: Keir, Adam, Michael (who were twins), and Roger.

May studied at McGill University in Montreal, where she earned two degrees. She then went to Columbia University in New York City and earned another degree in journalism.

Starting Her Career

After finishing her studies, May Cutler worked for the newly formed United Nations. When she came back to Canada, she became a writer for newspapers and magazines. She wrote columns and reported for the Montreal Herald. She also wrote articles for the Montreal Standard magazine.

May was one of the first women hired by the Canadian Press news agency. Later, she joined the teachers at McGill University. There, she created a special three-year program for students studying journalism.

Creating Tundra Books

May Cutler started Tundra Books in 1967. She used the prize money she won for her story The Last Noble Savage. This made her the first Canadian woman to publish children's books. She owned and ran Tundra Books for more than 28 years.

May actively looked for writers and artists to create wonderful children's books. She was the first publisher to release books by Stéphane Poulin, a French illustrator. She also published works by Dayal Kaur Khalsa, known for I Want a Dog. Another famous artist she worked with was William Kurelek, who published A Prairie Boy's Winter through Tundra Books. Besides children's books, May also published books by architect Moshe Safdie and novelist Roch Carrier, including The Hockey Sweater.

May successfully managed Tundra Books through tough financial times. She also dealt with the death of her husband in 1987, which happened around the same time she ran for mayor. In 1998, she sold Tundra Books to the McClelland & Stewart publishing firm.

May also wrote some of her own books. Her prize-winning story from 1967, The Last Noble Savage, was published under her pen name, Ebbitt Cutler. She also wrote a musical, two theatrical plays, and a biography about William Kurelek called Breaking Free: The Story of William Kurelek.

Mayor of Westmount

May Cutler decided to get into politics in 1987. This was after she had some disagreements with the local government. The city council of Westmount had said no to her request to change the rules for a building she bought. She wanted to move Tundra Books' office to the ground floor of Sherbrooke Street.

She announced she would run for mayor in 1987. This was her first time running for a political job. She won against the mayor at the time, Brian Gallery. This made her the first female mayor of Westmount. Brian Gallery later said that May handled the change of power very well. He felt she would be a good leader for the city. Marvin Rotrand, a Montreal city councilman, said that May's election changed how Westmount had always been run.

May served one four-year term as mayor. She decided not to run for re-election in 1991. Instead, she asked city councilman Peter Trent to run for the job. Trent was elected that year and served until 2001. He was elected again in 2009.

May's biggest achievement as mayor was starting a project to fix up the Westmount Public Library. She wanted to turn it from an old building into a modern, state-of-the-art library. This project was completed shortly after she left office.

Later in Life

May Cutler had a dream to visit every continent. She finally achieved this dream when she traveled to Antarctica in 2010. The trip was six weeks long by boat. It started in Miami and went down the west coast of South America. This long journey affected her health, and she returned to Montreal with a heart condition.

May passed away at her home in Montreal on March 3, 2011, at the age of 87. She had been in the hospital in February and had several illnesses. Before she died, she asked that her body be given to McGill University for medical studies.

May Cutler is remembered by her four sons and six grandchildren. Her oldest grandson, Philip A. Cutler, was elected to the Westmount city council in November 2013. He was just 25 years old, making him likely the youngest councilor ever.