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Lois Hole

The Honourable Lois Elsa Hole, CM, AOE (1933, Buchanan, Saskatchewan–January 6, 2005, Edmonton, Alberta) was a Canadian politician, businesswoman, educator and best-selling author. She was the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta from February 10, 2000 until her death. She was known as the "Queen of Hugs" for breaking with protocol and hugging almost everyone she met, including journalists, diplomats and other politicians.

As a businesswoman, Hole and her husband, Ted Hole, ran a successful market garden business from their farm which they, along with their sons Bill and Jim, incorporated as Hole's Greenhouses & Gardens in 1979. It is currently one of Canada's largest retail greenhouse stores. In 1993 Hole wrote her first book, Vegetable Favourites, and went on to write five more in the "Favourites" series. There are currently more that 750,000 copies of the various books in this series in print. The series won the Educational Media Award from the Professional Plant Growers Association in 1996.

In 1998, Hole's Greenhouse began publishing their own books starting with Hole's autobigraphical I'll Never Marry a Farmer. Hole's has continued to publish gardening books and have 12 titles in print along with a successful annual magazine called Lois' Spring Gardening.

She as appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1999. In 1995, she was named Edmonton Business and Professional Woman of the Year and St. Albert's Citizen of the Year. In 2003 she was awarded the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Humanitarian Award. She was made an "Honourary Patricia" by the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. The Alberta Library Trustees Association also established the Lois Hole Award in 2001. In November 2004, the Capital Health Authority in Edmonton announced a new wing of the Royal Alexandria Hospital to be named the Lois Hole Hospital for Women.

During her term in office, Hole was diagnosed with cancer in 2002. She underwent treatment in early 2003 and her health improved, but by late 2004 she was again battling cancer. Her illness prevented her from making several scheduled public appearances. Hole died in Edmonton on January 6, 2005.

Personal Education and Involvement in Education

• Secondary education at Strathcona Composite High School
• ATCM in Music, Royal Conservatory of Music , Toronto, Ontario
• 1981-1998: School trustee at St. Albert School District #6
• Trustee and chairperson at Sturgeon School Division
• Athabasca University Governing Council
• Chancellor at University of Alberta, 1998 - 2000
• 1983: Awarded an honorary doctorate from Athabasca University
• 1997: Received a Distinguished Citizen Honourary Diploma in Business from Grant McEwan Community College
• 2000: Received an honorary Doctorate in Laws from the University of Alberta

Bibliography

• Lois Hole's Vegetable Favourites (originally published as Northern Vegetable Gardening)
• Lois Hole's Bedding Plant Favourites (originally published as Northern Flower Gardening: Bedding Plants)
• Lois Hole's Perennial Favourites
• Lois Hole's Tomato Favourites
• Lois Hole's Rose Favourites
• Lois Hole's Tree & Shrub Favourites
• I'll Never Marry a Farmer
• Herbs & Edible Flowers
• The Best of Lois Hole
• Bedding Plants Q&A (with son Jim Hole)
• Roses Q&A (with son Jim Hole)
• Perennials Q&A (with son Jim Hole)
• Vegetables Q&A (with son Jim Hole)
• Trees & Shrubs Q&A (with son Jim Hole)
• Lois' Spring Gardening annual magazine 1998–present

Preceded by: "Bud" Olson

List of Alberta lieutenant-governors

Succeeded by: Norman Kwong

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