Born into a farming family in Elora, Ontario in 1881, Rose McQueen arrived in Stratford in 1912 after graduating from the University of Toronto. As leader of the English Literature Department at Stratford Collegiate (later Stratford Central High School), Rose would go on to inspire generations of Stratford youth as an educator and mentor – including Tom Patterson, whom she encouraged through her love of Shakespeare and theatrical performance to found the Stratford Festival in 1953. Many of her former students remained an important part of her life and would frequently visit her home at 42 Waterloo St. South, where she would receive them with her characteristic warmth and kindness. Often, Rose would assist former students in financial need, by gifting them with sums of money from her modest teacher’s salary to help offset their university fees.
In addition to her teaching career, Rose volunteered her time by supporting many important initiatives in the Stratford community, including sitting on the Stratford Y.W.C.A.’s Board of Directors for decades. At a time when women’s opportunities for advanced education and public leadership roles were few, Rose demonstrably sought to improve the lives of Stratford’s women and girls. In 1920, during her tenure as the first president of the Stratford Women’s Canadian Club, Rose invited and hosted renowned suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst to speak in Stratford. Today, Rose’s indelible impression on the Stratford community is visible in many ways. McQueen Court, north of Freeland Drive in south-west Stratford, was named in her honour, and Here For Now Theatre, in their new location at 24 St. Andrew Street, inaugurated the Rose McQueen Performance Space on May 24th, 2025. Rose’s accomplishments created the foundation for the modern city of Stratford: a welcoming, economically diverse community that embraces artistic achievement at the global level. Rose passed away in 1963, and is buried in the Elora Cemetery beside her beloved companion of many years, Grace Dand.