50 Years of Impact: "I Want Jane to Be Remembered"

When Lawrence Earl established a fund with the Community Foundation of Greater Saint John in 2001, he had a simple goal.

"I want Jane to be remembered."

Those six words became the beginning of a legacy that continues to support charities and community organizations throughout Greater Saint John today.

Jane Armstrong Earl was born in Toronto in 1914 and grew up determined to become a journalist. It was an ambitious goal at a time when few women were given opportunities beyond society pages and domestic columns. But Jane was persistent, talented, and unwilling to accept the limitations placed before her.

Her career took her from the Mail and Empire to the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Telegram, the Montreal Standard, and the Toronto Star. During the Second World War, she became one of only two Canadian women serving as war correspondents.

Reporting from London, she covered the Blitz, chronicled life during wartime, and later reported from the British House of Commons. Alongside her husband, journalist, photographer, and author Lawrence Earl, she interviewed world leaders and witnessed some of the defining events of the twentieth century.

A newspaper tribute following her death described Jane as "an independent newspaper woman and one of the first in Canada to break from the women's page to the front page."

It was a remarkable achievement for a woman who entered journalism when few doors were open to her.

Although Jane and Lawrence spent much of their professional lives in London, England, they maintained deep roots in New Brunswick. They returned frequently to Saint John and Grand Bay, where Lawrence's family connections stretched back generations. In later years, the couple returned home permanently, settling in Grand Bay-Westfield.

When Jane passed away in 1999, Lawrence sought a meaningful way to honour her life and accomplishments. Through the Community Foundation, he established the Jane Armstrong Earl Fund, ensuring her name and story would continue to inspire future generations.

But the legacy did not end there.

When Lawrence passed away in 2005, his own commitment to community and philanthropy was recognized by renaming the fund the Jane Armstrong Earl and Lawrence Earl Fund. Together, their names now reflect a remarkable partnership, two accomplished journalists whose lives took them around the world but ultimately brought them home to New Brunswick.

Today, the fund continues to support charities and community organizations across Greater Saint John.

For fifty years, the Community Foundation has helped donors transform personal stories into lasting community impact. The Jane Armstrong Earl and Lawrence Earl Fund reminds us that a life well lived can continue making a difference long after the final chapter is written.

Lawrence wanted Jane to be remembered.

Today, thanks to their fund, both Jane and Lawrence are remembered through the communities, organizations, and people whose lives continue to be strengthened by their generosity.