Finn
Force
Judy Erola’s Finnish roots
in the Sudbury area of Northern Ontario go back to her grandfather, Thomas
Jacobson (formerly Karppi), who came to the Sudbury district from Finland,
via New York, in the late 19th century. Niilo, a son of Thomas and Susan
(nee Franssi) Jacobson, married Laura Rauhala. Their daughter, Judy, burst
on the public scene as a radio and television personality in the 1950s.
By 1980, a going concern, Judy Erola was elected to the House of Commons
as a Federal Member for Nickel Belt, and later was made Minister Responsible
for the Status of Women and Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs.
After her career in politics ended, she became President, 1987, Pharmaceutical
Manufacturers’ Association of Canada, a position she held until her retirement,
1998. Judy never neglected her Sudbury roots. She was the force behind
the creation of Science North and the funding of Laurentian University’s
Centre for Mining and Mineral Exploration Research. For her service, Laurentian
University awarded her an Honorary Doctorate of Laws, 1996, as portrayed
in this view with Laurentian University Professor Oiva Saarinin, Ph.D.,
also of Finnish background, whose publication, Between a Rock and a Hard
Place: An Historical Geography of the Finns in the Sudbury Area, was published
in 1999. [Photo, courtesy Oiva Saarinin]
