Dadye Harvey Rutherford

Dadye Harvey Rutherford was well known in theatre circles here for well over three decades starting in 1930. She was a leading teacher of elocution, drama and voice and it has been estimated that over 10,000 children passed through her school during her teaching career. For 25 years she produced “The Sun-Ray Review” (or earlier, The Sun-Ray Follies) – a show case for talented children in Vancouver sponsored by the Sun newspaper with proceeds going to charitable causes. She would cast, rehearse and stage these annual extravaganzas. Dadye made her first public appearance at the age of three at Aberdeen School and she went on to “backyard circus” shows. She later graduated from Aberdeen and King Edward High. In her early teens she was invited to join the Lilliputian Company of the Pollard Opera Society and she appeared for a time on the New York stage. Her early association with The Vancouver Sun stemmed from a subscription-selling contest in which she won the first prize which was a six months contract with Universal City in Hollywood. She married there but unfortunately her husband died and she returned to Vancouver to later work for the Board of Trade and forerunner of Tourism Vancouver.