Pelluet, Dixie

Dixie Pelluet was born in London, England. She studied botany and graduated with an MA from both the University of Toronto and Bryn Mawr in Pennsylvania, where she also obtained her PhD in biology. She was a laboratory assistant in zoology in Alberta and taught zoology in various American colleges before being hired at Dalhousie as a lecturer in elementary zoology. Pelluet became an assistant professor of biology in zoology in 1931, appointed by President Stanley Mackenzie. Three years later in 1934, she married fellow zoologist Ronald Hayes at Dalhousie and became one half of a greatly respected academic couple. At the time, Pelluet was concerned that her marriage to Hayes would threaten her position as a professor. Before her marriage, Pelluet raised her concerns with President Carleton Stanley. The marriage went on as planned and Stanley made Pelluet an associate professor in 1941, but her salary remained frozen until 1947.

Pelluet was an outspoken advocate for equal gender treatment in academics, and wrote to President Kerr stating that she was “being quite unjustly penalized” for her gender and marriage. Her research focused on cellular differentiation. She and her husband were the first husband and wife team to receive honorary Doctors of Laws degrees on May 13, 1965.

Pelluet retired from Dalhousie University in August 1964 after working at the university for 26 years. She was 68 years old when she retired, during a period when women were not allowed to work at the university past 65 years of age. She was promoted to full professor three months before her retirement. Dixie and her husband are honored through the Ron Hayes and Dixie Pelluet Bursary in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 
awarded annually by Dalhousie.

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