Kathleen continued to date Bill. He was one year ahead of Kathleen and 
     
     graduated in the spring of 1948. Shortly after he graduated from Saint 
     
     Dunstans, he received his letter of acceptance into the medical school at 
     
     the University of Ottawa. He had also been applying for other jobs in the 
     
     event that his application for medical school was not accepted. Around 
     
     the same time, he received an offer of employment from the federal 
     
     Department of Fisheries to work as a lab technician in Halifax. After 
     
     serious and very difficult consideration, he accepted the fisheries job, 
     
     attracted by the good salary, without closing the option of medical school 
     
     at some later date. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Bill moved to Halifax and he and Kathleen continued to write back and 
     
     forth regularly during her final year of university. They would see each 
     
     other during his frequent visits back to the Island. They attended the 
     
     Saint Dunstans Christmas prom at the Charlottetown Hotel, and made 
     
     plans for Bill to attend Kathleen’s graduation in the spring. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Kathleen graduated with her Bachelors degree in science at the spring 
     
     convocation in 1949. The graduation took place in the university 
     
     auditorium. Bill was there, along with Kathleen’s family including 
     
     Sister Marion and her bother Lorne and his wife Sabina, who were 
     
     recently married and now living in Charlottetown. There were close to 
     
     40 graduates, the highest number in the university’s history. Kathleen 
     
     proudly took her place in the procession to receive her degree. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Kathleen enjoyed her time in university. She made a lot of friends, 
     
    

    
     most with whom she continues to remain close. Although she claims to 
     
     have earned only average marks, she was well—respected by faculty and 
     
     classmates. Her one regret was that her mother and father did not live to 
     
     see her graduate. 
     
    
   
   
    
     To this day, she is uncertain as to who actually paid for her education. 
     
     She did have a small scholarship from the Catholic Women’s League, and 
     
     her father and brothers, including Father Wilfred and some of her sisters, 
     
     would send money from time to time. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Earning a degree meant opening the doors to new opportunities. 
     
    
   
   
    
     86 KATHLEEN MURPHY, MAITRIARC