She was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1962 and was also made an honorary member of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. She was one of two geologists sent to open a Calgary office and the only woman to do field work there. In 1976, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. Personal life Belyea was also active in mountaineering, skiing, walking, and horseback riding. She was an equestrian and rode her horse to many of her field excursions. She rode in the mountains of Alberta, British Columbia and Great Slave Lake area. She was a member of the Calgary Continuing Arts Association, the Women's League of the Calgary Philharmonic and associate director of the Calgary Zoological Society. She traveled extensively, especially in France. During one her travels in France she gave many lectures. Belyea was an icon for the world of feminism in geology. Although she herself was not a great supporter of feminism, she showed in her actions that she was a woman of great stature and one to follow and respect. She was the first women to work with men before the 1970s. People thought, in the 19th century, that women should be home cooking and cleaning for their families, but Belyea was an advocate for wanting to work in the field. She became the first women to work in the field studies, proving to everyone that women are strong enough to carry the heavy samples across coarse terrains. She died in Calgary on May 20, 1986 at the age of 73 years. Notes References Fleming, Iris. "Rocks are Her Forte." Geosciences. Fall 1975, pp. 12–14. McLaren, Digby J. "Helen Belyea 1913-1986." Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada. Ser. 5, vol. 2. 1987, pp. 198–201. Ogilvie, Marilyn, and Harvey, Joy, editors. The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science. Vol. 1. New York: Routledge, 2000, pp. 110–111. External links Helen Belyea 1913-1986 1913 births 1986 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Officers of the Order of Canada People from Saint John, New Brunswick 20th-century Canadian geologists Geological Survey of Canada personnel 20th-century Canadian women scientists Canadian women geologists