The Society’s Records

Della Chynoweth

← People of the Society · on record 1988–2025

Everything the Society’s own records say of Della Chynoweth — the offices held, the standings conferred, and the awards won — gathered on one page. Where the records are silent, so is this one.

This is the Society’s own record of Della Chynoweth. A biography: Life Membership, 2024 →

Also recorded as Della Howard

Standing

Society Member 1988–1997

Branch

Norland · member since 1978

Della Bryant Chynoweth, the longest-serving member of the Society — she joined on 31 October 1978. Her mother had taken up leatherwork in 1957, and Della grew up lacing wallets at home. A member successively of the Norland Guild, the Toronto Guild, and Members-at-Large, she became the Society's Treasurer in 2004, after Kevin Armstrong's death, and held the post ever after; when the Society voted to dissolve in May 2025 she was one of the three caretakers who stayed on, and its treasurer. In the 1990s the Society's papers print her as Della Howard: a Salon and Craftsman prizewinner at the 43rd Annual, 1993 (printed as the 44th), and Vice-President and a craft convenor of the Norland Leather Society in 1995. She made a square for the CSCL Leather Quilt.

From Summer 1993, page 2; Della Bryant Chynoweth — the Life Membership citation, 2024, page 1; Fall 1998, page 2; Fall 1995, page 5; and Minutes of the 75th Annual General Meeting, 10 May 2025, page 6.

Served the Society as

Norland Branch Craft Convenor 1995
Norland Branch Vice-President 1995
Norland Branch President 1997–1998
Director 2000–2001
Toronto Branch President 2001–2007
Director (Toronto) 2002
Recording Secretary 2003–2016
Treasurer 2004–2025
Secretary 2010–2012
Continuation Committee 2025

Honours

Life Membership 2024
Presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting. The longest-serving of the Society's members (since 1978), she was Secretary from 2005 to 2015 and Treasurer from the autumn of 2004 onward.
Ontario Volunteer Service Award
Named on the Society's roll of Ontario Volunteer Service Award recipients.
Ontario Volunteer Service Award 2003
One of six named at the 53rd Annual General Meeting, Toronto & Norland Branches; biographies read by members called on by Dorothy McPherson. The date of the official presentation had not yet been announced on this page. A profile in newsletter 2004-fall p4, from the notes of Dorothy McPherson, has her leathercrafting since 1957 (enrolled by her mother Hilda Chynoweth in Night School Leather courses at Fenelon Falls); a member of the Norland Leathercraft Society serving as Secretary 1982-83, Program Director 1978-86, and President 1997-2000; on the CSCL Executive since 1999 and President of the Toronto Branch at the time of writing.

Awards

Craftsman Awards 2017
Craftsman Ribbon 1993–2019
Salon Ribbon 1993

Demonstrations given

Moulded Leather (workshop demonstration) 2001
51st Annual
From Spring 2001, page 6.
Leather Pyrography (with Sandra Roberts) 2002
52nd Annual
From Summer 2002, page 3.

Where this comes from

This name in the index of people →