Why McMaster donors give: Lynda Davey-Longstreet pays it forward

An older woman stand beside a younger woman on the steps of University Hall.

Lynda Davey-Longstreet, left, and PhD student and Davey Family Scholarship recipient Emily Gula bonded over a shared love of French literature.

Posted on May 11, 2023

Mac grad Lynda Davey-Longstreet,’75 understands the impact scholarships can have on a student.

Davey-Longstreet’s father died when she was in her third year of a Bachelor of Arts in French at McMaster. She had to pause her studies to help her family, and says she received a great deal of support through scholarships.

After coming back to finish the degree at McMaster, she went on to complete a master’s at Université Laval and a PhD at Université de Montréal.

Now, Davey-Longstreet is supporting a new generation of French students with the Davey Family Scholarship, established in 2021 in her father’s memory.

It is awarded to an incoming French graduate student who demonstrates academic excellence, to help promote the language.