ABSTRACT
Valerie Jerome was a member of Canada’s team at the 1959 Pan American Games where as a 15-year-old she placed 4th in the 100m. She was also a member of Canada’s 1960 Olympic and 1966 Commonwealth Games teams. After leaving competitive sport, Valerie continued to serve as a track and field coach and official, serving as Chief Judge for Horizontal Jumps at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and Jumps Referee for the 1978 and 1994 Commonwealth Games and World Indoor (1993) and Outdoor (2001) Championships. She is also a fixture in Vancouver civil society, serving on such diverse boards of directors as the Achilles Athletics Foundation, the Goh Ballet Academy, Vancouver Youth Theatre and the British Columbia (BC) Association of Black Educators. She has been nominated seven times to run for public office beginning with her 1978 candidacy for The Electors Action Movement through to her 1996 candidacy for the Green Party of BC.
