Norah Hughes was the first woman to be ordained by BC Conference. She was born in Portsmouth, England, in 1905. She immigrated to Canada with her family as a teen in 1921, and settled in the Abbotsford area. After attending normal school, she taught elementary school for a short time, and then entered the University of British Columbia. There, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Science and a Master’s degree in Biology. Hughes attended Union College, earning her Bachelor of Divinity in 1940, and was the fourth woman to be ordained in the United Church. She later obtained a PhD in church history from the University of Chicago. Her many charges including: Hazelton-Skeena River (1940-1941); Chase (1941-1942); Ashcroft (1945-1947); Hatzic (1947-1949); North Surrey (1949-1952); Fernie (1953-1957); Victoria West (1957-1960); Salt Spring Island (1960-1965); and Langley (1966-1970). Norah Hughes was also the first woman to serve as President of BC Conference (1962-1963). In 1964, she was given an honorary doctorate from Union College. After retirement, she attended Langley United Church. She died in on July 28, 1989.