Marion Orme was a quiet, reserved woman who received great satisfaction from bringing out the artistic ability in others. In the late 1950s, she was a Ryder Lake Women’s Institute member, which was involved in arranging some traveling galleries to show at the Ryder Lake community hall and St. Thomas Anglican church.

Mrs. Orme believed that culture was essential to a good education and life. She often said she was not an organizer, saying, “I couldn’t be president.” On that premise, she approached Mrs. Mary E. Allan, who had come to Ryder Lake to speak to the women’s institute about the Red Cross. Mary Allan accepted the challenge immediately.