The American Museum of Fly Fishing and its “Exhibition Profiles” are the profiles of important women fly anglers, fly tyers, conservationists and guides of yesterday, today and tomorrow
“Exhibition Profiles” are from the book “A Graceful Rise” written by Catherine Comar, executive director of the museum. Promotional narrative for National Endowment for the Arts is provided by Fly Life Magazine.com. Copyright the American Museum of Fly Fishing (AMFF) – 2014.
Meet Hallie Thompson Galaise (1895–1957):
[dropcap]H[/dropcap]allie Thompson Galaise was born and raised in Manchester, Vermont. Like many of her contemporaries, Galaise sought a job in the fly-tying shop of the Orvis Company. At the age of sixteen, Galaise was the last Orvis tier who was tutored by Mary Orvis Marbury.
Shortly before her death, Galaise handed this fly to Howard Wilcox, telling him to hold onto it because it was the last one she would ever tie. It was recently donated to the American Museum of Fly Fishing by Howard’s son, Ronald Wilcox.
When Orvis was purchased by Dudley “Duckie” Corkran in 1939, Galaise was one of only two employees on the payroll (the other was Bert Orvis). As its new owner expanded the company, Galaise continued to tie flies in the Orvis tradition. She was often featured throughout the 1940s and 1950s in promotional printings, appeared in the spring 1949 issue of Vermont Life magazine, and was interviewed for a 1954 article in the now-defunct column Made-in-Vermont, published by the Associated Industries of Vermont.
Until her death, Hallie Galaise tied dozens of flies each day without a vise and with the assistance of only a small pair of scissors.
Galaise was the last Orvis fly-tying-shop woman to be taught by Mary Orvis Marbury. Photograph used by permission from the Orvis Company.
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American Museum of Fly Fishing 4104 Main Street Manchester, VT 05254 802-362-3300. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am to 4pm – See more at . . .
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