Laverna Katie Dollimore

Laverna "Verna" Katie Dollimore (January 22, 1922 – October 24, 2011) was one of six Canadians awarded the Order of Canada for her participation in the Canadian Caper, in which the Canadian government and the CIA orchestrated the cover rescue of six American diplomats in Iran. Her Order of Canada Medal is on display at the Maritime Command Museum.

Laverna Katie Dollimore was born in Toronto, Ontario on 22 January 1922. Her parents, William Dollimore and Eva Somner, emigrated to Canada in 1915 on the penultimate voyage of the RMS Lusitania. Dollimore was the youngest of three children, preceded by brother, Hedley, and sister, Neysa. She attended Oakwood Collegiate High School and then Western Technical Commercial School for business, graduating in 1938.

For five years she did secretarial or bookkeeping jobs for companies in Toronto, including Jenny Lind Candy Shops and Dominion Paper Box Co. In 1942 she joined the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service and was posted to HMCS Cornwallis in Halifax. Despite taking the Petty Officer exam, the war concluded before Dollimore could follow that path and she returned to Toronto to continue in her previous line of work. following the Suez Crisis, Poland, Kuala Lumpur, Leopoldville (now Kinshasa, DRC), and many others. During her time she worked for notable members of the diplomatic corps, including Robert Ford, G. Hamilton Southam, Charles Ritchie, and Paul Martin Sr.

For the remainder of her time with Foreign Affairs, Dollimore was posted to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She retired in 1983 to Brighton, Ontario. Every five years she attended a 'Canadian Caper' reunion, hosting the 2005 party. She died of natural causes in 2011.