Harry Spafford (b. 22 Oct 1888, d. 10 May 1978) was born in Holmfield, Manitoba. He married Isabella Hawking of Ninga in 1914 and the couple moved to Brandon in 1915 where they continued to reside until 1973. Harry worked as a locomotive fireman and then as an engineer with the Canadian Northern Railway (CN). While with CN, he was an active member of the Brotherhood of Local Engineers and Firemen No. 788 of Brandon. He served as an alderman in Brandon from 1928 to 1945. In 1932, Harry ran in the Manitoba by-election for Brandon as an Independent Labour candidate and lost to the Conservative member George Dinsdale. In 1952, Harry ran as a Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) member in the provincial election and lost to Conservative party representative Reg Lissaman. Harry Spafford passed away in Burnaby, BC, and is interred in the Ocean View Cemetery. (Source: see obituary in McG 4.1 File 66)
Alva/Alvery/"Alvie" Reddell/Riddell/Ridall Spafford (b. 15 Mar 1891, d. 23 Aug 1985) was born in Enterprise, Manitoba, in the R.M. of Turtle Mountain. In 1911, he married Francis Ethel Harrison (d. 1979) in Killarney and had three children. Alvie farmed in Bannerman from 1902 to 1936, after which he moved to Boissevain to work as a Rawleigh salesman. In 1942, the family moved to Brandon where Alvie worked as a conductor with the CNR until his retirement. Alva Spafford passed away at the age of 94 at the Brandon General Hospital. His funeral was held in Killarney, Manitoba. (Source: Obituary, Brandon Sun, 23 Aug 1985)
Scope and Content
Photograph shows [left to right] Carl Spafford, Alva Spafford, Ken Hawking, and Harry Spafford posing together in a banquet room. Ken Hawking is shaking Alvie's hand. On the table in front of the group is a suit case, which may be a possible retirement gift for Alvie from the CNR.
Notes
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: Carl S. [Spafford], Alva S. [Spafford], Ken Hawking, Harry Spafford right, 1956, at Alva's retirement.
Photograph shows a young man diving from the diving board at the Kiwanis Pool. The change rooms are visible on the pool side. A number of children are sitting on the pool deck. A young boy observes from behind the fence.
Notes
Writing on back of photograph reads: Kiwanis Pool 1926
Harry Spafford (b. 22 Oct 1888, d. 10 May 1978) was born in Holmfield, Manitoba. He married Isabella Hawking of Ninga in 1914 and the couple moved to Brandon in 1915 where they continued to reside until 1973. Harry worked as a locomotive fireman and then as an engineer with the Canadian Northern Railway (CN). While with CN, he was an active member of the Brotherhood of Local Engineers and Firemen No. 788 of Brandon. He served as an alderman in Brandon from 1928 to 1945. In 1932, Harry ran in the Manitoba by-election for Brandon as an Independent Labour candidate and lost to the Conservative member George Dinsdale. In 1952, Harry ran as a Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) member in the provincial election and lost to Conservative party representative Reg Lissaman. Harry Spafford passed away in Burnaby, BC, and is interred in the Ocean View Cemetery. (Source: see obituary in McG 4.1 File 66)
Alva/Alvery/"Alvie" Reddell/Riddell/Ridall Spafford (b. 15 Mar 1891, d. 23 Aug 1985) was born in Enterprise, Manitoba, in the R.M. of Turtle Mountain. In 1911, he married Francis Ethel Harrison (d. 1979) in Killarney and had three children. Alvie farmed in Bannerman from 1902 to 1936, after which he moved to Boissevain to work as a Rawleigh salesman. In 1942, the family moved to Brandon where Alvie worked as a conductor with the CNR until his retirement. Alva Spafford passed away at the age of 94 at the Brandon General Hospital. His funeral was held in Killarney, Manitoba. (Source: Obituary, Brandon Sun, 23 Aug 1985)
Scope and Content
Photograph shows [left to right] Carl Spafford, Alva Spafford, and Harry Spafford posing together in a banquet room.
Notes
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: Harry Spafford on right, Alva Spafford center, Carl nephew of Harry on left. Harry retired in 1962 as an Engineer. Alva retired in 1965 as a Conductor. Carl retired in 1977 as a Conductor. [Note: conflicting dates are provided on photographs for Alva's retirement, i.e., 1956 vs. 1965]
Photograph shows the Brandon Wheat Market along Pacific Avenue on November 30, 1885. Farmers can be seen driving wagon teams loaded with bags of grain in line on Pacific Avenue from 10 Street to at least 7th Street. On the north side of Pacific Avenue the CPR Land Office and grain elevators are pictured. On the south side of Pacific Avenue, the general merchant/hardware store Bower, Blackburn, Mundell & Porter is situated on the corner of Pacific Avenue and 10th Street. A 10th Street sign is affixed to the merchants' store. On the east side of the general store, Edie House, the Grand View Hotel, and a Farmers' boarding and lodging house can be seen. Most of the buildings appear to be woodframed except for the Grand View, which is constructed of brick. Sidewalks appear to be in place on the south side of Pacific and snow dusts the streets. A baby swathed in winter clothing sits in a pram/baby carriage in front of the general store.
Notes
Writing on the front of the photograph reads: Novemeber 30th, 1885, Brandon Wheat Market
Photograph shows the train station at the port of Mulgrave, Nova Scotia. Possibly the site where the HMCS Alachasse was docked when Fred McGuinness was a telegraphers in the Canadian Navy.
Notes
Writing on the back of the postcard reads: AZO post card
Brient was a point along the Algoma Central Railway line that connected the Helen Mine to the Michipicoten Harbour. It is located southwest of Wawa, Ontario.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows ore box cars in a railway yard.
Notes
Writing beneath the photograph in the album reads: yard at Brient
Trembley was a point along the Algoma Central Railway line that connected the Helen Mine to the Michipicoten Harbour. It is located southwest of Wawa, Ontario.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows railroad tracks. A line of ore cars stretch along one track. Writing on the side of one of the cars (#3017) reads: Algoma Central Railway Co.
Notes
Writing beneath the photograph in the album reads: Trembley - Ore Cars
Brient was a point along the Algoma Central Railway line that connected the Helen Mine to the Michipicoten Harbour. It is located southwest of Wawa, Ontario.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows several men standing on railway tracks before a wood-framed train station in the winter. A sign attached to the station reads: British American Express Co. The man in the foreground appears to have a mailbag over on his back and several newspapers tucked beneath his arm.
Notes
Writing beneath the photograph in the album reads: station at Brient
In 1901, American entrepreneur Francis Hector Clergue (1856-1939) obtained the charter for the Ontario, Hudson Bay and Western Railway. Following his purchase, he reincoporated the Algoma Central Railway to the Algoma Central and Hudson's Bay Railway. (Source: Sault St. Mairie Public Library, "Transportation - Algoma Central Railway," Sault History Online, 2008)
Scope and Content
Photograph shows railroad tracks cutting through the Canadian Shield.
Notes
Writing beneath the photograph in the album reads: Algoma Central & Hundson Bay Ry.
The Lake Talbot tresle was a point along the Algoma Central Railway line that connected the Helen Mine to the Michipicoten Harbour. It is located north of Wawa and southwest of the Helen Mine.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows several men walking a railway line. Before them is a tresle bridge.
Notes
Writing beneath the photograph in the album reads: Lake Talbott Tresle [sic.]
Fred McGuinness worked with The Medicine Hat News for 10 years, starting in 1955, when he was hired as an assistant to the paper’s publisher. In 1958, he was promoted to publisher of the newspaper. At the same time McGuinness was also appointed vice-president of Southam Company Limited. Based in Toronto, Southam Company Limited was the parent organization that oversaw the Southam Printing Company (Toronto and Montreal) and the publication of a number of weekly newspapers, including The Ottawa Citizen, The Hamilton Spectator, The Winnipeg Tribune, The Calgary Herald, The Edmonton Journal, The Vancouver Province and The Medicine Hat News. In addition to his administrative duties, while with The Medicine Hat News, McGuinness authored a column titled, “The Lighthouse.” In November of 1965, he resigned as publisher and moved with his family to Winnipeg where he was appointed manager of the New Personnel and Information Division with James Richardson and Sons.
In 1988, McGuinness was hired by The Medicine Hat News to write a 20 article feature about his reminisces of Medicine Hat. McGuinness referred to this collection of stories as “Hat Memoirs.”
Custodial History
Accession 1-2015 contains records created and collected over the course of McGuinness’ career as a newspaper journalist and freelance writer. The Estate of Fred McGuinness donated the materials to the SJ McKee Archives circa 2011. The Archives accessioned the records in 2015.
Scope and Content
The subseries contains records created and collected by Fred McGuinness during his time as a journalist, editor, and freelance writer for The Medicine Hat News. Records include Medicine Hat News clippings from the 1960s, a scrapbook containing clippings of McGuinness’ Lighthouse column (1961-1964) and drafts of McGuinness’ 1988 Medicine Hat memoirs.
Records in the subseries consist of rough drafts, article proofs, newspaper clippings, a scrapbook, and correspondence.
Notes
Readers’ correspondence pertaining to McGuinness’ time in Medicine Hat may be found in Fred McGuinness’ personal papers, subseries McG 1.2 Correspondence
Accruals
Closed
Finding Aid
A file level inventory is available
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives. Subseries has been re-arranged according to publication period
Fred McGuinness wrote the syndicated weekly news column “Neighborly News” for 22 years, beginning in 1979. According to McGuinness, the Neighborly News column evolved out of the interest in and the impending cancellation of the CBC Radio broadcast “Neighborly News from the Prairies.” McGuinness credits Eugene Derksen (Steinbach Carillon), Miles Phillips (Boissevain Recorder), and Ian MacKenzie (Portage Graphic) for approaching him about printing/publishing a Neighborly News column. The column initially began with a dozen subscriptions from weeklies and grew to publication in 55 weeklies.
McGuinness described his creative process as follows. McGuinness received weeklies from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, from which he would read the first page and the editorial page. He created thematic files from clippings he accumulated over a period of time. He would then write four columns at a time based on the materials he assembled and had the columns printed at the Brandon Sun plant for camera-ready copy. Other weeklies had to re-type the columns if they did not have the facilities. The weekly columns were written for publication periods beginning every Monday.
McGuinness wrote his last Neighborly News column during the publication week of April 1, 2002. In his final column he confessed that his age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diagnosed in 2001, had become an impediment to his research, writing, and editing abilities. A month later, a Neighborly News retrospective written by McGuinness was published. In that column McGuinness reviewed the history of the Neighborly News broadcast and column and described his writing process.
The successor to McGuinness’ Neighborly News column was Margaret “Peggy” HASEIN, the editor and co-publisher of the Biggar Independent. Hasein was the successful bidder for the column after McGuinness put his column up for sale upon receiving his AMD diagnosis. The Neighborly News column is still in print today (2015).
Custodial History
Records were collected and created by McGuinness during the publication of the syndicated column Neighborly News from 1980 to 2002. The materials were donated to the SJ McKee Archives by the Estate of Fred McGuinness circa 2011. The Archives accessioned the records in 2015.
Scope and Content
The subseries consists of textual records (i.e., typed drafts, camera ready copy, and correspondence) created during the publication period (1980 to 2002) of Fred McGuinness’ syndicated Neighborly News column. The Archives does not have copies of McGuinness’ Neighborly News columns from 1999 to 2002. There is one file folder containing letters of thanks and congratulations upon McGuinness’ retirement in April 2002.
Notes
Information in the history/biography was taken from Neighborly News columns published in the Roblin Review (April 2, 2002, 4), and The Glenboro Gazette (May 7, 2002, 11). In the Glenboro Gazette column, “Looking Back,” McGuinness recalled the history of history Neighborly News radiobroadcast and column. The timeline provided in the article, appears to conflict with the actual dates the radio broadcast was cancelled by CBC and the beginning of the publication of the Neighborly News column. The Archives have used McGuinness’ date in the looking back column but researchers should be aware of the discrepancies in the timeline
The original location of the file (when the Fred McGuinness collection was unprocessed) is noted on the front of each file folder. The first sentence of each column was provided in the file level inventory because weeklies published alternative titles for the same column. The square bracket at the end of each item contains a few keywords for the respective column
Camera-ready proofs are numbered and dated for the weekly publication period beginning on Mondays. Certain columns in this series were mis-numbered and/or mis-dated by McGuinness. McGuinness’ numbers and dates have been retained and the discrepancies noted by the editorial marking [sic]
Accruals
Closed
Finding Aid
A file level inventory is available
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Related Material
Fred McGuinness would write/publish about a topic in a number of forums. For example, when researching and writing the Bootstrap profiles for the provincial government, McGuinness also mentioned these individuals in his Neighborly News or Brandon Sun Diary columns. Therefore, it is possible research materials pertaining to his Neighborly News columns may be found in the subseries: Correspondence (McG 1.2), Clippings (McG 4.2), Local history (McG 4.1), Miscellaneous freelance (McG 3.2) and Reader’s Digest (McG 3.1)
McGuinness details his vision problems and sale of the Neighborly News column in his memoir “Lost in Hotel Beesborough” (see McG 2.2 File 16, and McG 3.2, Misc. Freelance File 53)
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives. Subseries has been arranged according to column number/publication period
In the spring of 1994, Fred McGuinness was contracted by Great Plains Publications to assist with the writing of the centennial publication Old Pathways, New Horizons: A History of the Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, 1896-1996. Published in 1996, by Great Plains Publications (Winnipeg), Old Pathways, New Horizons is a 111-page illustrated soft cover book.
Custodial History
These materials were donated to the SJ McKee Archives by the Estate of Fred McGuinness circa 2011. The Archives accessioned the records in 2015.
Scope and Content
The subseries consists of two draft manuscripts and two letters of correspondence. Records were generated during the writing of the book Old Pathways, New Horizons: A History of the Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, 1896-1996. The book was commissioned by the Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company and published in 1996 by Great Plains Publishing Limited.
Notes
Information in the history/biography was taken from a letter dated April 19, 1994, to Fred McGuinness from Gregg Shilliday (see file 11) and publication information listed in the dust jacket of the book
Accruals
Closed
Finding Aid
A file level inventory is available
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives
Photograph shows Fred McGuinness sitting at a table in the John E. Robbins Library. Spread before him are a variety of weeklies containing his Neighborly News column.
Photograph shows a panorama, bird's-eye-view of downtown Brandon, between Pacific and Rosser Avenues and 7th Street facing east. Photoraph likely taken from the McKenzie Seeds Building. Visible businesses include: Western Canada Flour Mills, Hanbury Hardware Co. Ltd., Cockshutt Plow Co., New Pacific Hotel, Gordon McKay Building, and Arlington Hotel.
Notes
Part of "Souvenir of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada [viewbook], Printed by Photogelatine Engraving Co. Limited, Ottawa." Dates obtained from the Burchill's Music Store Henderson's Brandon City Directory listings (1927-1929). Writing on the front of the photograph reads: Panorama of Brandon, Man.
Photograph shows the interior of Fred McGuinness' office at the Medicine Hat News. Fred is seen scribbling on a notepad at his desk. The newspaper was located at Second Street and Sixth Avenue in downtown Medicine Hat until it moved in 1981.
