J. Hilton Ashton was born on March 19, 1919 in Mulvihill, Manitoba. He lived in Mulvihill until 1925, before moving to Fleming, SK and Butler, MB, before settling in Virden, MB in 1930. Ashton was a journeyman electrician by trade. During World War II he served in the Air Force, serving a year in Canada and four years in England as a fighter pilot, seeing approximately 2 ½ years of active duty. Ashton married June MacMillan of Winnpeg, and together they had five children: Richard, Bruce, Janet, Judith and Glen. Hilton Ashton died in 1996 and is buried in Virden, MB.
Custodial History
As part of the Westman Oral History Collection, this collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. The original tapes from the Westman Oral History project were deposited in the Brandon Public Library. Copies of these originals were made by Margaret Pollex of the Brandon University Language Lab at the request of Eileen McFadden, University Archivist in the early 1990s. These copies compose the collection held in the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
Item is an audiocassette tape containing an interview with Hilton Ashton about his experiences in the Airforce in the Second World War, as well as early air shows. Interviewer is Elmer Armstrong.
Notes
Description by Evan Stitt (2011) and Christy Henry.
Language Note
English
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Richard Harold "Doc" Hannah was born on July 9, 1916 in Wakaw, SK. He obtained his BA in biology at McMaster University before joining the staff at Brandon College in 1948, teaching botany and zoology. In 1962, after completing a MSc degree at the University of Minnesota, he returned to Brandon College and was appointed head of his department. He served as faculty advisor to the Athletic Board for twenty years and for over 30 years, Doc was a coach, manager, trainer and the inspiration behind the Braandon College Cap and Brandon University Bobcat hockey teams. It was his involvement with College athletics that led to the nickname "Doc." When he retired in 1981, he was granted the title of Professor Emeritus. In 1993, Doc was inducted into the Brandon University Dick and Verda McDonald Sports Wall of Fame.
Doc married Reta Bernice (1914-2005) and they had three children: Richard, Sharon and Patrick. Doc was a member of the AF and AM (Tweed Lodge No. 113), the Royal Order of Scotland and Khartum Temple Shrine. He served as Grand Master of Manitoba (1984-1985). Richard Hannah died on September 6, 1990 in Brandon, MB. He is buried at Brandon Municipal Cemetery.
Custodial History
As part of the Westman Oral History Collection, this collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. The original tapes from the Westman Oral History project were deposited in the Brandon Public Library. Copies of these originals were made by Margaret Pollex of the Brandon University Language Lab at the request of Eileen McFadden, University Archivist in the early 1990s. These copies compose the collection held in the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
Item is an audiocassette tape containing an interview with Doc Hannah about his career at Brandon College/Brandon University. Subjects include: JRC Evans and faculty members; chapel services; the Literary Society; sports; campus buildings; university status; college life and operations. The interviewer is Bill Burgess.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and the Manitoba Historical Society website. Description by Christy Henry.
Access Restriction
Content Warning: This interview was recorded in the early 1980s, and contains some language that would now be considered racist in nature. Listener discretion is advised.
Language Note
English
Conservation
Preservation copy made 2021 (R. Hess)
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Flora C. Cowan (nee Cruickshanks) was born on July 15, 1902 in Edinburgh, Scotland. She immigrated to Canada with her family in 1913. Flora married Edgar Clarence Cowan (1894-1951) on August 15, 1922. The couple had two children: Franklin and Ruth. Edgar, who served in the First World War with the Royal Canadian Engineers, was employed as municipal engineer at Springfield, MB. In 1927, Edgar was appointed district engineer with the highways branch in Boissevain; a year later he was transferred to Brandon and the family moved to the city.
For much of her life, Flora was a leader in the Brandon community. During the Second World War, she mobilized Brandon's volunteer efforts and in 1953, she was appointed Dean of Women at Brandon College. In 1954, Flora became only the second woman ever elected to the Brandon City Council. She served on the council for 16 years and stepped down as Dean of Women in 1969. A champion for Fairview Personal Care Home, she chaired its board for more than 20 years. Flora Cowan Hall on the Brandon University campus is named in her honour. Flora Cowan died on September 25, 1986 in Brandon, MB. She is buried at Brandon Municipal Cemetery.
Custodial History
As part of the Westman Oral History Collection, this collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. The original tapes from the Westman Oral History project were deposited in the Brandon Public Library. Copies of these originals were made by Margaret Pollex of the Brandon University Language Lab at the request of Eileen McFadden, University Archivist in the early 1990s. These copies compose the collection held in the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
Item is an audiocassette tape containing an interview with Flora Cowan about her involvement in community and civic affairs in Brandon, 1927-1981. This first hour includes the following subjects: church involvement, including the union of the Methodist and Knox churches, the Women's Auxiliary and volunteer work; the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE); her recollections during her tenure as Dean of Women at Brandon College, including the death of JRC Evans, the official opening of the McKenzie Building, the expansion of campus, the layout of Clark Hall, social functions, the granting of the University charter, the retirement of John E. Robbins, the BJ Hales Natural History Museum and her retirement; her work as an alderman on Brandon City Council; and the history of Fairview Personal Care Home. The interviewer is Marjorie Fitton.
Notes
History/bio information from the records, the article reporting Edgar Cowan's death by drowning and Flora Cowan's obituary. Description by Christy Henry.
Language Note
English
Conservation
Preservation copy made 2021 (R. Hess)
Related Material
Brandon College fonds
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Janet Mortimer Seward (nee Anderson) was born on May 5, 1898 at Crown Hill, near Barrie, ON. She graduated with her RN from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie in 1921. Coming to Brandon in 1927, she became a graduate of the first post-graduate class in pyschiatric nuring at the Brandon Mental Hospital. In 1929, she became superintendent of nurses at that same institution. She stepped down from her position when she married Ernest Seward (1877-1949), a widower, in 1934, but following her husband's death, she resumed her nursing career, finally retiring in 1966. The couple had no children. An active member of St. George's Anglican Church, she also volunteered for the Red Cross. Janet Seward died on June 14, 1991 in Brandon, MB. She is buried at Brandon Municipal Cemetery.
Custodial History
As part of the Westman Oral History Collection, this collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. The original tapes from the Westman Oral History project were deposited in the Brandon Public Library. Copies of these originals were made by Margaret Pollex of the Brandon University Language Lab at the request of Eileen McFadden, University Archivist in the early 1990s. These copies compose the collection held in the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
Item is an audiocassette tape containing an interview with Janet Seward about health care and her experiences as a nurse. Subjects discussed include the working conditions in hospitals, medication and treatment that were done, patient care, and the doctors who worked in Brandon, including doctors Barager, Davidson, Goulden, Evans, Cromary, Peters, Bigelow, Shultz and Purdy. Postgraduates Miss Steward and Miss Cansfield are also mentioned. Interviewer is Phyllis Long.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and Seward's obituary. Transcript by Leah Stephens (2020). Description by Christy Henry.
Language Note
English
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Thomas Henry Martin was born December 23, 1904 in Brookdale, MB. From when he was born until 1965, Thomas lived in the Brookdale region and worked at farming and road building. He retired from farming in 1965, and moved to Neepawa, although he continued to help his son farm in the area. On October 25, 1933 he married Harriet North (1911-1986). Together they had two children: Mona and Vincent. Thomas Martin died on November 6, 1986 in Neepawa, MB. He is buried at Riverside Cemetery.
Custodial History
As part of the Westman Oral History Collection, this collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. The original tapes from the Westman Oral History project were deposited in the Brandon Public Library. Copies of these originals were made by Margaret Pollex of the Brandon University Language Lab at the request of Eileen McFadden, University Archivist in the early 1990s. These copies compose the collection held in the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
Item is an audiocassette tape containing an interview with Thomas Martin about early road building and the 1930s. Between 1929 and 1931, Thomas and two of his neighbors were employed by the North Cypress Municipality to build roads in the district, and this is the subject of most of the interview. Thomas also discusses at length the equipment used in road building, how the equipment was used, and the work camps formed by the governments during the 1930’s to create jobs for the unemployed. Interviewer is Dorothy Martin.
Notes
History/bio information taken from the records and the Brookdale local history "Quest in Roots." Transcript by Richard Bee (2014). Description by Christy Henry.
Language Note
English
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Maude Marie MacDonald (nee Evans) was born on May 23, 1910 in Indian River, Ontario. In 1913, her family moved to Manitoba, settling in the Brookdale area. She attended school in Brookdale and at Brandon College, graduating with a BA in 1930. After graduating from Normal School in Saskatoon, she taught at Justice, Brookdale, Brandon, Kemnay, Ochre River and Carberry, before retiring in 1971. Marie married George MacDonald (1913-1989), who she met while teaching in Ochre River, in June 1937. The couple had three children: Janet, Karen and Donald. In 1951, Marie and George bought Maxhame, a farm near Brookdale. She continued to live on the farm after George died. Marie loved gardening and reading, and in her later years, she enjoyed travelling. Marie MacDonald died on January 25, 1996 in Winnipeg, MB and is buried in Carberry Plains Cemetery.
Custodial History
As part of the Westman Oral History Collection, this collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. The original tapes from the Westman Oral History project were deposited in the Brandon Public Library. Copies of these originals were made by Margaret Pollex of the Brandon University Language Lab at the request of Eileen McFadden, University Archivist in the early 1990s. These copies compose the collection held in the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
Item is an audiocassette tape containing an interview with Marie MacDonald about education in Manitoba, particularly her experiences as a teacher from 1931-1972. Interviewer is Dorothy P. Martin.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and MacDonald's obituary. Transcript by Victoria Newham (2020). Description by Christy Henry.
Language Note
English
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Betty Margaret Gibson was born on July 14, 1911 in Brandon, MB. She attended primary school in Alexandra and Park schools, and took her teachers education at the Brandon Normal School. She began her teaching career in 1929. Teaching first in Deloraine and Chater, in 1936, Gibson travelled to South Africa to be the headmistress at Kingsmead College, Johannesburg. She returned to Brandon ten years later to take up the post of Principal at Fleming School. During this time she completed a BA from Brandon College (1959). Attaining her Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, she taught at the University of Saskatoon and Brandon College/University. At Brandon University she was heavily involved with Indigenous teacher programs, including BUNTEP, PENT and IMPACT. She was briefly the Assistant Superintendent for the Brandon School Division (1967-1968). Gibson was active in the Children's Aid Society, co-created and appeared in a television show called "Common Sense About Reading" (CBC), and was the author of a children's book called "The Story of Little Quack." Gibson received the Centennial Medal in 1967, and the J.M. Brown Award (1974), for contribution to education in Manitoba. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Liberal Laws from BU in 1975, and even in retirement continued to teach education courses at BU and help children with reading disabilities. In 2003, she was inducted into Brandon University's Hall of Fame. Betty Gibson School in the Brandon School Division is named in her honor. Gibson never married. Betty Gibson died on February 23, 2001 in Brandon, MB. She is buried at Rosewood Memorial Gardens.
Custodial History
As part of the Westman Oral History Collection, this collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. The original tapes from the Westman Oral History project were deposited in the Brandon Public Library. Copies of these originals were made by Margaret Pollex of the Brandon University Language Lab at the request of Eileen McFadden, University Archivist in the early 1990s. These copies compose the collection held in the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
Item is an audiocassette tape containing an interview with Betty Gibson about her teaching career. Interviewer is JE Bateman.
Notes
History/Bio information taken from the Manitoba Historical Society, The Brandon Sun and the records. Transcript by Nathan Qumsieh (2014). Description by Christy Henry.
Language Note
English
Conservation
Preservation copy created 2021 (R. Hess)
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