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
Photograph shows a student class photo from a public school in Medicine Hat, Alberta.
Notes
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: left to right, 1) Melinda Giese, Brenda Smith, Joyce Knight, Judith Davidson, Gary Parker, Douglas Gerber, Brian Crandell, Gallagher McGuinness, Kenny Brix, Daniel Meier; 2) Anthony Newman, Donald Sackman, Dennis Beifus, Ken Johnson, Rocky Scherer, Leslie May, Shirley Perry, Judy Wnzel, Judy Martin, Brenda McCormick, Maxine Martins, Miss Bennis; 3) Barry Kurtz, Brian Bertram, Sandra Croissant, Neil Cormier, Teresa Peters, Rick Leask, James Parr, Linda Daniels, Margret Burch, Gordon Ponto
Portrait of a Junior Varsity Bobcats hockey reunion(?). Back row far left: Doc Hannah. Back row far right (L to R): Coach Bob Cabel and Referee Bob Thompson.
Photograph shows the construction of the McGuinness home in a new housing development in Medicine Hat, 492 6th Street Northeast. Painters appear to be working on the soffits.
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