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
Aerial photographs of the campus were generally commissioned by the College/University to record important milestones, such as centennials, changes in status, and building projects. The general campus photographs were placed in this sub-series because the composition of the images made it difficult to place them with individual buildings.
Scope and Content
Sub-series consists of photographs of the Brandon College and Brandon University campus.
The Brandon College and Brandon University Art Exhibition Committee was active from 1960 to 1972. The Committee was established to promote the visual arts in Brandon through education and to sponsor exhibitions featuring the work of local artists.
Custodial History
The records were assembled by Robert Inch of the Brandon University Extension Office and Professor D.V. Reilly, who taught art through the Faculty of Education at Brandon University. They were donated to the McKee Archives in 1997.
Scope and Content
The sub-series contains records of past exhibitions, minutes and correspondence of the Brandon University Art Exhibition Committee. Sub-series also contains personal files on some artists consisting of correspondence and information pertaining to exhibitions of their work. There are also extensive files on past exhibits including advertising, correspondence, newspaper clippings, publications and files concerning local affiliated art clubs, such as the Student Camera Club at Brandon University.
These records were produced between 1984 and 1985, the researching and writing period for the book The Pride of the Land: An Affectionate History of Brandon’s Agricultural Exhibition. Published in 1985 by Peguis Books (Winnipeg), Pride of the Land is a 222-page soft cover book, containing hundreds of pictures, and 50,000 words of text.
BU faculty members Dr. Kenneth “Ken” Stephen Coates, Assistant Professor of History, and Mr. Fred McGuinness, Lecturer in Journalism, authored the book. Assisting the writers was a research team of four BU history students, which were referred to as “The Pride Team”: Diane Fowler, Rob McGarva, Bruce Stafeld, and Byron Williams.
The Pride Team was tasked with collecting and synthesizing exhibition documents and other materials in city, provincial, and federal records spanning 100 years. Many local newspapers and committee minutes were consulted.
The authors cover 103 years of Brandon Fair history, starting with the first fair in 1882 followed by the development of other agricultural fairs and exhibitions in Brandon, specifically The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, and the Ag-Ex livestock show.
Custodial History
Records were collected and created by McGuinness, Coates, and The Pride Research Team during the process of the creation of the book, The Pride of the Land: An Affectionate History of Brandon’s Agricultural Exhibition. The materials were donated to the SJ McKee Archives by the authors circa 1988. The Archives accessioned the records in 2008.
Scope and Content
The subseries consists of textual records, created and collected during the production of the monograph Pride of the Land. It includes research cards created by the research team, copies of newspaper articles from very early editions of Brandon newspapers (such as the Brandon Sun, Brandon Daily Sun, Western Sun, and The Independent), copies of fair/organizational minutes, photocopies of photographs used in the publication, and chapter drafts. Of particular interest are the detailed summaries of Provincial Exhibition minutes that were specifically produced for each book chapter.
Notes
Information in the history/biography was taken from a Brandon University press release dated June 1985, about the Pride of the Land Project (see file 64)
Description Note: The original accession number is noted on the front of each file folder. The circled number indicates the original file order in the 6-2008 accession
Accruals
Closed
Language Note
Fred McGuinness often uses journalistic jargon to label his files. A “brite” refers to a short, amusing story
Pride of the Land acronyms:
PEM = Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba
RCMP = Royal Canadian Mounted Police
WAAA = Western Agricultural & Arts Association
Finding Aid
A file level inventory is available
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Related Material
Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba fonds
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives. Subseries has been arranged according to book chapter. McGuinness often organized his ideas and research materials by potential brite topic
The program for the McKenzie Centennial Exhibit describes the materials in this sub-series as a "visual collection of artifacts, printed materials and photographs, 1883-1996, celebrating the centennial of A.E. McKenzie Co. Inc."
Created by current employees and based on research by Nancy McLennan, Sandra Head and J. Lasby Lowes, the McKenzie Centennial Exhibit opened on April 25, 1996. It remained open to the public on every Thursday between 2 to 4 p.m. to the end of June, 1996. Some of the furnishings used in the display were contributed by the Daly House Museum. Located in the McKenzie Building, the exhibit was assembled along the corridors of the building. It contained a variety of materials, such as invoices, pay envelopes, blueprints, documents, furniture and photographs from the one hundred years of McKenzie Seeds’ history.
Following the close of the exhibit, a smaller permanent installation was to be constructed at the McKenzie Building.
Custodial History
In the course of preparing the exhibit, Nancy McLennan took documents from the collection, but failed to make a record of where the documents came from. As a result, these materials have been left in the Centennial sub-series. It proved impossible to return them to their original place in the fonds.
See fonds level description of custodial history of A. E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd.
Scope and Content
This sub-series includes the individual descriptions of each exhibit printed on small white envelopes, a guide to the exhibit, a photograph listing for photos used in the various displays and the 1973 Directory of Canadian Chartered Accountants. The sub-series also includes intact files for exhibits 1, 5, 7, 8, 10, 39 and 40, Wholesale Sales Literature, Steele Briggs Seed Co., Scrimping and Spending Big Time, Seed Wagon, Mostly Catalogue Inserts, Letterhead, and For Your Reading Pleasure, respectively.
In addition, a number of booklets made by the creators of the exhibit are also contained within the sub-series. These booklets are primarily a combination of original and reproduced sales literature and catalogues, but also may or may not contain some correspondence, seed packets, clippings and history for McKenzie Seeds, Pike Seeds/Robertson Seeds, Acquisitions (Steele Briggs, Canada Seeds, Brett-Young Seeds), and McFayden/McConnell.
In addition to the above booklets, there are also materials dealing with the catalogues and sales literature of McKenzie Seed Co. suppliers, such as Bodger Seeds, H. Keft from Holland, the Denholm Seed Company, and the Vis Brothers. A number of documents, programs and booklets relating to the seed industry in general, such as the "Black Leaf" Bulletin and a number of documents relating to agriculture in Manitoba are also included.
Storage Location
RG 3 A.E. McKenzie Company fonds
McS 6 Miscellaneous
Related Material
Photographs from the Centennial Exhibition of McKenzie Seeds can be found in Series 5 (Photographs), sub-series 5.9 (Centennial Photos).
MPE Holland Co-operative Elevator Association Limited Organizational papers: 1927 - 1967 Petition, 1927 Certificate of incorporation, 1927 Memorandum of Association, 1927 Minutes of the Provisional Directors' meeting, 26 May 1927 Minutes of the Permanent Directors' meeting, 26 May 1927 Minutes of the Shareholders' meeting, 26 May 1927 First elevator lease, 1 August 1927 Letter, 30 January 1930 By-law authorizing new lease, 30 January 1930 Lease for new elevator, 30 January 1930 Letter, 14 July 1931 Application for share, 24 July 1931 Shareholder's meeting, 24 July 1931 Draft Director's minutes, 24 July 1931 By-law nos. 12 and 13, 24 July 1931 Agenda - shareholder's meeting, 24 July 1931 Agreement between Government, Manitoba Wheat Pool, MPE and CEA, 24 July 1931 Memorandum re: elevator membership and agreement, 24 July 1931 Memorandum re: Platform shippers questions and answers at conference, 24 July 1931 Department of Education and Publicity, Memorandum re: terminals credential forms, 24 July 1931 Agreement between Holland CEA and MPE, 1 August 1931 By-law no. 14, 4 November 1931 One share, 1 December 1931 Confirmation of share allotment, 14 January 1932 Supplementary agreement between Holland CEA and MPE and covering letter, 1 February 1933 Amending supplementary agreement and covering letter, 15 October 1936 By-law no. 16, 31 October 1939 By-law cancelling share capital, 29 October 1940 By-law nos. 18, 19, 20 and General By-laws, 29 October 1941 Letter re: General By-laws and By-laws 18, 19 and 20, 6 August 1942 1945-46 Officers and Directors, November 1945 Agreement between Holland CEA and MPE, 1 August 1951 Directors' Resolution, 18 October 1961 Agreement between Holland CEA and MPE, 15 December 1966 By-law no. 26, 3 April 1967 Minutes of Executive Board meetings, volume 1, 4 June 1927 - volume 8, 24 November 1969 Minutes of Shareholders Annual meetings, 1929 - 1969 (22 reports) Financial records and statistics Statement of surplus, 1938 - 1944 (6 reports) Final statements, 1930 - 1952 (20 reports) Auditors' reports, 1928 - 1968 (25 reports) Correspondence, 1927 - 1980 Membership list, 1927 - 1969 Miscellaneous Directors' attendance lists, no date (2 reports) Blueprint for elevator and area, no date. Group Meetings of Local elevator Associations, Boards and Agents notebook March 29, no year. Corporate Name: Rural Municipality of Victoria.
Box contains bound volumes of Manitoba Wheat Pool and Manitoba Pool Elevators central office meeting minutes. Volumes in this box include:
Manitoba Wheat Co-operative Producers, Ltd. July 1923 – May 1929; Manitoba Wheat Pool June 1929 – June 1934
MPE Minute Book May 1925 – July 1937
MPE Minute Book Sept 1953 – July 1959
MPE Minute Book August 1946 – July 1953
Border Fertilizers Ltd was a parnership agreement between the Pool and M.G. Smerchanski to provide better fertilizer services to Pool members. MPE entered the agreement in 1963 but sold their shares in 1969 due to heavy losses.
See also fonds level description of RG 4 for history/bio of MPE
Scope and Content
This sub-series consists of legal documents, financial statements, proposals and reports.
This box contains correspondence to the secretaries of locals, memorandums, resolutions, questionnaires and general corresponce. The records include the following:
1. Correspondence to Secretaries of Locals June 30 1924 – July 16 1929
2. Correspondence to Secretaries of Locals July 19 1929 – Sept 28 1931
3a. Correspondence to Secretaries of Locals Oct 16 1931 – Jan 26 1940
3b. Correspondence to Secretaries of Locals Jan 29 1940 – Nov 26 1942
4. Correspondence to Secretaries of Locals Jan 7 1943 – Nov 3 1948
5. Correspondence to Secretaries of Locals Dec 1948 – August 4 1953
6. Correspondence to Secretaries of Locals Sept 21 1953 – Oct 21 1959
7a. Correspondence to Secretaries of Locals Jan 6 1960 – March 2 1964
7b. Correspondence to Secretaries of Locals March 11 1964 – Nov 12 1968
8a. Correspondence to Secretaries of Locals Sept 23 1968 – Dec 3 1970
9a. Correspondence to Secretaries of Locals June 22 1973 – July 11 1975
9b. Correspondence to Secretaries of Locals July 25 1975 – Dec 1979
10. Memorandums 1926 – 1974
11. Resolutions 1927 – 1956
12. Resolutions 1957 – 1974
13. Questionnaires 1941; 1949; 1954; 1963; 1967
14a. General Correspondence Feb 14 1925 – May 7 1931
14b. General Correspondence July 3 1931 – Dec 1954
The Manitoba Wheat Pool and Manitoba Pool Elevators kept and preserved a chronological record of the meetings of the MPE Board of Directors and annual delegate meetings. The minutes were typed and bound, then placed in the MPE reference library so that employees and members could access them.
Scope and Content
This sub-series consists of minutes of organizational meetings and later meetings held by the Central Office of the Manitoba Wheat Co-operative Producers, Ltd (later known as the Manitoba Wheat Pool) from 1923 until it went under in 1934, and of meetings held by the central office of Manitoba Pool Elevators from 1925 until 1997.
This box contains general circulars sent out by the MPE central office to the local ssociations. The records include the following:
1. General Circulars 1926-27
2a. General Circulars 1928
2b. General Circulars 1928
3a. General Circulars 1929
3b. General Circulars 1929
4a. General Circulars 1930
4b. General Circulars 1930
5a. General Circulars 1931
This commission was appointed in late 1944 and made it's reports and recommendations in late 1945. The commission's tasks were the following: (1) give a legal opinion on existing taxation legislation affecting co-operatives, (2) reccomend taxation legislation in respect to co-operatives, with due regard to current tax burdens on privately owned busniess, (3) provide a picture of the actual structure of co-operative enterprise in Canada, its growth, and the effects of taxation upon it.
The commission's findings were, briefly: (1) Section 4, paragraph (p) of the Income War Tax Act is so ambiguous as to justify its repeal, (2) commission reccomended legislation permitting both co-operative and joint stock companies to deduct patronage dividends in computing taxes, whether paid out or available on demand, (3) appendicies of research staff findings that provide statistical and historical information on the origin, growth and distribution of co-operatives in Canada.
See also fonds level description of RG 4 for history/bio of MPE
Scope and Content
.This sub-series contains volumes 1 - 31 of the Royal Commission on Co-operatives, the brief and report on the Commission, an outline of argument on behalf of certain co-operative organizations.
Box contains bound volumes of Manitoba Pool Elevators central office meeting minutes. Volumes in this box include:
MPE Minute Book Sept 1953 – July 1959
MPE Minute Book Oct 1959 – July 1964
MPE Minute Book Oct 1964 – Oct 1968
MPE Minute Book Oct 1968 – July 1971
Box contains unbound Manitoba Pool Elevators central office meeting minutes including MPE Board of Directors minutes January 15-16,1985 to July 17,1996.
Box contains unbound Manitoba Pool Elevators central office meeting minutes. Folders in this box include: unbound minutes of MPE Annual and Special Meetings 1976-98; Prospectus Nov 28 1997; MPE Annual Meeting Minutes 1990 and 1991; MPE Delegates Meetings 1989-1998; MPE Board of Directors Meetings July 16 1997 – May 19 1998; MPE Board of Directors Meetings August 20 1996 - June 18 1997; Agricore / AWP / MPE Board of Directors Meetings June 12 1998 – Oct 30 1998.
This box contains bound volumes of audited financial statements for local MPE associations. The records include the following:
Local Assoctiation Financial Statements 1925-26; 1926-27; 1927-28; 1928-29 A-H; 1928-29 I-W; 1929-30 A-H; 1929-30 I-W; 1930-31 A-H; 1930-31 I-W; 1931-32 A-Ed; 1931-32 El-Md
This box contains minutes from meeting of MPE sub-district councils. The records include the following:
1a. Sub-district #101 Oct 22 1997 – June 15 1999
1b. Sub-district #101 August 5 1993 – August 12 1997
2. Sub-district #102 August 3 1993 – Dec 9 1997
3a. Sub-district #103 Jan 27 1997 – April 14 1999
3b. Sub-district #103 August 4 1993 – Nov 25 1996
4. Sub-district #104 August 4 1993 – April 20 1999
5a. Sub-district #105 Oct 30 1996 – June 29 1999
5b. Sub-district #105 Oct 28 1993 – July 2 1996
6a. Sub-district #201 Nov 4 1996 – July 30 1999
6b. Sub-district #201 Sept 29 1993 – Oct 2 1996
7a. Sub-district #202 Oct 21 1996 – July 8 1999
7b. Sub-district #202 Nov 3 1993 – August 1 1996
8a. Sub-district #203 July 25 1996 – June 28 1999
8b. Sub-district #203 May 31 1993 – April 3 1996
9a. Sub-district #204 Nov 20 1996 – June 24 1999
9b. Sub-district #204 Oct 14 1993 – Oct 31 1996
10a. Sub-district #205 April 1 1996 – July 30 1999
10b. Sub-district #205 August 4 1993 – Nov 27 1995
11a. Sub-district #301 July 5 1996 – August 9 1999
11b. Sub-district #301 July 26 1993 – March 11 1996
12a. Sub-district #302 Jan 9 1996 – June 28 1999
12b. Sub-district #302 Oct 12 1993 – Oct 25 1995
13a. Sub-district #303 Jan 3 1996 – June 29 1998
13b. Sub-district #303 Oct 13 1993 – Oct 24 1995
Robert (Bob) Troy Blair was born on March 11, 1930 in Brandon, MB. His first six years were spent in Alexander, MB, where his father and uncle operated a grocery store. In 1936, his family moved to Souris, MB, where his father ran a grocery store. Blair received his primary and high school education, with the exception of Grade 12, in Souris.
Blair remembers his school years in Souris as mainly happy years. He was involved with both piano and organ music lessons. he was never interested in physical sports with the exception of golf. World War II broke out in September of 1939. Souris became the site of #17 SFTS and home base for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Many of the service men came from England, Australia and New Zealand. Blair's mother always entertained at least two for dinner every Sunday. Rationing of sugar, tea and coffee, butter and meat became a way of life. Blair had the job every Saturday of pasting the ration coupons into booklets. It was also when he was in Grade 6, that Blair realized he was more attracted to boys than to girls. Perhaps it was because so many attractive airmen surrounded him!
In November of 1947, the Blair family relocated to Alexander where Bob Blair finished his Grade 11. This was not a good year due to bullying. In September of 1948, Blair moved to Winnipeg to attend United College for his Grade 12. Upon completion of Grade 12, Blair remained in Winnipeg until June 1950. he worked at a number of businesses - Gestetner, Eaton's Mail Order shoe department, Maple Leaf Milling, and the drug store in the Medical Arts Building. In September 1950, he entered Brandon College. Blair was very active in extra-curricular affairs while at Brandon College; particularly drama. Following his B.A. he enrolled in the Education Faculty, having decided to become a teacher.
Blair's teaching career spanned 34 years. All but one year was spent in the Brandon School Division. On his first day of teaching in the Division he met the man with whom he would spend the next 46 years. He was primarily a teacher of English and Music. A highlight of his career was exchange teaching in Sacramento, California in 1961. Orientation for exchange took place in August in Washington, D.C., where Blair had the opportunity to meet President J.F. Kennedy. He vividly recals the morning that JFK was assassinated on November 22, 1963. In September 1965, Blair assumed the principalship of Park School and in September of 1969, the same position at George Fitton School where re remained until his retirement in 1989. He was a member of the Brandon Picnipals' Association, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and servedas President of the Brandon Teachers' Association. Among his major accomplishments during his time as principal were the introduction of a centralized school library in both Park and George Fitton Schools and the integration of special needs students into regular classroom situations wherever possible. He was made a Life Member of the Manitoba Teachers' Society (Brandon) in June 1990. Following his retirement Blair worked as a Library Automation Consultant (1989-1993).
Blair also had numerous community involvements during his time in Brandon. he was active in the Brandon Little Theatre (Best Actor Award, Manitoba Drama Festival for One Act Plays in 1963), the Brandon Festival of the Arts, the Eckhardt-Gramatte National Music Competition, and Arm Industries to name a few.
Following the death of his partner in 2001, Blair moved to Saskatoon to live with a younger gay couple. He has been active in volunteerism: as an Ambassador for the Saskatoon Airport Authority, assistant with the Saskatoon Health Region's Immunization Clinics, information clerk for the Festival of Trees, data entry clerk for the Saskatoon Music Festival, on the Board of the Saskatoon Jazz Society, and Hospitality Coordinator for the Saskatoon Jazz Festival.
As of October 2013, Bob Blair continues to live in Saskatoon, SK.
Custodial History
Records were in Blair's possession until he donated them to the Mckee Archives on Homecoming weekend October 2013.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of two scrapbooks containing 145 photographs and ephemera (play and graduation programs, tickets, pins, newspaper clippings) documenting Bob Blair's days at Brandon College. Social events and extra-curricular activities are heavily featured in the two scrapbooks. Also included are graduation portraits for the Classes of 1951, 1952 and 1953. Of the 145 photographs all are black and white except for two photos of the Class of '53 reconvocation (May 1993), and one from the Class of '53 reunion (2003).
