The idea of the Keystone Centre was first mentioned in 1958, at a meeting of the board of directors of the Manitoba Winter Fair. The Manitoba Winter Fair wanted a new facility because the old Wheat City Arena had a leaking roof and a deteriorating west wall. The old facility also had limited space and the Winter Fair felt it needed more space for expansion. The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba also had problems with their facilities, such as old barns and poor display areas. The idea of the Keystone Centre was put on hold until 1969, when the boards of the Provincial Exhibition and the Manitoba Winter Fair joined together as the Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba and the Wheat City Arena was sold and demolished. The original estimate for the cost of the Keystone Centre facilities was $4.5 million and funding would be proportioned so that the federal and provincial governments would each put in one-third of the money, with the rest coming from local donations. The financial campaign for the Keystone Centre began in 1970, and construction began in November 1970. The grand opening of the Centre was in March 1973, and coincided with the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair of that year.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains many folders full of correspondence, financial statements, meeting minutes and other documents relating to the development and construction of the Keystone Centre from 1970-1974, including those from the Keystone Executive Committee, as well as the Building Committee. Fonds also contains one folder that pertains to the Brandon Area Agricultural Development Survey from 1959. This folder contains the names and locations of all farmers in the Brandon area in 1959. The Brandon Area Agricultural Development Survey was created in 1959, in order to make farming in the Brandon area more profitable. The survey was aided by Doane Agricultural Service from St. Louis, Missouri, who had success creating agricultural development programs in the United States. Fonds also contains folders from the Provincial Exhibition with correspondence, pamphlets, estimates, and studies from the 1960's. There is also one folder belonging to the Manitoba Winter Fair, which contains correspondence and financial statements relating to the Wheat City Arena. Fonds also contains information pertaining to the proposals made in the 1960's, for the building of the Keystone Centre, as well as one folder about the Keystone campaign from 1970-73. There is also one folder about the opening of the Keystone Centre, which contains newspaper clippings and guest lists. Finally, the fonds contains information about a court case involving Albert Bobyk and Robert Stewart. Stewart was the project manager for the Building Committee and Bobyk worked on the Keystone Center. The fonds includes a report about the trial of the two men who were charged with fraud involving their work on the Keystone Centre.
DEANS OF SCIENCE:
D.R. MOIR (1967-1974)
D. Ross Moir obtained his M.Sc. from the University of Manitoba and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He joined the faculty of Brandon College in the Botany Department in 1966. In 1967, he was appointed as the first Dean of Science of Brandon University. Moir resigned from the Deanship and his position in the Botany Faculty in 1973/74.
J.L. TYMAN (1975)
See MG 3 1.3 (John Tyman fonds) for biographical information on J.L. Tyman.
A.P. MIILLER - acting (1976)
A.P. Miiller was born in 1940 in Lampman, SK. He obtained his B.Sc. (engineering physics) and his M.Sc. (nuclear physics) from the University of Saskatchewan in 1962 and 1964 respectively. He received his Ph.D. (solid state physics) from McMaster University in 1969. Miiller taught in the Physics Department at Brandon Unviersity.
R.A. GILES (1977-1982)
Giles came to Brandon University in 1976, as a Professor of Physics, from Queens University in Belfast, Ireland where he served as Senior Lecturer and Assistant Dean to the Faculty of Science. Giles and his wife had four sons.
P. LETKEMAN (1982-1993/1994)
Peter Letkeman was born on February 12, 1938 in Haskett, Manitoba. He obtained his B.Sc. (Hons) from the University of Manitoba in 1960 and his M.Sc. in 1961 from the same institution. From 1961-1963, Letkeman taught science in Brandon, Manitoba and from 1963-1969, he was a lecturer in the Chemistry Department at Brandon College/University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba in 1969, and completed post-doctoral research at the University of California in Riverside (1969). Letkeman was appointed Dean of Science in 1982 (the first year he was Acting Dean), until 1993/94. Following his service as Dean, Letkeman continued to teach in the Chemistry Department until his retirement from Brandon University at the end of February 2003.
He and his wife Mary had two children: Lorne and Myron. At present (January 2006), Peter Letkeman and his wife live in Brandon.
R.F.C. SMITH (1994-1995/1996 and 1998)
Roger F.C. Smith was born in Kapunda, South Australia on March 6, 1940. He attended the University of Adelaide and the University of Alberta, obtaining B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees in biology. He came to Brandon University in 1973, where he taught in the Zoology Department. Smith was appointed Dean of Science for two short terms. He retired from Brandon University in 2004, and moved to Prince Edward Island.
Smith and his wife Ann had two children, Cameron and Jennifer. Roger F.C. Smith died in Charlottetown, PEI on June 16, 2019.
JANET S. WRIGHT (1999 - September 2005)
Janet Wright was born in Picton, Ontario. She obtained her B.A. Honors (Psychology) from Queen's University in 1977, her M.A. (Learning and Physiological) from the University of Guelph in 1979 and her Ph.D. (Social Psychology) from the University of Manitoba in 1987.
From 1979 to 1985, Wright held a number of teaching positions at the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg. In 1986, she began working at Augustana University College. During her time there, Wright was employed as an Assistant/Associate Professor of Psychology, Chairperson of the Social Sciences Division, Academic Dean and Vice-President for Academic Affairs. Wright came to Brandon University in 1998, where she held the positions of Dean of the Faculty of Science and Associate Professor of Psychology until 2005. From 2005 to 2008, Wright was the Acting Executive Dean, Student & Interantional Affairs/University Registrar at Brandon University. In the fall of 2008, Janet Wright returned to teaching full time in Brandon University's Psychology Department.
AUSTIN GULLIVER (August 1, 2005 to July 31, 2011 - first year as Acting Dean)
Austin F. Gulliver was appointed Dean of Science for a five-year term by the Board of Governors on Febraury 23, 2006. Guilliver has taught at Brandon University since 1985, and was appointed Acting Dean of Science on August 1, 2005. He received his B.Sc. in Mathematics and Physics at the University of Toronto in 1970. His M.Sc. (1971) and Ph.D. (1976) in Astronomy and Astrophysics were also obtained at the University of Toronto. At the time he was named Dean of Science, he was also appointed as Brandon University's Dean of Research.
Scope and Content
There are currently no records in this sub sub series.
Notes
History/Bio information for Robin Giles was taken from the Summer 1981 issue of Alumni News. History/Bio information for Janet Wright was taken from the curriculum vitae she gave to the McKee Archives (May 2008).
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 7: Faculties and Schools
7.2 Faculty of Science
Sub sub series consists of publications created by the Faculty of Science or written by Faculty of Science employees. Includes: pamphlet on the Applied Disaster & Emergency Studies (ADES) program.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 7: Faculties and Schools
Generally good. Some small holes along the centre fold line.
History / Biographical
Reverend John Crawford, faculty member at Woodstock College (Baptist institution), Woodstock, Ontario took the initiative in 1879, to come west to Rapid City, Manitoba to establish a Baptist seminary to train Baptist ministers for service in Western Canada. He established Prairie College for this purpose. Students at the College would homestead in the area, farming in the summer and studying in the winter. Prairie College only lasted a few years and consumed most of Crawford's limited private wealth. Prairie College closed in 1881.
Custodial History
This document is a copy found in the Neepawa Land Titles Office. It was donated to the McKee Archives when the Office was culling historical records.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of the Dominion Lands grant to the Reverend John Crawford situated in the Province of Manitoba, Township 13, Range 19, Section south 1/2 of 32, dated December 16, 1882.
