Richard Alexander "Dick" Jones was born on June 10, 1918 in Winnipeg, MB. Raised in Arnaud, MB, he attended school in Arnaud and Dominion City, before apprenticing as an automotive mechanic; Dick was the third person in the province to receive certificaiton and was licensed in 1939. He joined the Armed Forces in 1940, and served overseas with the Lord Strathcona's Horse from 1941-1946 in Britain, Italy and Northwest Europe. He returned home in early 1946, and married Ethel Reynolds (1917-2015) on February 2 that year. The couple had four sons: Rick, Wayne, Ted and Greg. Dick spent a number of years as a Ford dealer in both Ontario and Manitoba, before joining Ford of Canada as a District Service Representative and later, as a District Manager. In 1961, Dick left Ford to develop Assiniboine Community College, a technical and vocational training school in Brandon, MB. He served as the first President of the College. After ten years at ACC, Dick joined the office of the Assistant Deputy Minister of College and University Affairs and later took over Management Development for the Province of Manitoba. Dick was forced to retire in 1978, due to ill health. In retirement, Dick and Ethel travelled a great deal and enjoyed spending time with family. Richard Jones died on March 1, 2009 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 Richard Jones about the history and development of Assiniboine Community College (ACC) in Brandon, MB. The interviewer is Betty Gibson.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and Jones' obituary. Description by Christy Henry.
Language Note
English
Conservation
Preservation copy made 2021 (R. Hess)
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Frank Ernest "Ernie" Ellis was born on April 3, 1915. He lived and farmed all his life just north of Wawanesa, MB, and established a seed cleaning and fertilizer business entitled Ellis Farm Supplies on the south side of Wawanesa. Ernie married Margaret Alyce Viola Medd (1922-2022) in in 1946 and together they had five children: Margaret, Brenda, Kathryn, Jennifer and Warren. In 1985, Ernie and Alyce moved to Winnipeg and their son Warren took over the farm.
Ernie was active in his community, local politics and the agriculture and health care sectors. His commitment to land conservation and a love of nature, led him to serve on the boards of many farming organizations, including the Wawanesa Crop Improvement Club, the Wawanesa Cooperative Elevator Association, and the Wawanesa Consumers Co-op Association. He was also one of the founders ot the Manitoba Stock Growers' Association, which became the Manitoba Beef Growers' Association. Additionally, Ernie served on the board of the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, was a member of the Canadian Seed Growers' Association, served terms as president for both the Brandon-Souris Liberal Association and the Souris-Killarney Association, ran as the MLA Liberal candidate for the Souris-Lansdowne constituency and served on the Oakland Council for 11 years. He was also elected chairman of the first Board of Directors for the Wawanesa & District Recreation Centre, was a trustee of the governing board of the Wawanesa & District Hospital, including 12 years as chairman. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the Manitoba Health Organization, where he advocated for health care in Wawanesa and rural areas. Ernie wrote two newspaper columns, "The Rural Scene" for the Wawanesa Optimist, and "On the Manitoba Range" for The Canadian Cattleman, and along with his wife Alyce, did much of the research and writing for the Wawanesa centennial local history book. Aside from writing, Ernie was also passionate about music, and played the trombone in the Wawanesa Band.
When he became ill in 2010 the Ellis' left Winnipeg; Ernie moved to the Personal Care Home in Wawanesa and Alyce moved to the Wawanesa Valley Lodge. Ernie Ellis died on February 16, 2011 in Wawanesa, 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 Ernie Ellis. This final hour includes rural roads, recreation, World War II years on the farm, and life in Wawanesa since the war. The interviewer is John Moore.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and obituaries for both Ernie and Alyce Ellis. Description by Christy Henry.
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Harold Ernest Watson was born on April 14, 1905 on section 4-11-24 in the RM of Woodworth. The family moved to Brandon, MB in 1911. As a young man, Harold worked for many years as a carpenter with his father. He was then employed for a few years with the Canadian National Railway (CNR) before becoming a carpenter and carman with the Canadian Pacific Railway for thirty-five years. Harold married Winifred Elizabeth Schiedel (1916-1982) in 1939 and together they had six children: Eldine, Marjorie, David, Dale, Mildred and Ralph. A keen conservationist, Harold was a member of the Manitoba Naturalist Society. He also enjoyed gardening, bird watching, fishing, hunting, woodworking, reading, typing and cribbage, and possessed an excellent knkowledge of the history of Brandon and surrounding area. Harold Watson died on November 30, 1994 in Brandon, 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 Harold Watson about the history of the East End of Brandon, including its early residents, buildings and activites. The interviewer is Lillian Mummery.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and Watson's obituary. Description by Christy Henry. Fred McGuinness wrote about Harold Watson in his November 4, 2004 "The Notebook" column in The Brandon Sun.
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Lewis Richards was born on September 29, 1902 in Cornwall, England. He came to Beresford, MB in 1921, moved to Selkirk in 1926 and then to Kenton in 1928. Amy Isobel Paterson was born on November 4, 1906 in Kenton, MB. She married Lewis in Selkirk in 1926. Together they had four children: Lois, Vivian, Kaye and Barry, and took over the Paterson's home farm in the Verity district. Lewis was very musical and often shared his talents with the community. Amy enjoyed antiques and gardening, winning many prizes for flowers and vegetables as a member of the Horticultural Society. The couple moved to Kenton in 1986, where they were both ardent members of the Leisure Club. Ill health forced them to move to Brandon in 1994. Lewis Richards died on May 21, 1996. Amy Richards died on September 25, 1996. They are both buried at Shiloh 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 Lewis and Amy Richards about their life history. Interviewer is Shirley Hunt.
Notes
History/bio information from the records, the Kenton local histories "Cradle to combine vol. 2" and "Cradle to combine vol. 3." Description by Christy Henry. The records in the collection spell Lewis' name as "Louis" but all other records use "Lewis." The latter has been used in the description.
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