David Andrew Brown was born on October 30, 1894 near Dumfries, Scotland. His family arrived in Canada in 1908 and settled on a farm east of Deloraine, MB in the Hazeldean district. David attended Manitoba Agriculture College, graduating in 1920. Following graduation he was appointed assistant to the professor of horticulture and was given responsibility for directing all the experimental work with vegetables, fruits and flowers, as well as upkeep of the College campus. He briefly accepted a teaching position in botany in the Teulon, Gunton and Balmoral high schools, before becoming the assistant superintendent of the Federal Government Station in Mordon, MB in 1922. David married Edith Merle McKenzie (1900-1995) on July 22, 1922 and together they had three children: Ian, Dorothy and Shirley.
In 1928, David moved from the Morden Experimental Farm to take the position of supervisor of illustration stations at the Brandon Experimental Farm. In this role he travelled the province planting experimental cereal crops and working to reclaim soil lost to erosion during the draught of the 1930s. In 1947, he became the assistant superintendent, a position he held until his retirement in 1959. Following his retirement, David was instrumental in establisting the Agricultural Hall of Fame. He was very active in this organization until he was involved in an accident in March 1988. David was a life member of the Agricultural Institute of Canada and served terms as the president of the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists and the Manitoba Horticultural Society. He was also a well-known landscape planner for many Brandon residents and rural homesteads, a judge at local summer horticultural fairs and a member of Knox United Church, where he served as a choir member, an elder on the church board and as clerk of session. In 1977, the University of Manitoba conferred the honorary degree of L.L.D. upon him to acknowledge his oustanding contribution to agriculture in Manitoba. David Brown died on July 4, 1990 in Brandon, MB. He 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 David A. Brown, about his life and career, as well as the early history of Manitoba agriculture. The interviewer is Frank Anderson.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and Brown's obituary. Description by Christy Henry.
Language Note
English
Conservation
Preservation copy made 2021 (R. Hess)
Audio Tracks
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Robert Harvey's portrait has come loose of the backing. Matting is torn at base.
History / Biographical
John B. Cole, who operated Cole's Photographic Studio, first at 656 15th Street and then at 831 Rosser Avenue, was a photographer in Brandon from c. 1911 to c. 1914.
Scope and Content
Item consists of eleven oval shaped portraits of the members of Brandon College's graduating class of 1913. L to R: Lillian Wilhelmina Speers; Robert Harvey; James Robinson, Muriel Vivien McCamis; Tom Hare Harris; Leslie Alberta Ward; J.R.C. Evans; Evelyn J. Simpson; W.E. Wilkin; Archibald Gordon; and Constance Gunn.
The Canada Winter Games were held in Brandon, Manitoba, from February 12-24, 1979. According to the official Canada Games website, approximately 2,000 athletes and officials and more than 4,000 volunteers participated in the event. Brandon artist and calligrapher Alex Matheson served as games president. Infrastructure improvements resulted in the construction of the Canada Games Sportsplex complex which contained a 400-seat hockey area, raquetball courts a six-lane 50-metre swimming pool, and a speed skating oval. Mount Agassiz was the site for alpine ski events and new cross country ski trails were developed in the Brandon Hills.
Custodial History
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness from the Winnipeg Free Press Photo Department
Scope and Content
Photograph shows the opening ceremonies of the Canada Games held in Brandon, Manitoba, 1979. Various teams can be seen standing in the hockey arena of the Keystone Centre. Pennants representing the athletic events hang from the rafters.
Notes
Photograph was collected during the research phase of the monograph "Manitoba: The Province & The People" (1987) written by Fred McGuinness and Ken Coates.
