Betty Margaret Gibson was born on July 14, 1911 in Brandon, MB. She attended primary school in Alexandra and Park schools, and took her teachers education at the Brandon Normal School. She began her teaching career in 1929. Teaching first in Deloraine and Chater, in 1936, Gibson travelled to South Africa to be the headmistress at Kingsmead College, Johannesburg. She returned to Brandon ten years later to take up the post of Principal at Fleming School. During this time she completed a BA from Brandon College (1959). Attaining her Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, she taught at the University of Saskatoon and Brandon College/University. At Brandon University she was heavily involved with Indigenous teacher programs, including BUNTEP, PENT and IMPACT. She was briefly the Assistant Superintendent for the Brandon School Division (1967-1968). Gibson was active in the Children's Aid Society, co-created and appeared in a television show called "Common Sense About Reading" (CBC), and was the author of a children's book called "The Story of Little Quack." Gibson received the Centennial Medal in 1967, and the J.M. Brown Award (1974), for contribution to education in Manitoba. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Liberal Laws from BU in 1975, and even in retirement continued to teach education courses at BU and help children with reading disabilities. In 2003, she was inducted into Brandon University's Hall of Fame. Betty Gibson School in the Brandon School Division is named in her honor. Gibson never married. Betty Gibson died on February 23, 2001 in Brandon, MB. She 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 Betty Gibson about her teaching career. Interviewer is JE Bateman.
Notes
History/Bio information taken from the Manitoba Historical Society, The Brandon Sun and the records. Transcript by Nathan Qumsieh (2014). Description by Christy Henry.
Language Note
English
Conservation
Preservation copy created 2021 (R. Hess)
Audio Tracks
Media missing or recording not available.
An unexpected error occurred.
Update Required
To play the media you will need to update your
browser to a recent version, or update your Flash plugin.
Violet Ellen Leeson (nee Morrison) was born on April 12, 1902 in Strathclair, MB. She took her early education at Elgin School and Strathclair Consolidated School. Violet married Earl Leeson (1903-1982) on June 14, 1922 and together they had two daughters: Viola Rose and Della June. The couple farmed the original Leeson homestead from 1922-1962, except for five years when Earl was manager of the Strathclair Consumers Co-op. They moved to Carlton Lodge in 1981. Violet began writing poetry in the 1920s. Violet Leeson died on January 22, 2001 in Shoal Lake, MB. She is buried at Strathclair 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 Violet Leeson about her life story and her poetry. Interviewer is Velma Patterson.
Notes
History/bio information from the records, the Strathclair RM local history "Our story to 1970," and Leeson's entry as a Memorable Manitoban on the Manitoba Historical Society website. Description by Christy Henry.
Audio Tracks
Media missing or recording not available.
An unexpected error occurred.
Update Required
To play the media you will need to update your
browser to a recent version, or update your Flash plugin.
Margaret Ida Oliver Wetherill (nee Mack) was born on May 26, 1912 in the Rural Municipality of Langord. She lived in Oberon from 1912-1967, and then moved to Neepawa. Margaret married Austin Verril Oliver (1904-1971) in 1934 and together they had two children: Stanley and Karen. During her marriage Margaret was a housewife, but she also served as a trustee for the Beautiful Plains School Division and held a number of offices in the Manitoba Farmer's Union from 1955-1968. Following her first husband's death, Margaret married Arnold William Wetherill (1913-1995). The couple enjoyed travelling in their retirement. Margaret Wetherill died between 2006 and 2016. She is buried at Riverside Cemetery in Neepawa, 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 Margaret Wetherill about Oberon village history, 1902-1983. Interviewer is Dorothy Martin.
Notes
History/bio information from the records, the Find A Grave website and Stanley Oliver's obituary. Description by Christy Henry.
Audio Tracks
Media missing or recording not available.
An unexpected error occurred.
Update Required
To play the media you will need to update your
browser to a recent version, or update your Flash plugin.
Maria Corlette Nelson (nee Grant) was born on December 24, 1900 in near Forrest, MB in the Humesville district. Maria took her high school at the Academy in Brandon, then graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Brandon College in 1925. She took her teacher training in Toronto at the College of Education. Her first teaching post was in Kamsack, SK in 1926; it was followed by postings in Kinley and Saskatoon before Maria married Wesley Gordon Nelson (1899-1981) on December 25, 1930. Following the marriage, the couple resided on Wesley's farm south of Justice, MB. Together they had three daughters: Catherine, Helen and Marian.
Maria took additional teaching courses at Brandon University in her late 50s, completing the teacher training program. She also took a library course at Minneapolis. She then organized the library at Harrison High School in Brandon. Maria's other interests included membership in the Canadian Federation of University Women and the Brandon Council of Women, as well as her church women's group (WMS). Maria Nelson died on May 16, 1995 in Winnipeg, MB. She 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 Maria Nelson about the education of rural children and the Christmas concert. Interviewer is Betty Gibson.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and articles from the Brandon Sun about the Nelson's anniversary in 1981 and BU Homecoming 1985. Description by Christy Henry.
Audio Tracks
Media missing or recording not available.
An unexpected error occurred.
Update Required
To play the media you will need to update your
browser to a recent version, or update your Flash plugin.
Marion Ferguson (nee Patterson) was born April 29, 1911 in Brandon, MB. She took her early education at Brandon before completing nurses training at St Boniface Hospital Winnipeg (1929-1932). Following graduation she worked as a private nurse, then in 1936 did post graduate studies in psychiatry at the Brandon Mental Hospital. In 1936, Marion took a position at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Particularly interested in neurology and stomach research, she took additional training and worked as a nurse at the University of Minnesota.
In 1940, she applied at a recruiting centre and joined the RCAF as a nursing sister in uniform. She was posted in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, then established a hospital at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia for the Fleet Air Arm before being posted overseas. She worked with Italian Prisoners of War before being moved to the special burn hospital in East Grinstead, England.
After the Second World War, Marion returned to Brandon, where she became part of the teaching unit at Brandon General Hospital and then worked on the children's ward during the polio epidemic. Next, she became the Medical Surgical Supervisor at the Brandon Mental Hospital, then an administrator for the same institution. Marion then taught psyciatry at the Brandon Mental Health Centre (BMHC) for eleven years and helped establish the policy for a two-year training program for registered nurses. She retired in June 1974.
Marion married John Reid "Jock" Ferguson (1907-1986) in 1950. The couple had three children - Mary, Jessica and Robert - while also raising John's four children from his first marriage.
Marion was active in community work, especially with the Royal Canadian Legion. She was the first female president of the local Legion, Branch No. 3 (1971), and worked tirelessly with veterans and their families. For her dedication to the needs of vetrans and their families, Marion was given six different medals from the Royal Canadian Legion. In addition to her work with the Legion, Marion was also the spokesperson for the small community of northeast Brandon and was part of the group that built the Green Acres senior citizens' home. Marion Ferguson died on May 21, 1993 in Brandon, MB. She 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 Marion Feguson about her nursing career. Interviewer is Marjorie Lange.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and articles from the Brandon Sun about Marion Ferguson. Description by Christy Henry.
Audio Tracks
Media missing or recording not available.
An unexpected error occurred.
Update Required
To play the media you will need to update your
browser to a recent version, or update your Flash plugin.
Marjorie Fleming Lange Hackenschmidt (nee Wilson) was born on February 11, 1917 near Virden, MB on the home farm. She received her education at Laggan School, Virden Collegiate and Brandon Normal School. A teacher by training, Marjorie taught from 1937-1950, except for 1942-1945, and from 1967-1980. She had posts in Oak Lake, Elkhorn, Reston, MacGregor and finally Brandon. Marjorie married Walter Herman Lange (1921-1983) in 1949. Together they had three children: David, Joan and Arthur.
Following Walter's death, Marjorie married Jack Hackenschmidt in July 1986. While in Brandon, Marjorie was involved in New Horizons projects. Marjorie Lange died on April 14, 1998 in New Westminster, BC. She is buried at Brandon Municpal 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 Marjorie Lange about her ancestors, The Great Depression and the Second World War. Interviewer is Effie McPhail.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and Marjorie Hackenschmidt's obituary. Description by Christy Henry.
Audio Tracks
Media missing or recording not available.
An unexpected error occurred.
Update Required
To play the media you will need to update your
browser to a recent version, or update your Flash plugin.
Marjorie M Wolfe (nee Poersch) was born in 1923 at Brunkild, MB. She attended Winnipeg Normal School and then moved to the Tarbolton area in the RM of Daly in the 1940s to take a job at the local school. While in Tarbolton she met local farmer Edward Emerson Wolfe (1921-2003). Together they had four children: Dwight, Carol, Reed and Warren. Marjorie and Edward lived on the family farm for 55 years, before Edward's health necessitated the couple move to Brandon. During the 1980s and early 1990s, Marjorie wrote the Tarbolton News column for the Rivers Gazette Reporter.
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 Marjorie Wolfe about growing up int the 1930s and the history of Tarbolton School District. Interviewer is Mrs. K. Cochrane.
Notes
History/bio information from the records Edward Wolfe's obituary and an article in The Producer on the Wolfe farm. Description by Christy Henry.
Audio Tracks
Media missing or recording not available.
An unexpected error occurred.
Update Required
To play the media you will need to update your
browser to a recent version, or update your Flash plugin.
Vella May Smith (nee McLean) was born on November 25, 1900 in Golden Stream, MB. She attended Golden Stream School. She was briefly employed as a stenographer for the Bank of Montreal before marring Guildord James Smith (1887-1961) in Gladstone in 1922. The couple lived in Gladstone until 1924, when they moved to the Lidstone district. On the farm, they raised four children: James Alexander, Nina, Sheila and Irene. In 1957, Vella took a position as a cook in Flin Flon, then in 1959 she began working as a cook for the CNR. She remained in that position until 1961. Vella retired in 1965. Vella enjoyed music, particularly playing the piano, gardening, sewing, and was a skilled horsewoman. In her early years, she acted as a community nurse. She was a member of the Lidstone Women's Institute and the Merry Mixers senior's group. Vella Smith died on December 31, 1991 in Swan River, MB. She is buried at Birchwood 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 Vella Smith about growing up in the Village of Golden Stream. Interviewer is Betty Gibson.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and Smith's obituary. Description by Christy Henry.
Audio Tracks
Media missing or recording not available.
An unexpected error occurred.
Update Required
To play the media you will need to update your
browser to a recent version, or update your Flash plugin.
Mark Cousins was born on January 28, 1894 in Sneighton Heights, Yorkshire, England. In 1905, at the urging of an uncle who was already there, the family moved to Canada. They landed at Halifax before travelling to Elkhorn, MB. Mark's schooling began in England but continued at the school in Elkhorn. Mark farmed with his parents at a few locations before settling in the Mossgiel district. Mark married Pauline "Polly" Wouchuk (1910-?) in 1928 and they continuted farming the home farm until 1964, when they retired and moved to Elkhorn. Together the couple raised four children: Douglas, Mildred, William and Betty. In 1967, Mark was presented with an honorary life membership from the Elkhorn Agricultural Society. He was also an honorary life member of the Progressive Conservative Party. Mark Cousins died on May 25, 1987 in Elkhorn, MB. He is buried at Elkhorn 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 Mark Cousins about his life. Interviewer is Ron Heritage.
Notes
History/bio information from the records, the Elkhorn local histories "Mossgiel Memories" and "Steel and Grass Roots," and Cousins' obituary. Description by Christy Henry.
Audio Tracks
Media missing or recording not available.
An unexpected error occurred.
Update Required
To play the media you will need to update your
browser to a recent version, or update your Flash plugin.
Mary Emma McIntosh (nee Graham) was born on April 21, 1906 on 36-12-15 SW. She attended Kennedy district school, Wellwood Consolidated School and Brandon Normal School. A teacher from 1927-1931, she married George Herbert "Herb" McIntosh (1909-1993) on October 4, 1929. They farmed in the Carberry area and together they had five children: Yvonne, Gwen, Linda, Muriel and Ian. Mary and Herb were both community minded. Mary ran for political office, was involved in the Manitoba Farmers Union, serving as Women's president, and sat on the Carberry/North Cypress library board. Mary McIntosh died on March 21, 1990 on the farm in the Harte district.
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 Mary McIntosh about her earlier life and experiences as a rural teacher. Interviewer is Isla Kennedy.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and the Carberry local history "People of the Big Plains." Description by Christy Henry.
Audio Tracks
Media missing or recording not available.
An unexpected error occurred.
Update Required
To play the media you will need to update your
browser to a recent version, or update your Flash plugin.
.jpg?width=1200&404=no-img.jpg&watermark=wmk)
.jpg?width=180&404=no-img.jpg)
.jpg?width=1200&404=no-img.jpg&watermark=wmk)
.jpg?width=180&404=no-img.jpg)
.jpg%3fmaxheight%3d1000%26maxwidth%3d1000%26watermark%3dwmk&description=Banshee+interview){kind=link}
.jpg%3fmaxheight%3d1000%26maxwidth%3d1000%26watermark%3dwmk&description=Banshee+interview){kind=link}
