Fred McGuinness was a man who always seemed to hold down multiple jobs. As a university student, McGuinness worked as CPR telegrapher and then as a public speaker for the War Finance Committee’s War Bond drive. When he was employed with the Unemployment Insurance Commission to promote the program and its services, McGuinness also picked up a contract with the Royal American Shows during the summer fair tour. While working at the Brandon Sun as its editor and vice president, McGuiness was also a regular contributor to CBC radio and Reader’s Digest magazine. He also sessionally taught a journalism course to undergraduates at Brandon University.
Once McGuinness retired from the Brandon Sun in 1987, he continued writing his syndicated column for the prairie weeklies and started writing his Diary column for the Sun. During that time he continued to co-author several monographsm abd later he consulted with Brandon University’s WESTARC Group and continued to be heavily involved in rural economic development issues. He worked as a writing consultant for Industry Canada from 1996 to 2000, promoting the Community Access Program (CAP); this initiative involved introducing the internet into rural communities, particularly in public libraries and community centres. McGuinness would be responsible for writing factsheets, government press releases, community profiles, and reports.
McGuinness’ Industry Canada work was likely his last major freelance writing assignment. His age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was diagnosed in 2001, and became an impediment to his research, writing, and editing abilities. He did continue his Diary column with the Brandon Sun until his death in 2011. During this time, McGuinness also offered many memoir-writing workshops to community and seniors’ groups.
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 series contains records created and collected by Fred McGuinness during his time as a journalist, editor, and freelance writer. The series has been divided into two subseries, including: (1) Reader’s Digest and (2) Miscellaneous freelance.
The records consist of research materials (e.g., newspaper clippings, copies of articles and book chapters, brochures, pamphlets), notes, drafts, copies of articles and reports, and correspondence. These items were generally filed together if they were related to the topic or article at hand.
Notes
Freelance materials in this series are identified as additional contract work outside of McGuinness’ employment as a journalist and broadcaster
Accruals
Closed
Finding Aid
File level inventories for each subseries are available. See
individual subseries’ descriptions
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Related Material
Fred McGuinness would write/publish about a topic in a number of forums. Therefore, it is possible research materials pertaining to his newspaper columns may be found in the Fred McGuinness collection subseries: Correspondence (McG 1.2), Local history research (McG 4.1), and Newspaper clippings (4.2)
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives. Series has been re-arranged according to publication period
McG 3 Freelance
McG 3.1 Reader’s Digest
McG 3.2 Miscellaneous freelance
Contemporary specimens of compositions, accompanied by explanatory or supplementary letters by the authors themselves, describing their methods, habits of writing, revisions, etc. cf. Pref
Scott's Marmion and Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France : with introduction, lives of authors, character of their works, etc., and copious explanatory notes, grammatical, historical, biographical, etc.
The Hanbury Hardware Company Limited was located at 703 Pacific Avenue.
Custodial History
See fonds level description of the Alf Fowler collection for custodial history.
Scope and Content
Photo shows the premises of the Hanbury Hardware Co. Additional signs on the building read: "Walter M. Borbride, Harness Trunks Val??"; "Agents for Hugh Car?n Limited, manufacturer of harne?? saddlery, trunks & bags. O???wa, Ont."; and "Canadian Coal & Com? Co."
Storage Range
RG 5 Western Manitoba Manuscript collection - photograph storage drawer
Photograph shows a group of four men standing on a platform at the entrance of the Dominion Express Company. William Frederick McGuinness stands on the left.
In the period leading up to World War I, Brandon, due to its excellent railway connections, was also home to branch offices of a number of large manufacturing companies during this period. Among those manufacturing outfits were William Gray & Sons Co. Ltd., and Mason Campbell Company. Based in Chatham, ON, these companies were leading manufacturers of carriages, sleighs and light wagons and fanning mills respectively. Constructed in 1907, by Giddings and Wyman for approximately $15,000, the four-storey structure was located at 801 Pacific Avenue and was shared by the two companies.
In response to the new technology of the gasoline engine, Wm. Gray & Sons entered into a partnership with the Dort Motor Company, of Flint, MI in 1915, and began designing and producing the Gray-Dort automobile; Mason Campbell’s Chatham plant became the assembly plant for the Gray-Dort. Production of the car spanned nearly ten years with over 20,000 Gray Dorts made. The company had over 300 dealers across the country, including one in Brandon.
In 1924, the Dort Motor Company decided to cease production, sending the Gray Company into significant debt. They were forced to close their doors in 1925, when Gray was unable to find a suitable partner to manufacture the car.
Following the closure of Gray-Campbell Ltd., portions of the warehouse were used by a number of businesses between 1925 - 1948, including farm and agricultural implement concerns Canadian Stover Co., Cameron & Rathwell, and Case (J.I.) Co. Ltd., the McKay Fruit Co. Ltd., Brazzell Motors, AC Bateman (electrician), Samuel Coxe (veterinarian) and Burns & Co. Ltd (packing house and egg grading station).
In 1949, the warehouse was taken over by Canada Grocers Ltd., who remained until 1973, when the building became Kullberg’s Big Warehouse. When Kullberg’s moved their warehouse to the old International Harvester building in 2004, the Wm. Gray & Sons Co. Ltd. building was torn down.
Custodial History
See fonds level description of the Alf Fowler collection for custodial history.
Scope and Content
Photo shows the front of William Gray & Sons Co. Ltd. Wording and signs on the bulding include: "High Grade Carriages, Chatham, Ont."; "Scales"; "Incubators"; "The Manson Campbell Co. Ltd."; "Kitchen Cabinets"; "Chatham Fanning Mills"; "Emerson (New Standard) Mowers"; "Tudhope Carriages"; "Agency for Sylvester Drills"; "Stover Coy Gasoline Engines"; "Gray-Campbell, High Grade Carriages"; and "Phone 771."
Storage Range
RG 5 Western Manitoba Manuscript collection - photograph storage drawer
