Professor John Weldon Grant was born 12 March 1919 in Sunnybrae, Nova Scotia, son of Alec and Linda Grant. He was raised in Sunnybrae and graduated from Pictou Academy in 1937. Prof. Grant entered Pine Hill Divinity School to study Theology. During his ministerial internship, he taught and preached in Rabbit Lake and Biggar, Saskatchewan. He graduated from Pine Hill in 1943 and entered the mission field with the United Church.
Professor Grant moved to Trinidad & Tobago in the 1940s. There he taught in both San Fernando and Siparia, towns located in the southwest tip of the island. Weldon Grant was the first head master off the Iere High School School in Siparia when it opened in 1955. Professor Grant is recalled by Kenneth Ramchand in his _The West Indian Novel And Its Background_ as “his beloved English teacher” reading from an early Sam Selvon novel in a “Saskatchewan version of Trinidad dialect.” That he was teaching Selvon – a West Indian writer - testifies to Grant’s cultural pluralism. See Kenneth Ramchaud, _The West Indian Novel and its bachground_ (London: Faber and Faber, 2001 edition).
Professor Grant and Bernice Emma Moats were married in Gray, Saskatchewan 30 June 1954. They adopted three children in Nova Scotia and returned to Trinidad.
In 1961, the Grants returned to Canada. Weldon taught for one year at Vincent Massey High School and then joined the English Department at Brandon University where he taught in the English department until his retirement on August 31, 1984.
During a sabbatical he spent six months exploring Ireland and the poets that had been inspired by its countryside. He also loved stories of the sea and read many varied authors, both factual and fiction.
Custodial History
Records were collected by Weldon Grant during his teaching career in Trinidad and Canada.
Scope and Content
In the course of his teaching career in Trinidad & Tobego and at Brandon University Professor Grant acquired and retained a number of items with cultural, scholarly and sentimental value. These incude The First Folio of Shakespeare, prepared by Charlton Himan, [Academic ed.]. Imprint New York : W.W. Norton, 1968. xxvii, 928 p. : port. ; 37 cm. Mr. William Shakespeares comedies, histories, & tragedies. Published according to the true original copies. London, Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed. Blount, 1623.
The facsimile is described as "an ideal copy in which each page represents the best page selected from one of the 29 most satisfactory copies of the 80 copies in the Folger Shakespeare Library."
1 Self prononcing Holy Bible, Oxford 1910.
1 print 22.4" x 17," "Baking in a Clay Oven," by Trinidad artist David Moore, June 1977 printed in Trinidad by the College Press.
2 water colour paintings 17.5" x 12" by artist "AM." One titled San Fernando (1961) one titled Royal Palm, Trinidad (1960).
1 black and white portrait 10" x 13" of Governor general Roland Michener and his wife (No: A-2) copyright Karsh dated 1970.
1 Asian art work, 12.5" x 18" embroidery on silk.
Notes
Weldon Grant history/bio from Weldon Grant obituary Brandon Daily Sun c. April 14, 1999.
30 photographs -- 25 at 3.5" x 8" (color and b/w); 5 at 8"x10" (b/w); 3 magnates; 1 plaque (8 x 3 cm)
History / Biographical
The chancellor is the titular head of the university and confers all degrees. Where possible the Chancellor also attends official functions on behalf of the University and may take on special projects keeping with the goals of the University. According to "The Brandon University Act 1998," there is to be a chancellor of the university elected by the senate for a term of three years; the chancellor continues to hold office after his or her term expires until re-elected or until a successor is elected; the chancellor is eligible for re-election; and if a vacancy occurs in the office of chancellor before the end of the term, the successor elected to replace the incumbent chancellor is to hold office for the remainder of the incumbent's term.
BRANDON UNIVERSITY CHANCELLORS:
MAITLAND B. STEINKOPF (1967-1970)
Maitland B. Steinkopf (September 10, 1912 - 1970) was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was educated at the University of Manitoba, and was called to the Manitoba Bar in December 1936. He served in the Canadian armed forces in World War Two, as a Private in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and a Lieutenant Colonel with the R.C.O.C. He later founded the Canada West Shoe Manufacturing Company, and was a president of several companies including Bonded Investments Ltd., L.H. Packard Co. Ltd., Dayton Shoe Mfg. Col. Ltd., and the Tel Aviv Hilton Hotel. Steinkopf was a member of the Canada Israel Development Corporation, and served as chairman of State of Israel bonds in Manitoba. He was also an honorary counsel with the government of Czechoslovakia until 1948. Prior to his election, he assisted the Roblin government in land-development for cultural projects.
Steinkopf was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1962 provincial election as a member of Dufferin Roblin's Progressive Conservative government and was appointed to cabinet on June 12, 1963, as Provincial Secretary and Minister of Public Utilities. He later resigned his position and his seat in the legislature as a result of being implicated in a controversial land assembly payment. He was re-elected and re-appointed to the Cabinet in 1964. Steinkopf did not run for re-election in 1966. He later served as chair of the Manitoba Centennial Centre Corporation, which established a Maitland Steinkopf Youth Fund in 1972 for students in the arts.
Steinkopf married Helen Katz of Chicago and they had six children. He died suddenly in 1970 of a heart attack.
THE HONOURABLE STANLEY HOWARD KNOWLES (November 1970 - November 1990)
Stanley Knowles (June 18, 1908 - June 9, 1997) graduated from Brandon College in 1930, received his B.Div. from the University of Winnipeg in 1933, and was ordained by the United Church of Canada. Until 1940, he was a minister in Winnipeg churches. He organized public forums and created radio programs on social themes. He spoke for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCP), becoming its chairman, then provincial secretary, for Manitoba.
In 1942, Knowles was elected to the House of Commons as MP for Winnipeg North Centre. He was an MP from 1942 until 1958, was re-elected in 1962 and served until 1984. Throughout his political career, he struggled for a decent life and income for older people. He was instrumental in amending the industrial relations bill so that legal strikes did not interfere with employee pension rights, eliminating the "means test" from the Old Age Security Act and indexing the Canadian Pension Plan and Civil Security Pensions. He played a major role in creating the New Democratic Party in 1961, presiding over the founding convention. He was the Deputy Leader of that party from 1962-84.
In 1970, Knowles became Chancellor of Brandon University and in 1990, was designated Chancellor emeritus. He became an honorary member of Canada's Privy Council in 1979, and was awarded the Order of Canada in 1984.
THE HONOURABLE JUDGE RONALD D. BELL (1990 - October 1996)
Ronald Dean Bell was born in Deloraine, Manitoba and graduated from Brandon College in 1951. He received his law degree from the University of Manitoba in 1955. Bell worked for several years as a solicotor for the Department of National Revenue, Taxation Division and as a partner in the Calgary law firm Fenerty & Co. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1976, and in 1978, he formed Bell Felesky Flynn, a law practice focusing on taxation. In 1991, Bell was appointed Judge of the Tax Court of Canada.
Throughout his distinguised career, Bell has continued to support Brandon University. In addition to his duties as Chancellor, he has also served on various BU boards and worked tirelessly to promote the institution. He also made siginificant financial contributions to improve physical structures, programs and student scholarships, including the establishment of the R.D. Bell Schoalrship and the R.D. Bell String Scholarships. The R.D. Bell Hall in the Queen Elizabeth II music building was named in his honour, as was the Bell Tower atop the orginal Brandon College building, which is now part of Clark Hall. Justice Bell recieved an Honorary Degree from Brandon University at the spring 2006 convocation and is presently Chancellor emeritus.
DR. KEVIN KAVANAGH (November 1996 - October 2002)
Born and raised in Brandon, Kevin Kavanagh graduated from Brandon Collegiate Institute in 1950, and completed his commerce degree at the University of Manitoba in 1953. That same year he joined the Group Insurance Division of the Great-West Life Assurance Company. From 1978-1992, he served as president and CEO of that organization. During his career, Kavanagh has also served on various provincial and national boards, including the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, National Leasing Group, Winnipeg Airports authority, the Conference Board of Canada, the Crown Corporations Council and the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association Inc. Kavanagh was also a member of the Roblin Commission. In 1996, he was named the fourth Chancellor of Brandon University, and in addition to his duties as Chancellor, he has been involved with the university as a member of the Brandon University Foundation and as a member of the Corporate Challenge Campaign. In September 2006, the courtyard between Clark Hall and the George T. Richardson building was renamed The Kavanagh Courtyard in honour of Kavanagh and his wife in recognition of their vision and leadership with Brandon University and their dedication to the advancement of post-secondary education.
In 1963, Kavanagh married his wife Els, and together they had two children: Jennifer and Sean. At present, (July 2007), Kevin Kavanagh is Chancellor Emeritus of Brandon University.
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE EDWARD R. SCHREYER (November 1, 2002 - present)
Edward Schreyer was born on December 21, 1935 in Beausejour, Manitoba. He studied at United College, St. John's College and the University of Manitoba, receiving a Bachelor of Pedagogy in 1959, a Bachelor of Education in 1962, a Master of Arts in International Relations and a second Master of Arts in Economics in 1963. From 1962 to 1965, Schreyer taught International Relations at St. Paul's College. On June 30, 1960, Schreyer married Lily Schulz. The couple had two daughters, Lisa and Karmel, and two sons, Jason and Tobin.
Schreyer was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in 1958, as a member of the Manitoba Co-operative Communwealth Federation, representing the rural consituency of Brokenhead. In 1965 he resigned to run successfully for the House of Commons. In 1969, Schreyer returned to provincial politics as leader of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba. He led his party to victory in the 1969 provincial election, and served as Premier of Manitoba from 1969 until 1977.
Schreyer was appointed Governor General in 1979 by Pierre Trudeau. That same year, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada along with his wife Lily Schreyer. As Governor General, Schreyer championed women's issues, the environment, and official bilingualism. He established the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the "Persons Case," instituted the Governor General's Conservation Awards (1981), and presided over the first Governor General's Canadian Study Conference. Schreyer retired as Governor General in 1984.
Later in 1984, Schreyer was sworn into the Privy Council and was subsequently appointed Canadian High Commissioner to Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands, and as ambassador to Vanuatu. He held those positions until 1988. Returning to Manitoba, Schreyer worked as a national representative of Habitat for Humanity. In 2006, he was acclaimed as the NDP candidate in Selkirk-Interlake for the 2006 federal election.
Edward Schreyer became Chancellor of Brandon University in November 2002, and his term was extended in 2005 until October 31, 2008.
HENRY CHAMP (November 1, 2008 - October 31, 2011)
Henry Champ was born in Brandon, Manitoba in 1939. He attended Brandon College in 1957 and 1958.
Scope and Content
At present (July 2007), the series consists of the Stanley Knowles collection (accession 61-1997).
Notes
Administrative information in the History/Bio field was taken from "The Brandon University Act (1998)" at: http://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/statutes/1998/c04898e.php (December 2005) and from: http://alumni.brandonu.ca/alumniNews/images/BU_Alumni_News05.pdf. Biographical information for Maitland Steinkopf was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maitland_Steinkopf (December 2005). Biographical information for Stanley Knowles was taken from: http://www.mcmaster.ca/ua/alumni/gallery/G129664.htm (December 2005) and from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Knowles (December 2005). Biographical information for Bell was taken from Brandon University calendars and the spring/summer 2006 issue of Alumni News. Biograpical information for Kavanaugh was taken from Brandon University calendars. Biographical information for Edward Schreyer was taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Schreyer (December 2005).
This plate was the property of Edna and Carl Bjarnason. It was in their possession for some fifty years prior to its donation to the University on October, 2005. The Development Office took possession of the plate at that time and transferred it to the Archives in March 2008.
Scope and Content
The plate measures 26 cm in diameter and is white with blue glazing. The centre of the plate depicts the Brandon College Original Building and the words "Brandon College, Brandon Manitoba." The outside of the plate is a flower motif. On the back of the plate, in the same blue as the front, are the words "Canadian View Series, Brandon Manitoba." There is also a trademark of a bird with a banner reading "Trademark England."
30 photographs -- 25 at 3.5" x 8" (color and b/w); 5 at 8" x 10" (b/w); 3 magnets; 1 plaque (8 x 3 cm)
History / Biographical
See RG 6, series 1 (Office of the Chancellor) for biographical information on Stanley Knowles.
Custodial History
This collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Collection contains photographs and memorabilia from Stanley Knowles' political career, and his time at Brandon University. Included are pictures of Knowles with Pierre Trudeau, Queen Elizebeth, Ed Broadbent, and other national political figures. However, the majority of the pictures have to do with the time Knowles spent at Brandon University later in his life, serving as Chancellor. These pictures depict Knowles addressing crowds and attending conferences. Of the three magnets included, two are pictures of Knowles late in life, while the third is a cartoonish representation of him. The plaque is a recreation of a campaign slogan from very early in Knowles' political career.
Notes
Description written by Mike White or Robyn Mitchell (2002).
1.2 m of textual records;
c. 2700 photographs -- Primarily black and white;
c. 42,500 stamps
History / Biographical
Lawrence Adne Stuckey was born in Brandon, Manitoba in 1921 to Adne and Catherine Stuckey, and was the grandson of a Brandon pioneer family, the Gilmours. Stuckey attended both Fleming and Earl Oxford schools, as well as the Brandon Collegiate Institute. In May 1941, he began working for the CPR as a wiper/fireman. In October of the following year he joined the RCAF. During World War II, Stuckey served overseas as a Navigator/Bomb Aimer and was promoted to the rank of Flight Sergeant. He continued his work with the CPR after the war, and was promoted to fireman/engineer in 1950. Stuckey left the CPR in January of 1958 to purchase Clark-Smith Photo Studio in Brandon.
Stuckey and his wife Mavis, whom he married in 1946, ran the studio until their retirement in the mid 1980s. Throughout his life Stuckey pursued a number of interests, such as botany, history, photography and politics and was active in many local, provincial and national organizations. He was a member of the Brandon Stamp Club, the Allied Arts Council, Brandon Horticultural Society, Brandon Model Railroad Club, the Brandon Historical Society, and the Fort Whyte Centre. Stuckey was also the author of four books, as well as numerous articles on horticulture, railways, and Brandon area history. In 1987 he received the Manitoba Order of the Buffalo Hunt and in 1997 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree from Brandon University. Lawrence Stuckey passed away on June 13, 2001.
Custodial History
The entire collection was housed in Mr. Stuckey's residence at 658 11th St. Brandon, Manitoba, prior to its transfer to the McKee Archives. A portion of the stamp collection was donated to the Archives in August 2001. The balance of the materials were deposited in the Archives following Mr. Stuckey's death.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of a variety of materials, both textual and graphic.
The philately collection is the largest part of the Stuckey Collection and covers a wide geographical and temporal range. The majority of the stamps are from the United States, the British Commonwealth, France and the French Empire. There are also a number of stamps portraying animals, art and flowers.
The slide collection includes approximately 10,000 images of various topics, such as landscapes, flora and fauna of North America and Expo 1967.
The Stuckey photograph collection is perhaps the best collection of Brandon and Southwestern Manitoba photographs in one place. Images include grain elevators and historical buildings of the northern United States and western Canada, railways, the City of Brandon, as well as ships and boats, sporting activities, portraits, animals, flora and fauna, landscapes and farming/homestead photographs. This series also includes a large number of negatives, including glass plate negatives.
The textual materials within the collection include personal journals written by Stuckey covering the years 1935-2001. These journals are autobiographical and act as a key to the rest of the collection in that they provide general time frames and the motivations behind Stuckey's activities. In addition to the journals, the collection consists of copies of Stuckey's four books and a few papers he wrote for the committees and clubs he belonged to. Other textual materials included are a small amount of personal correspondence, and research materials on a number of topics such as the CPR and Brandon area history. There are also three scrapbooks created by Stuckey dealing with his various interests. The collection also contains certificates presented to Stuckey by a number of the organizations he belonged to, as well as his honorary degree from Brandon University and his Order of the Buffalo Hunt award. A number of books, newspapers and articles on various topics, such as stamp collecting and horticulture are included in the collection.
The McKee Archives is the copyright holder for the Stuckey materials.
Finding Aid
A copy of the photograph inventory is in the blue binder on the reference shelf in the reading room.
Related Material
Alf Fowler collection 6-1999 (Brandon photographs) and the BU Art Exhibitions Committee fonds 69-1997 (Georges Cesari).
Arrangement
A description for the photograph collection has been entered as a separate series of the Lawrence Stuckey collection. The collection remains in original order.
4.2 m textual records; 5 cassette tapes; 2 cd roms, 110 photographs (colour and b/w) various sizes
History / Biographical
Errol Black was born on September 8, 1939 in Brandon, Manitoba. He was the son of Thomas Alexander Black, who immigrated to Canada from Limerick, Ireland in 1929, and Roberta Jean (nee Groat) Black, a native of Chatham, New Brunswick. Black attended King George Elementary, Earl Haig Junior High, Brandon Collegiate Institute for Grade 10, and completed high school through correspondence courses for Grandes 11 and 12. He left school in 1956 to work a variety of jobs in Brandon, Calgary and on the west coast. He spent a short time in the Royal Canadian Navy. Errol Black undertook post-secondary education at Brandon College (1963-1965, graduated with a B.A.), the University of Alberta (1965-1967, graduated 1973 with an M.A. in economics) and Warwick University (1975-1977). Black taught economics at Brandon University from 1970 until his retirement in 2002. Following retirement he was granted Professor Emeritus status in 2003.
Errol Black has published three books, as well as many articles and reports in leading academic journals. He has a longstanding interest in the history of organized labour and working-class politics in Brandon. These remain important themes in his research and writing. He served on the Executive of the Brandon University Faculty Association for many years, and was President of the Manitoba Organization of Faculty Associations for two years. Black is also a member of the Brandon District Labour Council, a founding member of the Manitoba branch of the Canadian centre for Policy Alternatives, and a board member of the Brandon Regional Health Authority (2000-2006). He was elected to Brandon City Council in 1998, and for a second term in 2001. In 1999 he was the federal NDP candidate for Brandon-Souris.
Black married Margaret Millard from Waskada, MB in 1961, with whom he had three sons: Sean, Dennis and Tom.
Custodial History
Accession 17-1997 was originally owned by Jim Davis, brother to Communist activist Stanley Forkin. Taimi Davis, Jim Davis' wife, mailed the collection from her residence in Ontario to Errol Black in 1994. Professor Black donated the collection to the McKee Archives. Accession 02-2003 was donated to the Archives in November 2002 by Errol Black. Accession 15-2003 was donated to the Archives on April 30, 2003 by Errol Black. Accession 17-2003 was donated to the Archives on July 15, 2003 by Errol Black.
Scope and Content
The collection consists of a number of accessions. Accession 17-1997, dating from 1935-1936, consists of twelve of the thirteen issues of the "Unemployed Worker," published in Brandon in the 1930s. The "Unemployed Worker" was the organ of the Brandon Unemployed Workers' Council. This Council, like its counterparts in other communities, was created by Canadian Communist Party militants. The "Unemployed Worker" covered the activities of the Unemployed Workers' Council, the plight of Brandon's unemployed, efforts by the city's unemployed to improve their lives, and City Council decisions, specifically those regarding relief policy.
Accession 02-2003, dating 1917, 1936-1939, 1970-2002 (predominant 1970-2002), contains extensive correspondence from former Brandon University Economic Professor Don Wheeler to Errol Black. In addition, the accession contains an important body of correspondence received by Professor Black from Taimi Davis written by Pat Forkin and his wife Pheobe Forkin to family members in Canada during the years 1936-1939, while Pat was a Moscow based corespondent for the Canadian Communist Party Clarion. The accession also contains personal correspondence of Errol Black dating from ca. 1970, drafts of papers, newspaper clippings, pamphlets related to labour and labour political matters. Two publications of note include: "Labour in Brandon" published by the Brandon and District Labour Council and a student guide to labour law written by George MacDowell. The accession also contains several documents related to Black's involvement in the provincial Industrial Adjustment Committee.
Accession 15-2003, dating 1930-2002 (predominant 1930-1939; 1971-2002), contains extensive clippings from the Canadian Communist Party publications "The Worker" and the "Daily Clarion" from the years 1930-1939; twenty-one personal and family photographs (b/w 3x5) of the Forkin family of Brandon, many of whom were active in the Canadian Communist Party; various historical photographs (b/w 8x10) related to the history of labour in Brandon, Manitoba; personal files containing correspondence, letters and opinion pieces to various newspapers, course outlines, research materials and draft publications, arbitration awards and documents related to Black's involvement with the Manitoba Organization of Faculty Associations (MOFA).
Accession 17-2003, dating 1970-2002, contains correspondence, a manuscript of an autobiography written by Black's father Tom Black, research files, letters to the editor and draft publications by Errol Black.
Accession 3-2011, dating 1909-2010, contains an extensive record of newspaper clippings often of Professor Black's correspondence with the Brandon Sun from the early 1970s through to 2011. Clippings relate to civic issues, labour relations, social justice, economic questions. Documents (membership cards, cards of thanks, stamps) of various kinds, and photographs of Professor Black, family members, and various labour related events including parades and rallies, appear throughout these clippings. Collection includes miscellaneous files relating to the 75th Anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike including the Brandon Sympathetic Strike of 1919, the Brandon Greys Baseball team, the Assiniboine College BMHC lobby campaign, Brandon and Area Environmental Council, the Brandon East NDP Contituency Association. Editions (1925-31) of the Sons of England - Official Organ of the Sons of England Benefit Society - published in Oshawa, Ontario, and copies of documents related to the Commission of Inquiry (1928) into labour issues at the Brandon Mental Hospital are included.Collection also contains extensive correspondence associated with Professor Black's activities as a department member, scholar, and activist in the Department of Economics at Brandon University. Collection contains as well research materials related to the Brandon labour movement, strikes at A.E. Mckenzie Seed Company 1940s, cd roms containg research materials - clippings and images - for Labour Council Anniversary book ( 2006), and civic politics in Brandon. Records also contain research materials on various members of the Forkin family - in particular the Pat Forkin, Tom Forkin, and Stephen Forkin (aka Jim Davis) - who were active members of the Canadian Communist Party during their adult lives. A collection of family photographs and six tape cassettes containing accounts of the experiences of single unemployed men during the Great Depression and the funeral of Stephen Forkin ( Jim Davis) and correspondence from Taimi Davis the widow of Stephen Forkin (Jim Davis) supplement the sources on the Forkin family.
Notes
Photographs of Joe Forkin, Pat Forkin, Stan Forkin, Jim Davis and other members of the Forkin family are contained in Box 3 (15-2003) and Box 10 (3-2011).
Some restrictions. Consult the University Archivist for access.
Repro Restriction
Researchers are responsible for observing Canadian copyright restrictions.
Storage Location
MG 3 Brandon University Teaching and Administration
1.1 Errol Black
Related Material
MG 3 1.12 contains additional records related to George MacDowell; RG 6, Series 15 (BUFA) contains additional records on the Brandon University Faculty Association; RG 6, Series 7, Sub sub series 7.1.5 (Department of Economics) contains additional records related to the Department of Economics at Brandon University; RG 6, Series 7, Sub-series 7.1 (Dean of Arts) contains files on Don Wheeler and George MacDowell.
