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
A typed label has been taped to the back of the photograph. No other degredation observed. ST/2016
Custodial History
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness from the Winnipeg Free Press Photo Department
Scope and Content
Photograph shows an elderly man hammering on an anvil in a Blacksmith's shop. A wooden sign on the chimney above the fire reads: The Blacksmith JP Friesen.
Notes
Photograph was collected during the research phase of the monograph "Manitoba: The Province & The People" (1987) written by Fred McGuinness and Ken Coates.
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: Blacksmith John Peter Friesen of Grunthal flattens a piece of iron fresh out of the forge at the Thresherman's [sic.] Reunion in Austin Thursday. July 24/86 dirk.
These records appear to have been produced between 1986 and 1987, the researching and writing period for another monograph, Manitoba: The Province & The People. Published in 1988 by Windsor Publications (Burlington, Ontario), The Keystone Province: An Illustrated History of Manitoba Enterprise is a 184-page hard cover book, containing 250 black-and-white illustrations and 40 colour photographs.
The authors cover 378 years of Manitoba entrepreneurial history, starting with the Aboriginal Peoples and the early fur trade, ensuing Red River settlement, followed by the war years, and emerging Manitoba economies. The final chapter of the book contains select profiles of Manitoba businesses, many of which were acknowledged as financial contributors to the project.
BU faculty members Dr. Kenneth “Ken” Stephen Coates, Assistant Professor of History, and Mr. Fred McGuinness, Lecturer in Journalism, authored the book. Dr. Coates accepted a position as an assistant professor of Canadian History at the University of Victoria during the book’s production. BU Professor of History, Dr. William R. Morrison, was credited as the picture researcher for the publication. Free-lance writer Roger Newman was responsible for preparing the Manitoba business biographies in the final chapter. The book was produced in co-operation with the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce.
Custodial History
Records were collected and created by McGuinness and Coates during the creation of the monographs Manitoba: The Province & The People and The Keystone Province: An Illustrated History of Manitoba Enterprise. The materials were donated to the SJ McKee Archives by the Estate of Fred McGuinness circa 2011. The Archives accessioned the records in 2015.
Scope and Content
The subseries consist of textual records, created and collected during the production of the monographs Manitoba: The Province & The People and The Keystone Province: An Illustrated History of Manitoba Enterprise. It includes journal articles, book chapters, Government of Manitoba industry publications, a few original photographs used in the publication, and drafts for chapter “brites.”
Notes
Information in the history/biography was taken from the The Keystone Province: An Illustrated History of Manitoba Enterprise dust jacket and patrons section of the book
In the file level inventory, square brackets at end of file names reference the original location of the file in the unprocessed Fred McGuinness collection. The original location is also noted on the front of each file folder
Accruals
Closed
Language Note
Fred McGuinness often uses journalistic jargon to label his files. A
“brite” refers to a short, amusing story. McGuinness often
organized his ideas and research materials by potential brite topic
Finding Aid
A file level inventory is available
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives. Files in this subseries have been arranged according to the order in which brites first appear in the book
Documents
McG 5_5 Keystone Province MB Enterprise inventory.pdf
Negative shows a man dressed in coveralls working on a helicopter inside a hanger. The helicopter has a RCAF - Royal Canadian Air Force - logo on the exterior.
Notes
Negative was stored in a Medicine Hat News envelope with the following typed on the front: Cpl. Rick Cooke working on a helicopter
