Margaret Menzies was born on July 30th, 1920, at a family farm located in Oakburn, Manitoba. She grew up on the family farm and attended school in both Oakburn and Shoal Lake. She married Donald Menzies on June 4th, 1941. Together they had four children. In 1959, the family moved to Brandon, Manitoba, where they lived for the rest of their lives.
Margaret Menzies was a longtime and active member of the International Toastmistress Club (ITC), and was also involved in the Consumers Association of Canada, Seniors for Seniors, as well as being a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Central United Church. Menzies did not graduate from high school in her early years, but managed to continue her education and receive a bachelor of arts degree from Brandon University at the age of 70.
Margaret Menzies passed away on June 9th, 2012.
Custodial History
Records in the collection were brought to the S.J McKee Archives on July 13, 2012, by Gerald Brown, on behalf of the family of Margaret Menzies.
Scope and Content
Collection contains of two scrapbooks created by Margaret Menzies. The scrapbooks contain various cards, itinerary's, and other documents associated with Menzies' membership in the International Toastmistress Club. The items in the scrapbooks date from the mid 1980's to the late 1990's.
Also included in the collection are four local history books. The first is a 100 year history of the town of Oakburn, Manitoba, from 1870 to 1970, published during celebrations of Manitoba's centenniary in 1970. Next is a book about the history of the town of Shoal Lake, Manitoba, which was published in 1959 on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the town of Shoal Lake in 1909. The last two books are the first and second volumes of Ripples on the Lake, which cover the history of the Shoal Lake municipality from 1884. The first volume covers the first 100 years of the history of the Shoal Lake region, being published in 1984. The second volume was published in 2007, covering the history of Shoal Lake since 1984, as well as including new information that was not published in the 1984 version of the book.
Finally, the collection contains one photograph of Margaret Menzies receiving her bachelor of arts degree from Peter Hordern, dean of arts of Brandon University.
Notes
Biographical information provided by obituary entry in the Brandon Sun, June 16, 2012. Description by Tyler Warren (October 2012).
Music in the Brandon Community was created by Brandon University student Richard Bee for the course Advanced Topics in Oral History. The project was conducted under advisement from Dr. Rhonda Hinther, BU History Department. Interviews were conducted by Bee with members of the Brandon community - Bill Campbell, Elizabeth Grant, Bill and Sue-On Hillman, Ian Robinson and Bill Turner - between June 9-July 7, 2015, about their experences in the local musical community.
Following the completion of the interviews, Bee created a transcript of the Hillman interview, at their request. Interview logs were created for all other interviews. Bee used the interviews to write an essay titled "Oral History and Community Music: A Case Study of Brandon, MB," which he submitted to Hinther to meet course requirements.
Custodial History
As part of the ethics approval for the project, records created were slated for donation to the SJ McKee Archives. Bee donated the materials to the McKee Archives in July 2015.
Scope and Content
The collection consists of consent forms, interview logs, one interview transcript, a copy of Bee's case study and the six audio recordings of interviews conducted with community members.
All of the interviews detail the interviewee's experiences in and around Brandon regarding music in the community: Brent Campbell’s interview discusses his life as a music teacher in Brandon, his life, and his participation in Brandon Jazz; Dr. Elizabeth Grant’s interview discusses her life, her teaching career at Brandon University and her musical career, including the Brandon Conservatory Chorale, which she founded; Bill and Sue-On Hillman’s interview discusses their lives individually and together, their careers, and how music influenced their lives; Ian Robinson’s interview discuses the operation of Ted Good Music, his life and performances in Brandon; and Bill Turner’s interview discusses his life, radio career, and the Brandon community.
Bee's case study primarily covers first-person accounts of people in the Brandon Community involved in music. It includes topics such as faculty at BU's School of Music, performance experiences, and personal experiences of interviewees in and around Brandon and Canada.
Notes
Description by Hope Penner (September 2018) and Christy Henry
Finding Aid
The interviews and interview logs are available in Branond University's institutional repository, IRBU at: https://irbu.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/irbu%3ARBeeC
Duncan Alexander MacGibbon, economist, was born in Lochaber Bay, Quebec, on 12 March 1882. He was educated at McMaster University and then went to Brandon College, Manitoba, to teach. He left Brandon to enrol at the University of Chicago where he received his Ph.D. in economics in 1915. He began to teach at McMaster University but his teaching career was halted by World War I. After the war he joined the University of Alberta as professor and head of the Department of Political Economy. He served as Commissioner for the Alberta Government on banking and credit with respect to the industry of agriculture in 1922. He was a member of the Royal Grain Inquiry Commission, Canada, 1923-1924. He left the University of Alberta in 1929 to become a member of the Canadian Board of Grain Commissioners, a post he held until his retirement in 1949. In 1930 he was attached to the Canadian delegation to Imperial Conference, London; in 1932 he served the same role at the imperial Economic Conference in Ottawa in 1932. After his retirement, he returned to McMaster University to teach part-time. Among his many writings, MacGibbon published two definitive books on the grain trade: The Canadian Grain Trade (1932) and The Canadian Grain Trade, 1931-1951 (1952). He died in Hamilton, Ont. on 10 October 1969.
Scope and Content
Item is Duncan Alexander MacGibbon's Bachelor of Arts degree (1908) from McMaster University.
Notes
History/Bio information taken from the Duncan Alexander MacGibbon fonds (McMaster University Archives.)
Language Note
Diploma is in Latin, although liberties have been taken with the language, particularly in the case of names.
Storage Range
Oversized drawer 2
Related Material
Duncan Alexander MacGibbon fonds (McMaster University Archives)
Item is The Quill-Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement given to Trent Gardner Frayne at Homecoming 1990 and in honour of the 80th Anniversary of the Quill.
See sub sub series level (RG 6, 8.4.1) for history/bio information.
Custodial History
See sub sub series level (RG 6, 8.4.1) for custodial history.
Scope and Content
File consists of a (signed) official programme from the event, a list of volunteers, correspondence, a proposed programme, minutes of the Festival Planning Committee, newspaper clippings, advertising for the event (poster, flier, news release), and documents regarding food for the festival.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 8: Library Services
8.4 Library special events
8.4.1 Brandon Aboriginal Literary Festival
See sub sub series level (RG 6, 8.4.1) for history/bio information.
Custodial History
See sub sub series level (RG 6, 8.4.1) for custodial history.
Scope and Content
File consists of the package given to each writer upon their arrival at the festival. The package includes a program and poster for the event, letters of welcome from: Louis Vistentin, President of Brandon University; Linda Burridge, University Librarian; Reinhold Kramer, Acting Dean of Arts; Darell Racine, Chair, Native Studies Department; Dave Burgess, Mayor of Brandon; and Di Brandt, Festival Committee. It also includes general information for the event, the University and the campus, and a bibliography of Canadian Aboriginal literature in the John E. Robbins Library.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 8: Library Services
8.4 Library special events
8.4.1 Brandon Aboriginal Literary Festival
See sub sub series level (RG 6, 8.4.1) for history/bio information.
Custodial History
See sub sub series level (RG 6, 8.4.1) for custodial history.
Scope and Content
File consists of a list of volunteers for the Festival (with contact information), the volunteer schedule, and copies of the Brandon University Student Service Learning program application and completed forms for Lorna Ironstand, Dorothy Sinclair and Laura Beaulieu.
Access Restriction
Restricted.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 8: Library Services
8.4 Library special events
8.4.1 Brandon Aboriginal Literary Festival
See sub sub series level (RG 6, 8.4.1) for history/bio information.
Custodial History
See sub sub series level (RG 6, 8.4.1) for custodial history.
Scope and Content
File consists of thank you messages from the writers/performers and participants of the Festival. Some of the messages were copied from emails into one document.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 8: Library Services
8.4 Library special events
8.4.1 Brandon Aboriginal Literary Festival
