Lady and Senior Stick were honorific positions that existed during the Brandon College era. The offices of Senior Stick and Lady Stick were replaced by the offices of President and Vice-President of the Brandon College Students' Association on January 29, 1966. The change was the result of proposed changes to the B.C.S.A. constitution passed almost unanimously by the student body; the office of President enabled a co-ed to hold the highest student office, which was impossible under the previous system. Following the change in 1966, the Class Presidents were renamed faculty Sticks. At some point during the Brandon University era the faculty Stick positions were renamed faculty commissioners. The use of "stick" appears to be a particularly Canadian one.
The stick of office was carried by the incumbent as a symbol of his or her position.
Like the sticks of office at other universities and colleges in Canada, the Brandon Lady's stick is composed of an elongated wooden rod, painted or stained dark, with a metal bottom cap and an ornamental metal top in silver. The Brandon College Lady's stick also contains silver rings dating from the 1923-1924 school year, each ring containing the name of the Lady Stick chosen for that year.
It was also customary to attach a ribbon(s) in the college colours (blue and gold) to the stick. The ribbons attached to the Brandon College Lady's stick were donated by the 1954-1955 Lady Stick Verda Peden (McDonald) in 2006.
Scope and Content
Item is the Brandon College Lady's stick.
Notes
Information in the History/Bio field was adapted from Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senior_Stick (October 2006). Additional History/Bio information was taken from the March 1966 issue of Alumni News.
The Lady's stick was previously displayed in a glass fronted display case donated by the Class of 1966. Unfortunately, two holes were drilled in the stick to anchor it to the display case. The Senior stick was also displyed in the same case, however at some point prior to 1997 it disappeared from the display case.
The silver rings and crown on the stick easily tarnish, but can be shined with any silver polish.
Part of BU 16.3 Artifacts - other.
Cedric Vendyback was born August 28, 1923 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England and was educated at Harehills Council School till the age of fourteen - then becoming a labourer. At the outbreak of World War II, he educated himself for aircrew duties and in 1942 came to Canada where he was trained as a fighter pilot and was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Air Force until demonbilisation in 1946. He flew as a Reservist pilot from 1948 to 1968.
After Training College, Vendyback became a teacher in 1948 and in 1953 began empirical training with Alex Baron as an actor and director until becoming appointed as Associate of the Drama Board, later a Licentiate of The Royal Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. In 1963, he was elected a Member of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators.
In 1971, he was selected for and offered a position as a professor at Brandon University where he opened a new drama department in January 1972.
Vendyback retired in 1992 and currently (June 2012) lives in Kelowna, B.C., where he works as a free-lance director and lecturer.
Custodial History
Records were in the possession of Cedric Vendyback from their creation until he donated them to the McKee Archvies in 2011 and 2012.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of records related to the activities of the Brandon University Drama Society (BUDS) and the Brandon University Drama Department collected by Cedric Vendyback during his years as head of the department. The Society performed plays in the then Drama Building, the J.R.C. Evans Lecture Theatre and the Westman Centennial Auditorium.
Accession 16-2011 (1972-1978) consists of a photograph album of photographs, playbills and related newspaper clippings for Brandon University Drama Society productions staged between 1972 and 1978.
Accession 10-2012 (1972-1985) consists of: production reviews from various newspapers and playbills for BUDS productions; a historical fact sheet provided by the donor regarding the Drama Department's service to the community; student evaluation extracts; and the course description for Play Production.
Notes
History/Bio provided by Cedric Vendyback. Description by Christy Henry.
