Marion Catherine Hannah (nee Elliott) was born on August 19, 1904 in Boissevain, MB. She moved to Brandon in 1923, to study nursing at Brandon General Hospital (BGH), graduating in 1926. During the 1930s, Marion served as the first president of the Junior Hospital Aid. During the Second World War she assisted in setting up programs through the YWCA for wives of servicemen and organizing in the serviceman's canteen. In 1942, she opened the first Red Cross blood donor clinic in Brandon and supervised the work for three years. From 1947-1956, Marion was the evening supervisor at Brandon College; she also taught health classes to the first teacher training students (TTC) at Brandon College. Marion joined the Provincial Department in 1958, working in general health programs and later specializing in geriatric programs, where she set up the Brandon Civic Senior Citizens Inc. Drop-in Centre and the Christmas Cheer Bureau. She retired in 1970.
Throughout her life Marion served as president of a number of organizations: The Brandon Council of Women; Brandon General Hospital alumni; the Manitoba Association of Registered Nurses (District 2); the Brandon Civic Senior Citizens Inc.; and Hobbs Manor Resident's Council. She was a life member of St. John's Ambulance Society, the Manitoba Association of Registered Nurses, Brandon Civic Senior Citizens Inc. and the Baptist Women's Organization. In 1967, Marion was chosen Brandon's "Woman of the Year" for her long record of community service. In retirement Marion was heavily involved in the planning and building of Hobbs Manor. She was also a member of First Baptist Church for more than 70 years. Marion married Howard Eldon Hannah (1894-1977) in 1928. The couple had two daughters, Jean and Katherine. Marion Hannah died on November 12, 1997 in Calgary, AB. She is buried at the Brandon Municipal Cemetery.
Custodial History
As part of the Westman Oral History Collection, this collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. The original tapes from the Westman Oral History project were deposited in the Brandon Public Library. Copies of these originals were made by Margaret Pollex of the Brandon University Language Lab at the request of Eileen McFadden, University Archivist in the early 1990s. These copies compose the collection held in the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
Item is an audiocassette tape containing an interview with Marion Hannah about the origin of Park Community Centre, 1935-1946. The recording is a copy of an earlier interview conducted in the fall of 1976. The interviewer is Jack Senchuk.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and Hannah's obituary. Description by Christy Henry.
Language Note
English
Conservation
Preservation copy made 2021 (R. Hess)
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Marion Ferguson (nee Patterson) was born April 29, 1911 in Brandon, MB. She took her early education at Brandon before completing nurses training at St Boniface Hospital Winnipeg (1929-1932). Following graduation she worked as a private nurse, then in 1936 did post graduate studies in psychiatry at the Brandon Mental Hospital. In 1936, Marion took a position at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Particularly interested in neurology and stomach research, she took additional training and worked as a nurse at the University of Minnesota.
In 1940, she applied at a recruiting centre and joined the RCAF as a nursing sister in uniform. She was posted in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, then established a hospital at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia for the Fleet Air Arm before being posted overseas. She worked with Italian Prisoners of War before being moved to the special burn hospital in East Grinstead, England.
After the Second World War, Marion returned to Brandon, where she became part of the teaching unit at Brandon General Hospital and then worked on the children's ward during the polio epidemic. Next, she became the Medical Surgical Supervisor at the Brandon Mental Hospital, then an administrator for the same institution. Marion then taught psyciatry at the Brandon Mental Health Centre (BMHC) for eleven years and helped establish the policy for a two-year training program for registered nurses. She retired in June 1974.
Marion married John Reid "Jock" Ferguson (1907-1986) in 1950. The couple had three children - Mary, Jessica and Robert - while also raising John's four children from his first marriage.
Marion was active in community work, especially with the Royal Canadian Legion. She was the first female president of the local Legion, Branch No. 3 (1971), and worked tirelessly with veterans and their families. For her dedication to the needs of vetrans and their families, Marion was given six different medals from the Royal Canadian Legion. In addition to her work with the Legion, Marion was also the spokesperson for the small community of northeast Brandon and was part of the group that built the Green Acres senior citizens' home. Marion Ferguson died on May 21, 1993 in Brandon, MB. She is buried at Brandon Municipal Cemetery.
Custodial History
As part of the Westman Oral History Collection, this collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. The original tapes from the Westman Oral History project were deposited in the Brandon Public Library. Copies of these originals were made by Margaret Pollex of the Brandon University Language Lab at the request of Eileen McFadden, University Archivist in the early 1990s. These copies compose the collection held in the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
Item is an audiocassette tape containing an interview with Marion Feguson about her nursing career. Interviewer is Marjorie Lange.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and articles from the Brandon Sun about Marion Ferguson. Description by Christy Henry.
Audio Tracks
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