ALEXANDER MACPHAIL (14 July 1900 - 29 July 1986)
Alex was born in Vista, MB on July 14, 1900, son of John and Catherine MacPhail. He married Florence Turner (d. 1977) at Winnipeg on December 22, 1948 and together they farmed the family farm at Vista. In 1965 they purchased a house in Shoal Lake but continued to farm in Vista until Alex's retirement in 1973, when he sold the farm.
Alex was involved in the 4-H Club at Vista and was a member of the Grain Growers Association. He was also very interested in Wildlife Conservation, an interest which led him to donate a 1/4 section of land to them. Alex also started a museum in Shoal Lake, which in time he turned over to the Village. He was a school trustee for Islay School Board at Vista from 1937-1939 and took the position of Chairman from 1939, until the school closed on 1968. During his years of farming he was a registed Seed Grower and in 1957 was awarded the Robertson Certificate. As a hobby he was a beekeeper. Alexander MacMillan MacPhail passed away at the Shoal Lake-Strathclair Health Centre on Tuesday, July 29, 1986 at the age of 86 years.
MARION (MACPHAIL) MCCORMACK (1903 - 10 February 1988)
Marion attended Islay School and Rosburn Collegiate. Upon graduation, she attended Manitoba Normal School, and became a teacher. She worked at Perth, Islay (1927-1934), Plumas, Strathclair and Minnedosa.
She met and married Coll McCormack (d. 1973) in 1952, and they lived in Minnedosa. She retired from teaching in 1967. Marion McCormack passed away on February 10, 1988.
IAIN MACPHAIL (1912-1937)
Iain MacPhail was born in Vista, MB in 1912. During the years that he was attending high school, he took a keen interest in farming. After he completed his Grande XII, some of the farm projects were expanded, including bee keeping. It was while attending a Bee-Keepers Course at the University of Manitoba that Iain took ill and passed away in 1937.
JOHN ARMSTRONG (6 May 1930 - 21 June 2005)
John Armstrong was born May 6, 1930, the second son of Kate (McKinnon) and William Armstrong. He attended Perth school for his elementary grades, then Vista and Rossburn where he finished high school. John farmed with his dad and brother Hugh, except for one year of permit teaching on the Daupin River Reserve, which was accessible by canoe.
John lived at home with his parents and cared for them until his dad's passing in 1972 and his mother's in 1982. At one time John was a leader of the 4-H Seed Club and was able to help members with his weed and plant identification skills. He did some secretarial work for 4-H and the Argyle Presbyterian Church. John William Armstrong of Rossburn passed away June 21, 2005 at the Shoal Lake-Strathclair Health Centre.
Custodial History
The records in this collection were accumulated in the residence of Alexander MacPhail from various family members. The materials were discovered in the attic of MacPhail's house on the MacPhail land in Vista, MB in 2005. Subsequently they were given to Gerald R. Brown by the family living in the MacPhail house. They resided in Brown's home until their donation to the McKee Archives in September 2006.
Scope and Content
The collection consists of teaching materials and textbooks used by members of the MacPhail family - Alex, Marion and Iain. It has been divided into two sub-series, including: (1) Textbooks; and (2) Teaching materials.
Notes
Biographical notes were written by Gerald R. Brown and were taken from his "Vista Tales . . . from Islay School District No. 733 in Vista, Manitoba." Description by Christy Henry.
Some of the titles are fragile and/or stained/torn.
Scope and Content
Sub-series consists of the following titles:
"Tales and Trails of Western Canada" by Nell Macvicar and Irene Craig
"Manitoba Public School Arithmetic: Book II" by J.A. Smith and R.H. Roberts (1922)
"Handbook of Nature-Study for Teachers and Parents" by Anna Botsford Comstock (1911)
"Forests and Trees" by B.J. Hales (1925)
"Fodder and Pasture Plants" George H. Clark and M. Oscar Malte with water colour illustrations by Norman Criddle (1913)
"Wild Flowers of Western Canada" by William Copeland McCalla (1920)
"The Dragon and the Raven" by G.A. Henty
"Manitoba High School Civics" by A.L. Burt (1945)
"The Manitoba Arithmetic for Elementary Grades: Grade IV" by the Department of Education, Province of Manitoba
"The Treasury Sight-Reader: Book II - Junior" by Maurice Jacobson
"The Treasury Sight-Reader: Book III - Intermediate" by Maurice Jacobson
"The Manitoba Readers - Third Reader"
"Young Blood" by E.W. Hornung (1901)
"The Moonstone: A Romance" by Wilkie Collins
"Mental Arithmetic: Part I" by Charles G. Fraser
"The Canada Book of Prose and Verse: Book One" by Lorne Pierce (1948)
"How to be Healthy" by J. Halpenny and Lilian B. Ireland (1911)
"The A B C of Musical Theory" by Ralph Dunstan
"Canadian Civics" by R.S. Jenkins (1909) - Manitoba edition
"Canada: A History for High Schools" by G.J. Reeve (1926)
"History of England for Public Schools" authorized by the Departments of Education for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia (1922).
Contains the following files:
17.1 Trail B.C. advertisement 1911
17.2 Angus McPherson beaver license 1900's
17.3 "The Angels of Mons" by Lieutenant Dougald MacEchern
17.4 Brandon General Hospital school graduation invitations 1925 and 1927
17.5 Machinery catalogues [1909-1928]
17.6 Watkins Stock Raisers manual [1920's]
17.7 List and map of Indian Reserves and Metis communties 1959
17.8 Wes Pentland Orange Lodge documents and materials 1862-1940
17.9 Brandon Collegiate reunion ribbon October 9, 1908
17.10 Victory Loan documents 1943-1945
17.11 Boys and Girls Service Clubs exhibit ribbons 1927
17.12 Prize lists for Justice Boys and Girls Clubs 1923-1926
17.13 Voluntary War Aid bulletin #12 [World War One]
17.14 "Canada's War Record" July 1942
17.15 Douglas war memorial unveiling ceremony programme November 17, 1922
17.16 Travel: Waghorns Guide 1898; Manitoba Driver's Guide 1935; southland Chicago-Florida train route and schedule 1916-1917; Manitoba road map 1941-1942; CPR western lines timetables 1918
17.17 Movie programme for "Gone with the Wind" [1939]
17.18 Magazine insert of funeral of Edward VII from Illustrated London News May 24, 1910
17.19 Manitoba Telephone Systems directory with provincial exchanges March 1930
17.20 Brandon Sun articles re: Brandon Hills picnic 1963
17.21 "The Academy Critic" December 1909
17.22 Weldon's Famous Dress catalogue [1920's]
17.23 Alex M. Brown, Pharmacist calendar 1935
17.24 Empire contest from the Winnipeg Free Press (undated)
17.25 Annnie I. Pentland speech re: Barbara Heck
17.26 Electoral division of Landsdowne Municipality map 1949
17.27 Speech on wheat sales (author unknown)
17.28 Site and situation project on Brandon history (author unknown) [1970's]
17.29 Annual report from Protestant Orphans' Home 1937
17.30 Orange Lodge memorabilia (gavel, pin) 1881-1933
Notes
Part of the Alfred Angus Murray McPherson collection.
Storage Location
Margaret McPherson family fonds
Box 14 (Files 17.1-17.29)
Box 15 (File 17.30 and Orange Lodge ribbons and certificates)
photographs are colour reproductions produced circa 2010
History / Biographical
EARLE PHILIP FORSHAW
Earle Forshaw was born in Brandon, Manitoba, on 26 September 1927. His mother, Maud Ethel Forshaw née Hicklings/Hickling (b. 07 April 1901 – d. 26 October 1927) died one month after Earle’s birth at the age of 26 years. His father, Arthur Hugh Forshaw, married Gertrude Ethel Fallis two years later and the family would move to Winnipeg in 1932/33.
In 1944, Earle Forshaw graduated from Gordon Bell High School in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He worked as a meatpacker with Swift Canada, a subsidiary of Swift Meatpacking Company, Chicago. Earle remained with the company until his retirement in 1984, by which time he was a branch manager of the Swift branch in Ottawa, Ontario. Earle moved back to Manitoba in 1985, first living in Winnipeg before settling in the resort community of Matlock, situated in the southernmost part of the Village of Dunnottar on the southwestern shore of Lake Winnipeg.
Earle Forshaw was married three times. He married Elizabeth “Betty” Anne Hamilton on 05 May 1951 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They had one son, Tom. The Winnipeg Free Press published the couple’s divorce decree on 21 December 1970. Earle married Margaret Clara Veale née Cousins (b. 19 August 1928, Winnipeg – d. 10 September 1998) that same year. They would remain married until Margaret’s cancer-related death in 1998. The following year, Earle married Joyce Wilson née Mutton in Ontario on 28 December 1999. They currently reside in Matlock, Manitoba.
Like his father and grandfather, Earle Philip Forshaw is a Free Mason. He received a 33rd degree membership in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Right (honorary degree), a position he has held for more than 50 years. Earle has received two medals from the Free Mason’s for his half century of service to the society. Earle is also a Shriner and a member of the Royal Order of Scotland.
ARTHUR HUGH FORSHAW
Arthur Hugh “Hughie” Forshaw (b. 09 July 1899, Lancashire, England – d. 02 June 1976, Winnipeg) enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force Overseas 181st Battalion on 21 March 1916 in Brandon, Manitoba. Although he claimed to be 18 years old at the time of enlistment,* his attestation papers stated he was not to head overseas until he was 19 years of age.
*It appears Pte. Forshaw may have lied about his age when he enlisted. According to the Lancashire Anglican Parish Registers (Preston, England), Arthur Hugh Forshaw was born 09 July 1899 in the Skelmersdale Parish in Lancashire, England, not on 02 June 1898 as stated on his attestation papers.
At the time of enlistment, Hugh lived with his family in Brandon, Manitoba, residing at 126 – 22nd Street. The 1916 Canadian Census lists his father, John, as a carpenter who had immigrated to Canada in 1905. Arthur and his mother, Sarah Forshaw née Edden, immigrated the following year and the Forshaw’s would have at least three more children, Rohda/Rhoda Elizabeth (b. 27 June 1908), Phylip/Philip Roy (b. 24 January 1911), and Irene Margaret (b. 1916).
After the war, Henderson’s Brandon City Directories list Arthur Hugh as a clerk at the Union Bank of Canada in Brandon. By 1925, Hugh was working as a clerk with Imperial Oil. According to his obituary, he would remain with the company for 37 years; he was a supervisor before retiring in 1960.
Hugh married Maud Ethel Hickling (b. 07 April 1901 – d. 26 October 1927) in Brandon, Manitoba on 22 November 1922. The couple had two sons, John “Jack” Hugh (b. 05 May 1923, Brandon – d. 17 May 1962, Winnipeg) and Earle Phillip, (b. 26 September 1927, Brandon). A month after Earle’s birth, Maud passed away at the age of 26 and was interred in the Brandon Municipal Cemetery.
Hugh remarried on 10 August 1929 to Gertrude Ethel Fallis (b. 14 July 1908, R.M. Glenwood – d. 04 July 1994, Winnipeg) in Glenwood, Manitoba. The family moved to Winnipeg in 1933, where Hugh and his wife settled.
Hugh, like his father John, was a member of the Free Mason’s society and became a 32nd degree mason. He was a member of the Capitol Lodge AF and AM GRM No.136 and the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Right of Free Masonry Khartum Shrine Temple. He was also one of the five original members of the Khartum Shrine Orchestra.
Arthur “Hughie” Hugh Forshaw passed away on 02 June 1976 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, at the age of 76 years. He is interred alongside his second wife Gertrude in the Thomson in the Park Cemetery, Winnipeg.
Custodial History
Records in this collection were in the possession of Earle and Joyce Forshaw before they were submitted to local historian Jack Stothard. Stothard, in turn, donated the materials to the SJ McKee Archives in 2012. The Archives accessioned the records in 2013.
Scope and Content
The collection consists of two books/folios and three photographs (copies). The two folios/books are pictorial works about early Brandon, Manitoba. One book, The Illustrated Souvenir of Brandon, is published by W.W. Warner (Brandon, Manitoba).
The second folio/book, Brandon Manitoba: The Wheat City, is published by Christies Bookstore, [circa 1907]. Photographs in this folio/book include: Rosser Avenue [facing east]; Brandon College and Lorne Avenue; Manitoba Winter Fair Building; the Armoury; Scene on 13th Street Residence Section; Young Men’s Christian Association; Canadian Northern Hotel and Station; Banks of Brandon (The Merchant’s Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal, The Bank of British North America, Bank of Hamilton with Frank Gowen’s photography studio and Fleming’s Drugs); Assiniboine River; West End Park and Park School; Alexandra School, Collegiate Institute, The Convent [St. Michael’s Academy], Central School, Park School; Brandon Hospital and Nurses’ Home; Residential Brandon Looking West; Residence of W.G.A. Watson, Residence of Robert Kerr, Brandon Club, Residence of William Ferguson, Residence of E.L. Christie; Baptist Church, Methodist Church, St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, St. Mary’s Church, St. Augustine’s Church; John E. Smith Block, Canadian Bank of Commerce, Cecil Hotel, The Sun, Corner of 10th Street and Rosser Avenue; Rosser Avenue from the Post Office [facing east], Union Bank of Canada; City Hall; Experimental Farm, Brandon [facing north]; Experimental Farm Brandon [facing south]; Fourth Proceeding Threshing Wheat by Electric Power on Farm of G.A. Patterson, Near Brandon; Farm Scenes Near Brandon: First Proceeding in Farming in the Canadian North West – Plowing, Second Proceeding – Sowing Wheat, Third Proceeding – Reaping, Field of Wheat Near Brandon, Ready for Threshing, $5 Bushels to the Acre; and Court House
The three colour photocopies are reproductions of photographs of the City of Brandon’s 181st Battalion Band circa 1916 – 1917. Earle Forshaw’s father, Arthur Forshaw (#865277), was a bandsman who played both the violin and trumpet with the 181st Battalion and is pictured in each of the photographs.
The photograph (13-2013.1) is of an 11-member chamber group featuring a female cellist and female vocalist. A.H. Forshaw is on the left-hand side of the back row wearing a military uniform with Canadian general service collar badges and holding a violin under his arm.
The photograph (13-2013.2) is of the 23-member 181st Battalion band. All the members are in uniform and sporting the 181st Battalion Cap badge. A.H. Forshaw is standing second from the right in the second row and holding a trumpet.
The photograph (13-2013.3) is of the 181st Battalion band at the Brandon Exposition in 1916 at the Summer Fair Grounds and grandstand.
Notes
Information in the history/biography was taken from the finding aid course assignment completed by Chris van Mejil for the Brandon University History Department’s 54:437 Historical Methods and Historiography course (2013); Manitoba Vital Statistics Database; Canadian Expeditionary Force Attestation Papers for Arthur Forshaw (#865277); Canada 1916 Census; Henderson’s Brandon City Directories from 1911 to 1933; City of Brandon GIS: Cemetery Map; FindaGrave.com; Lancashire Anglican Parish Registers. Preston, England: Lancashire Archives (ancestry.ca); Winnipeg Free Press (09 May 1951 [Earle]; 18 May 1962, 19 May 1962 [John Hugh Forshaw]; 03 June 1976 [Arthur Hugh Forshaw]; 12 September 1998 [Earle widower]; 15 January 2000 [Earle marriage])
Phylip Forshaw’s birth is registered under “Philip Roy Fershaw” in the Manitoba Vital Statistics Database. Maud Ethel Hicklings [sic.] death is registered in Manitoba Vital Statistics Database but her tombstone in the Brandon Municipal Cemetery reads “Hickling.” Rohda [sic.] Elizabeth Forshaw’s birth is registered in the Manitoba Vital Statistics Database and her name is spelled as such in the 1916 Canadian Census, however, the Winnipeg Free Press obituary (03 June 1976) for Arthur Hugh Forshaw spells her name “Rhoda.”
The Brandon Manitoba: The Wheat City, published by Christies Bookstore is assigned a publication date of 1907 based on the construction of the Brandon Collegiate Institute
Description by Suyoko Tsukamoto
Accruals
closed
Finding Aid
none
Location Original
Original photographs were retained by Earle Forshaw
Storage Location
New oversize drawer 2 (photos)
Brandon, Manitoba: The Wheat City (Rare Books)
Illustrated Souvenir of Brandon (Reading Room Library shelves)
Esther Moore was born in Norfolk, Nebraska and moved to Canada at age 3. There is a vague reference to her being related to the composer Dvorak in The Quill of 1913. She registered as a music student at Brandon College in 1909. In 1910, Miss Moore received a medal for sight-reading and accompanying in Edmonton. She took her examinations of the Toronto Conservatory of Music in 1910, and her Senior examinations in 1911. She completed her theory work in 1913, as well as finishing the academic requirements. In 1913, Esther Moore became the first graduate of the Music department at Brandon College. After graduation, Miss Moore taught music in Unity, as well as being the choirleader and organist. She returned to her home in Olds, Alberta for a rest from teaching. However, she was not idle for long. She took up teaching again, and she was the organist and choirleader at church. She also began a Glee Club. Between these responsibilities Miss Moore finished a course in the Household Science Department at the Olds Agricultural College. She returned to Brandon College to take postgraduate work, becoming the first Brandon College student to receive her L.T.C.M. in 1916. In 1922 Miss Moore began to teach piano at Brandon College. She received her Bachelor of Music in 1925, and her Master of Music in 1926.
Custodial History
Records were accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Esther Moore’s records consist of newspaper clippings, recital programmes, concert programmes, and commencement programmes. As well, there are dance cards, invitations, tickets, and the programme for the annual Graduation Banquet for several years. There are Track and Field programmes and a ribbon. There are also Alumni Luncheon programmes for a few years. There is an issue of The Western Baptist from 1926, and the programmes for the installation of Dr. Robbins as President and the opening of the Arts and Library building and the J.R.C. Evans Lecture Theatre in 1960. There is also a letter from William L. Wright, director of the music department at Brandon College.
George F. MacDowell was born in 1913, in Prince Edward Island. He studied at Dalhousie University from 1930 to 1933, but did not complete a degree. During WWII, MacDowell served in Canada and Europe as a member of the Royal Canadian Signals Corps. After the war, he returned to Dalhousie University, graduating with a B.A. in 1947. Subsequently, he graduated with a Masters Degree in Economics from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. George McDowell taught at both Mount Allison University and the University of Alberta before coming to Brandon in 1957 to teach at Brandon College. He remained as a professor in the Economic Department until his retirement in 1979.
MacDowell's work was published in the Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science. In 1971, McClelland & Stewart published his account of the Brandon Packers strike of 1960 titled "The Brandon Packer's Strike: A Tragedy of Errors." In Brandon, MacDowell maintained a relationship with the local Association of Fire Fighters, aiding them with collective bargaining procedures. He also served as Chairman for the MacKenzie Seeds Board, and was a member of the Manitoba Development Corporation Board.
MacDowell never married and had no known children. He passed away on February 26th, 1986.
Custodial History
This collection was in the possesion of George MacDowell until his death. It was then held by the Brandon University Department of Economics until 1997, at which time it was transferred to the McKee Archives at Brandon University.
Scope and Content
The bulk of this fonds falls into five main categories:
1. Records dealing with the Brandon Packers Strike of 1960 and the subsequent legal actions against the owners, including all 2215 pages of the Brandon Packers Strike Commission;
2. Records dealing with the Commission of Inquiry into The Pas Forestry and Industrial Complex, including the complete transcript of the inquiry measuring approximately 5m. This Commission dealt with the conduct of Churchill Forest Industries, a company owned by a Swiss financial firm, which, in the 1960's, was given approximately 93 million dollars by the Roblin Provincial Government to develop The Pas Forestry and Industrial Complex. Churchill Forest Industries and its parent company subsequently came under suspicion of fraud and accused of fradulently transfering The Pas Forestry funds into other foreign business interests;
3. Records dealing with business loans awarded by the Manitoba Development Corporation during the 1970's and 1980's to businesses primarily within Manitoba;
4. Records dealing with McKenzie Seeds, and McKenzie Steele-Briggs Seeds during the early 1980's when George MacDowell was a board member of McKenzie Seeds;
5. Records dealing with Professor MacDowell's career as a Professor at Brandon University, including records relating to his courses and to administrative activities.
To a lesser extent, this collection includes records dealing with the University of Saskatchewan College of Commerce, the publication the "Manitoba New Democrat," issues associated with politics, labor and union in the prairie provinces from the 1960's to the 1980's, articles from various economic periodicals including "Economica" and "Public Finance," a variety of government reports from 1941 to 1981, and records dealing with George MacDowells' relationship with the Brandon Firefighters Association.
Notes
File level inventory available. Description written by Mike White (2002).
George E. Thorman was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on September 17, 1913. His public school education began in Rivers, Manitoba and was completed, along with his high school and part of his university education in Brandon, Manitoba. After completing his Bachelor of Arts General at Brandon College, Thorman attended the College of Education in Toronto for one year before beginning his teaching career at Essex Hisgh School, Essex, Ontario in 1935. After four years in Essex, Thorman transferred to the St. Thomas Collegiate Institute (STCI) in St. Thomas, Ontario.
In 1941, Thorman joined the Canadian Army at Brandon as a gunner inthe 59th Field Battery and after five years, having served in England, Italy and Western Europe, heretired with the rank of Captain. Following the Second World War, in 1945, Thorman taught in a high school for Fifth Division in Gronigen, Netherlands before moving on to teach first year university English at Kahki College in England in 1946. That same year he returned to Canada and rejoined the staff at STCI. Two years after his return George Thorman married the former Margarett Gliddon of St. THomas and in 1953 returned to Europe where he taught in Scotland for one year on a teacher's exchange.
During the 1960's, Thorman's career reached its peak. In 1964, he became the Vice-Principal of STCI and in 1967, he attained the same position at Parkside Collegiate Institute before becomeing its Principal in 1969. Three years later in 1972, Thorman retired as Principal of PCI and from his teaching career. Throughout his career Thorman's primary interests were in English and History, however he also taught Mathematics, Georgraph and Science. In addition to his classess following WWII, Thorman was an active instructor of the Cadet Corps, as well as a coach for various volleyball, basketball and track and field teams during his years at STCI.
Aside from being an educator, George Thorman had many other interests. He and his wife Margaret were active in the formation of the Elgin Theatre Guild in 1948 and thogether and separately they performed and directed several productions in the early years of that organization. Thorman was also largely responsible for the development of a local history course in the Elgin Secondary Schools in the early 1960's. In 1966, with his fellow history teacher Ralph Parker, he published a booklet to serve as an outline for teachers on the history of Elgin County.
That same year, 1966, Thorman, as the prime instigator in the re-formation of the Elgin Historical Society, became its first president and in 1971, he was elected Honorary President of the Society for life. This was followed by a furhter two-year term as elected president. The re-organization marked the beginning of THorman's continous active involvement with the EHS, including several lectures he presented to its members and many years as a Trustee. In 1985, he received the Ontario Volunteer Service Award for over 15 years of continuous service to the Society before retiring from the EHS in 1995.
In addition to the EHS, Thorman served on the St. Thomas Public Library Board from 1979 until 1991, and was a Chairman of the Board's Personnel Committee. He was also a member of the Ontario Historical Society. From 1975 to 1978, Thorman served as an elected member of the Elgin County Board of Education and in 1979, he received from the City of St. Thomas the St. Thomas Civic Award for outstanding citizens. George Thorman was also a life member (1936) of Central Lodge No. 402, A.F. and A.M. (Masonry) of Essex, Ontario and had been an active member of the St. Thomas Duplicate Bridge Club since 1985.
As an authority on historical research relating to The Hudson's Bay Company, Thorman gave lectures and printed articles on the topic in "The Beaver" publication of The Hudson's Bay Company. In regards to the HBC he also did excavation work at Fort Albany with Walter Kenyon during several summers in the 1960's and 1970's.
As well, George Thorman was a founding member and served on the executive committee of the Elgin Military Museum since its inception in 1982 until the late 1990's. He contributed greatly to the library and files of this museum, particularly in the field of the War of 1812 and the Fenian Raid. The reference library of this small museum rates high in this country, largely through the efforts of George Thorman. Thorman's book collection was one of the finest and most extensive in Western Ontario. His personal library contained a wealth of information with particular emphasis on material relating to Elgin County, the City of St. Thomas and The Hudson's Bay company. His G.A. Henty collectio was nearly complete.
As an author Thorman contributed ten entries in The Dictionary of Canadian Biography on Aboriginal and Metis peoples, co-authored "St. Thomas 100 Years a City," the centennial history of the city of St. Thomas. In 1989, he edited "Frank Hunt, Essays on Elgin County" as well as wrote and privately printed "A Brief History of Secondary Education in St. Thomas" as his contribution to the STCI Reunion, at which he was one fo the honorees. In th early 1990's, Thorman co-edited "Garret Oakes, Tales of a Pioneer," authored and privaley printed "Letters and Petitions and other Papers Concerning the MIlitia Companies of Middlesex for 1839" and "The Chisholm Family in Elgin County: Myth and Reality."
For serveral years, ca. 1975 to the mid 1990's, Thorman hosted a TV talk show on local television interviewing persons connected to the history of St. Thomas and Elgin County. Many older residents, who have since passed away, were interviewed and the resulting tapes are an invaluable source of historical information.
Thorman and his wife lived in the historic section of St. Thomas and in the summer months spent their time in Port Stanley. In addition, for several years in the early 1990's, Thorman traveled annually to England - each time visiting a different area of the country. As well, Thorman was also interested in the lives and activities of his former students and was available and eager to assist any student or former student who asked for his guidance. George E. Thorman passed away on January 11, 1997.
Custodial History
The Order of the Sheaf and Thorman's Bachelor of Arts degree were transfered to the McKee Archives by Rudi Denham, Chief Librarian, St. Thomas Public Library in August 2007. George Thorman had placed his papers with the St. Thomas Public Library at some point prior to his death; the Library had decided to deaccession the records and offered them to interested institutions.
Scope and Content
The collection consists of textbooks covering the subject areas of: Agriculture, Art, Business education, Economics, Composition, Grammar, Rhetoric, Literature, Plays, Poetry, Prose, Readers, Spelling, Phonics, Stories, Geography, Health, History, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latin, Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, Trigonometry, General mathematics, Music, PHilosophy, Logic, Psychology, Religion, Research, Methods, Manuals, Astronomy, Botany Chemistry, Physics, General science, Zoology, Cooking and Gardening. It also includes two notebooks.
The works found in the collection were published primarily between 1880-1940, although they range from 1801-1967, with an emphasis on history, all areas of mathematics, research and topics related to english or language arts. There are a number of works published in the nineteenth century dealing with most of the collection's subject areas. The majority of the collection focuses on public and high school textbooks, particularly in relation to the province of Ontraio, with some attention to university education.
Also included is George Thorman's Order of the Sheaf, Clark Hall Guild certificate awarded to him in recognition of his outstanding contribution toward the betterment of Brandon University and Thorman's Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandon College (McMaster University).
Notes
An inventory of the collection has been created. Also, the items have been added to the Brandon University Library catalogue. Description and inventory by Christy Henry (1999).
Generally good. Some tears. Issues located first and last in the folders Lindsay stored them in are missing sections where the page stuck to the folder.
History / Biographical
James Gordon Lindsay was born June 16, 1925 in Minneapolis, Minnesota where his father, James Lindsay, a Brandon pioneer from Northern Ireland, had been working for the Coca Cola Bottling Company. In November 1925, the Lindsay family moved back to Brandon where they lived at 547 16th Street.
Lindsay attended Park School, Earl Oxford Junior High School and Brandon Collegiate. In September 1943, he entered 2nd Year at Brandon College, joining the Class of 1946. Due to past experience in publishing the BCI yearbook, he was drafted into The Board of Publications and named Co-editor of the Quill along with third year student Genevieve Fuloski. Lindsay and Fuloski held their positions for two years. Because of the war, money and supplies were in short supply and the Quill at one point was reduced to mimeographed pages. While Editor Lindsay wrote The eggshell-Slightly Cracked column.
Lindsay was named Senior Stick in 1945 and graduated from Brandon College with a B.Sc. in 1946. He obtained both his MSc (1948) and PhD (1951) in Physical Chemistry from McMaster University.
During his time in Hamilton, Lindsay met Shirley Woolmer and the couple married on September 2, 1950. They moved to Arvida, Quebec in 1951 where Lindsay accepted an offer from Aluminium Laboratories Limited, the research arm of Alcan Aluminium Ltd. The couple remained in Arvida for twenty-two years, during which time they had four children: Sharon, Heather, Geoffrey and David.
In 1973, Lindsay was transferred to Alcan's head office in Montreal where he spent the next three years co-ordinating alumina research in Alcan plants around the world. In 1976, he accepted a transfer to Alcan Jamaica as Chief Technical Officer and Manager of Technical Development. He and Shirley spent nearly eight years in Jamaica before returning to Canada in 1984. After a yaer at Alcan's Research Centre in Kingston, ON Lindsay took early retirement.
During their years in Jamaica Lindsay had been introduced to Rotary and he continued his association with the organization in Kingston where for fifteen years he was Bulletin editor of the Kingston-Frontenac Rotary Club. In addition to Rotary, Lindsay (along with his wife) took up genealogy in his retirement and after fifteen years of extensive travel and research he became his Lindsay family's historian and author of The Lindsays of Dundonald.
For three years in the late 1980s Lindsay served as a representative on the Brandon University Alumni Executive for Eastern Canada. Along with his wife he attended two class reunions at Brandon University including his 50th Re-convocation in 1996.
At present (June 2010) Gordon Lindsay continues to live in Kingston, ON with his wife.
Custodial History
Materials remained in Gordon Lindsay's possession from time of creation until he donated them to the Archives on September 4, 2009.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of copies of the Quill, including:
1942-1943: No. 11 (January 26, 1943)
1943-1944: Nos. 2, 12, 14 (October 20, 1943, February 2, 1944, February 16, 1944)
1944-1945: Nos. 1-5 and 7-12
1945-1946: Nos. 1-10 (11 issues as there are two labelled No. 4)
Notes
History/Bio information provided by Gordon Lindsay. Description by Christy Henry.
Janet Louisa May More was born on the family homestead south of Hartney, Manitoba in 1896. She attended Chain Lakes School and Hartney High School prior to completing Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees at the University of Manitoba. Following her graduation, More taught in various Manitoba schools for fifty years. In addition, she was a member of the Manitoba Education Association, the Manitoba Library Association, the Turtle Mountain Teachers' Association (of which she was the first President), and the Manitoba Teachers' Society, which nominated her for a Life Mmembership. Janet Louisa May More retired in 1967, and resided in Winnipeg, Manitoba until her death.
Additional biographical information for Janet Louisa May More can be found in her profile as a "Memorable Manitoban" on the Manitoba Historical Society website (http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/more_jlm.shtml).
Custodial History
Materials passed into the hands of Gerald Brown who donated them to the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
Collection contains curriculum materials related to the study and teaching of Chemistry, Algebra, Geometry, Mathematics, English and French language studies in Manitoba dating mostly from the 1940s. Collection also contains Christmas concert and dramatic materials; notes from the Manitoba Fine Arts Committee (April 1939); and notes concerning the Manitoba Camera Club, the Manitoba Drama League, Manitoba Society of Artists, Manitoba Adult Education Association, Winnipeg Sketch Club and the Manitoba Handicraft Guild.
