DEANS OF ARTS:
R.F.B. KING (1967-1972)
Ralph Frederick Breach King was born July 16, 1921 in Vancouver, B.C. He obtained his B.A. from the University of British Columbia in 1948, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in 1951 and 1960 respectively. Before coming to Brandon College in 1963, King held positions in the English Departments of the University of British Columbia, Royal Military College (Kingston), and the Canadian Services College (Victoria). At the latter, he was also the head of the department.
At Brandon College he joined the Department of English as its Head and also acted as, first, the Associate Dean of Arts (1963-1965), and then as the first Dean of Arts (1965-1972) of Brandon University. He continued as Head of the English Department until 1977. In addition, during the interregnum between the Robbins and Dulmage presidencies in 1969-1970, King also served as Acting President of the University.
As Dean, King oversaw the radical change in curriculum that took place just prior to Brandon College becoming an independent University. He supervised the introduction of the major-minor system (instead of three sequences of specialization) and the wide-ranging revisions in the academic program that the new degree structure required. Once Brandon University had been formally constituted in 1967, a need arose to expand and develop teaching staff, and King profoundly influenced the development of the institution through his choice of faculty. King also played an important role in expanding the library collection as Chair of the Brandon College Faculty Library Committee in the 1960s.
King retired in 1986; he was on full-time disability for the last seven years of his appointment due to complications arising from multiple sclerosis. In 1988, the University conferred on him "Emeritus" status.
Ralph F.B. King died June 3, 2002.
MICHAEL BLANAR (1972 - December 31, 1980)
Michael Blanar was born on April 26, 1933, in Montreal, Quebec. He graduated from Loyola College (Universite de Montreal) with his B.A. in 1954, and from the Universite de Montreal with his M.A. in 1956. From 1955-1960, except for 1958-1959 when he was registered as a post-graduate external Ph.D. student at University College, University of London, Blanar taught at Loyola High School in Montreal. In 1960, he graduate from the University de Montreal with his Ph.D.
From 1960-1970, Blanar taught English at Loyola College and directed the Freshman English Program there. For the two years before he came to Brandon University, he was on a leave of absence from Loyola College at Mount Saint Vincent University (Halifax), where he held the position of visiting associate professor in the English Department. In 1972, Blanar accepted the position of Dean of Arts at Brandon University. He held that post until 1981, while teaching part-time; in 1981, he resumed teaching full-time in the English Department, and continued to do so up until his retirement on September 1, 1993.
As a member of the English Department, Blanar developed and taught Written Expression, in addition to teaching other courses. He also acted as: a member of Senate (1981-1988); a member of the Senate Executive Committee; Chairman of the Scholarship Committee; Chairman of the Curriculum and Academic Standards Committee; Chairman of the Brandon University Act Committee; Chair, Tenure Committe; Chair, Promotions Appeal Committee; Chair, Search Committee for Director of Extension; and Chairman, Graduate Studies Committee (Arts Faculty Council). Blanar was also the Senior University Officer of Inter-Universities North for a number of years during the 1980s.
As Dean of Arts, he performed the usual academic administrative responsibilities, and due to the fact that there was no Vice-President (Academic and Research) at the time, he also represented the University at negotiations with the Universitites Grants Commission on Inter-Universities North, on the Inter-University Admission Committee. During his tenure as Dean, Blanar also oversaw the establishment of the Department of Native Studies, the consolidation of the language areas at the University into the Department of Classical and Modern Languages, and the intoduction of a Business Minor into the Economics Department.
In addition to his work at the University, Blanar was also a representative on the Articulation Council for Secondary and Post-Secondary Education for the Province of Manitoba (1982-1986), a member of the Board of Directors and the Brandon representative for the Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC), and an elected member of the Board of Directors of the Manitoba Opera Association.
Michael Blanar had three children with his first wife. In 1985, he married Shirley Lyon. Shirley Lyon passed away on March 1st, 2012. Michael Blanar lived in Winnipeg until his death on April 23, 2019.
P.J.C. HORDERN (January 1, 1981 - June 30, 1993)
Peter John Calveley Hordern was born in England on February 5, 1935. He was awarded a State Scholarship to Cambridge University (Latin, History, English) in 1953, and in 1959, completed his B.A. Thological Tripos Part 1 and 2 at that same institution. In 1961, he passed his General Ordination Exam at Lincoln Theological College and in 1961, received his Diploma in Ecumenical Theology from the Unviersity of Geneva, Switzerland. Hordern obtained his M.A. from Cambridge in 1964, and his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from McMaster University in 1972.
In the late 1960s, Hordern was a sessional lecturer in Hebrew at the University of Saskatchewan and a Professor of the Old Testament at the College of Emmanuel and St. Chad. In 1971, he took a position as a Lecturer in the Religion Department at Brandon University. From 1975-1978, he acted as the Chair for the department, and in 1980, he became the Co-ordinator for the Mature Student Centre. In 1981, he became the Dean of Arts; Hordern held this position until July 1993.
During his career at Brandon University, Hordern served the school in a number of additional capacities, including: Chairman of the Student Recruitment Committee, Chairman of the Arts Faculty Council Library Committee, a member of the Executive of the Brandon University Faculty Association, Vice-Chairman of the Arts Faculty Council, Vice-Chairman of the General Faculty Council and Vice-Chairman of the University Senate. In addition, Hordern was also a member of the Executive of the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion, Vice-Chairman (1976) and Co-Chairman (1978) of the Programme Committee for the Annual Conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion, and Chairman of the Manitoba Police Commission. One of his prime research interests was the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Peter John C. Hordern retired from Brandon University in 2005 and on January 26, 2006 he was designated the title of Dean Emeritus. He continues to live in Brandon.
R.E. FLORIDA (July 1, 1993 - December 31, 1999)
Robert Florida was born on September 16, 1939 in St. Louis, MO to Edwin Lowe Florida and Eleanor Camille (nee Greene). He completed his Mech. Eng. degree at the University of Cincinnati in 1962, his Bachelor of Divinity at Tufts University in 1965, his M.A. at McMaster University in 1969 and his Ph.D. at McMaster in 1973.
He joined the Department of Religion at Brandon University in 1969 and retired at the end of 1999. While at Brandon University, Florida served as Dean of Arts from 1993-2000, as Chair of the Religion Department (1974-1975, 1978-1982, 1984-1986, 1991) and as President of the Brandon University Faculty Association (1972-1974, 1979-1980). His research interests focused on Buddhist ethical theory and practice.
During his career, Florida also acted as the Treasurer of the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion from 1980-1986, and as Treasurer of the Canadian Corporation for the Study of Religion from 1986-1989. From July 1989-June 1991, he was an Associate Professor, and member of the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Swaziland, Kwaluseni, Swaziland (CIDA Project) helping that institution revise its curriculum. In the Spring of 1989, Florida was a Professor for the University of Pittsburg's Semester at Sea, and from January-June 1992 and January-June 1993, he was a Visiting Professor at Mahidol University, Salaya (Bangkok), Thailand.
Robert Florida married his wife Janice in 1963, and together they had two children: Aisha and Michael. At present (January 2006), Florida and his wife live in Victoria, B.C.
C. SCOTT GRILLS (August 2000 - June 30, 2007)
Scott Grills was born on December 31, 1963 in Peterborough, Ontario. He obtained his B.A. (Hons.- sociology) from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1984, his M.A. from the University of Waterloo in 1985 and his Ph.D. (sociology) from McMaster University in 1989.
Prior to becoming the Dean of Arts and Graduate Studies at Brandon University in August 2000, Grills served as the President of the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations, and taught in the sociology department at Augustana University College from 1989-2000. In his time at Brandon University, Grills has also served on the Brandon University Research Committee, as Chair of the Senate Graduate Studies Committee, as the Brandon University representative of the Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada and as a member of the Province of Manitoba's Working Group on Socio-Economic Status and Tuition Policy.
Scott Grills assumed the position of Vice-President (Academic & Research) on July 1, 2007.
REINHOLD KRAMER - Acting (January 1, 2007 - December 31, 2007)
No biographical information yet.
STEVEN ROBINSON - Acting (January 1, 2008 - July 30, 2009)
Steve Robinson obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Guelph. He also studied Classics at Queen's University. He came to Brandon University in 1996 as a member of the Philosophy Department.
G. BRUCE STRANG (August 1, 2009 - December 31, 2014)
Bruce Strang obtained his Ph.D. in History and an M.A. in History from McMaster University and a B.A. (Honours) from the University of Winnipeg. He came to Brandon University from Lakehead University, where he was a member of the history department. At Lakehead, Strang had also served as Acting Dean of Social Sciences & Humanities and Chair of the Department of History. After stepping down as Dean of Arts, Strang returned to teaching in the history and business administration departments at Brandon University.
DEMETRIOUS TRYPHONOPOULOS (January 1, 2015 - July 1, 2019)
No biographical information yet.
LISA ROBSON - Acting (June 1, 2019 - 2020)
Custodial History
Accession 17-2000 was donated to the McKee Archives by Dr. Robert Florida, Dean of Arts. Accession 24-2000 was donated to the McKee Archives by the Dean's Office in October 1999. Accession 03-2005 was donated to the McKee Archives by the Dean's Office in June 2005. Accession 04-2005 was transfered to the Archives from the Dean of Arts Office in February 2005.
Scope and Content
Sub sub series consists of a number of accessions.
Accession 17-2000, consists of personnel records of faculty members who have left Brandon University or who have left the employment of the University through retirement or death. In addition, the records of the Northern Manitoba Business Institute, which was operated as a feature ofthe Faculty of Arts, are included. This accession contains 36 cm of texutal records and covers the years 1967-1986.
Accession 24-2000, consists of personnel files for the following members of the Faculty of Arts: C. Acosta-Gonzalez, M. Abou, J. Barletta, M. Bartosova, R.Bazillion (University Librarian), M. Blanar, H. Burmeister, D. Campbell, J. Chyzyk, L. Clark, F. Ezeala-Harrison, L. Hallat, K. Hanly, S. Hunter-Harvey (Vice-President Academic and Research), B. Jukpor, L. Kaufman, I.Makus, J. Rastel, M. Ruml, K. Saundrs, J. Skinner, Z. Yiheyis. In addition, the accession also includes miscellaneous records dealing with the Northern Manitoba Business Institute, the Brandon University Foundation, Attrition, and Remunerations of instructional staff. This accession contains 30 cm of textual records and covers the years 1962-1995.
Accession 3-2005, consists of personnel files for Dennis Anderson, William DeHaney, Trevor Denton, Robert Florida and Trevor McNeely. Files include curriculum vitae, correspondence, sabbatical applications, notes, paperwork related to courses and certificates. This accession contains 17 cm of textual records and covers the years 1977-2004.
Accession 4-2005, consists of Dr. Robert Brockway's personnel file. The file contains correspondence and copies of articles written by Brockway. The file consists of 5 cm of textual records and covers the years 1966-1999 (predominantly 1972-1985).
Notes
History/Bio information for Scott Grills was taken from the Dean of Arts page of the Faculty of Arts webpage at http://www.brandonu.ca/academic/arts/Dean's%20Office/dean's%20message.html (December 2005). History/Bio information for Steve Robinson was taken from the Fall/Winter 2008 Alumni News.
Accruals
Further accruals expected.
Access Restriction
Personnel records are closed.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 7: Faculties and Schools
7.1 Faculty of Arts
This is an artifically created sub sub series.
Pierian Spring was the by-product of a creative writing workshop taught by Dr. Robert Brockway at Brandon University in 1969. The members of the workshop met once a month and at the end of the year they deciced to produce a mimeographed book of poetry written by members of the group. They called it Peirian Spring, after the spot in Thrace from which the Muses came. In subsequent years, Brockway continued to teach the creative writing class as a non-credit extension course, however there were no further publications of Pierian Spring until Winter 1976. The later publications encorporated the writings of members of the group, but also included works by writers from across North America.
Scope and Content
Sub sub series consists of copies of one issue of "Aspen Grove" (1971) and numerous issues of "Pierian Spring" (1969, 1976, 1976-1989). It aslo contains a number of promotional pamphlets created by the Faculty of Arts. Included are pamphlets on: Arts One; the History, Religion, English and Creative Writing, Business Administration, Gender and Women's Studies, Classical and Modern Languages departments; liberal arts degrees: pre-professional programs for early and middle years teachers; Justice System Certificate; graduate programs in Rural Development; and general Faculty of Arts information.
Notes
History/Bio information on Pierian Spring taken from an article in "The Quill" (January 13, 1977).
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 7: Faculties and Schools
7.1 Faculty of Arts
The Brandon University Students’ Union Council is comprised of 16 elected students representing a variety of constituencies on campus. The elected BUSU council governs the actions of the Students’ Union, providing students with on and off campus entertainment and events, a number of services, and representation on BU boards and committees.
BUSU has a four-committee structure, with each committee comprised of five members and chaired by a member of the Executive. Every member of BUSU council sits on at least one BUSU committee.
The Executive Committee oversees government and media relations; sets the council agenda; handles personnel and legal issues; rules on donations, hospitality, and referred issues; and issues honoraria. The committee consists of the President, Vice-President Finance, Vice-President Academic, Vice-President Student Activities, and the General Manager and is chaired by the President. Three subcommittees chaired by the BUSU Vice-Presidents handle other duties.
Additional information on the various committees of BUSU, as well as the positions of President, Vice-Presidents and Commissioners can be found on the BUSU website (http://www.busu.ca/boards_committees.asp (January 2007)).
Scope and Content
Sub-series consists of minutes and minute books of the BUSU Executive and Council from 1967-1976. The first minute book contains minutes from the Brandon College Students' Association (beginning Feb. 1967) and a copy of BUSU's by-laws.
Box 1 (Files 1-5): 1967-1974
Box 2 (Files 6-10): 1969-1976
Notes
History/Bio information was taken from the BUSU web page available at: http://www.busu.ca/election.asp and http://www.busu.ca/boards_committees.asp (January 2007).
A commission to inquire into the formation and operation of the Manitoba Pool up until 1931. Charges were brought against the Pool by J.R. Murray, then Assistant General Manager of UGG. The four charges were, briefly: (1) producers had been mislead into forming elevator associations, (2) members are bound by contract to the association, (3) financial statements sent out to associations are inaccurate, (4) Pool members are not getting as good a deal as they would on the free market.
The first two charges were deemed provable by the commission, while the last two were not. It was noted by the commissioner that no pool members had come forward with complaints.
See also fonds level description of RG 4 for history/bio of MPE
Scope and Content
.This sub-series contains volumes 1 - 25 of the Royal Commission on Manitoba Pool Elevators.
The Westman Recycling Council was started by a small group of avid recyclers with financial and volunteer help from the Kiwanis Club of Brandon, among others. Volunteers organized the first outdoor recycling depots in June and October 1989. The first event with recorded minutes was the first annual meeting, November 15, 1989.
The organization was incorporated in February 1990, and became a registered charity in 1995. The Mission Statement was: "to support and promote the reduction, re-use, and recycling of material resources for the benefit of Westman's environment and future generations."
The major partner in the work of the organization was the City of Brandon. In 2003, Westman Recycling, in partnership with the City, built a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) at the Brandon Landfill; Westman Recycling owned the building on the City-owned land. It was a $4 million structure - financed by federal and provincial grants (about one-quarter of the total) and a mortgage (about three-quarters). Details are in the Board and other Committee minutes and agreements.
In late 2005, Westman Recycling faced a severe cash crunch - as a result of poor markets for recyclables, changes in support funding from the Manitoba Product Stewardship Corporation (MPSC), and a drop in public recycling levels. In February 2006, the City decided to sign a contract with another organization to operate the MRF; after that there appeared to be no role for Westman Recycling.
A general meeting on September 22, 2008 voted to dissolve the organization. At that meeting, the suggestion was made (agreed to by consensus) that the files of the organization be donated to Brandon University to be made available for researchers. A Board of Directors meeting on the same date voted to donate all remaining funds to a perpetual "Westman Recycling" fund with the Brandon Area Community Foundation.
A final wind-up meeting was held on March 26, 2009
Custodial History
The organization was overseen by volunteers / volunteer Board of Directors. The files were first held by volunteers / Board members in their homes. In May 1991, the organization hired David McConkey as Coordinator / General Manager, who was directed by the Board to manage the files on a daily basis from that date forward.
The files were kept in the organization's rented office space in the 1300 block of Pacific Avenue from May 1991 to September 1992, and then in the rented space in the Massey building at 6th Street and Pacific Avenue. The files were kept at the new facility at the landfill from April 2003 to February 2006. They were then stored in the basement of the Marquis Project, 912 Rosser Avenue, until August 2011 when they were donated to the S.J. McKee Archives, Brandon University.
Some files (e.g. minutes from 1995-96) were found to be missing entirely. Other files were disposed of by recycling and/or shredding as they were judged to be confidential (e.g. personnel), of an ordinary business nature only (e.g. invoices), or not useful for future research (e.g. extra copies, routine correspondence, building and equipment plans and other arrangements).
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of records that document the origin, activities, demise, and legacy of the Westman Recycling Council. Records include minutes, financial summaries, scrapbooks, newsletters, brochures, media clippings, photographs and miscellaneous documents related to the construction in collaboration with the City of Brandon of Brandon's principal recycling facility.
Notes
Administrative history courtesy David McConkey. See additional notes on the organization in the curatorial file. Description by Tom Mitchell.
These records were produced between 1984 and 1985, the researching and writing period for the book The Pride of the Land: An Affectionate History of Brandon’s Agricultural Exhibition. Published in 1985 by Peguis Books (Winnipeg), Pride of the Land is a 222-page soft cover book, containing hundreds of pictures, and 50,000 words of text.
BU faculty members Dr. Kenneth “Ken” Stephen Coates, Assistant Professor of History, and Mr. Fred McGuinness, Lecturer in Journalism, authored the book. Assisting the writers was a research team of four BU history students, which were referred to as “The Pride Team”: Diane Fowler, Rob McGarva, Bruce Stafeld, and Byron Williams.
The Pride Team was tasked with collecting and synthesizing exhibition documents and other materials in city, provincial, and federal records spanning 100 years. Many local newspapers and committee minutes were consulted.
The authors cover 103 years of Brandon Fair history, starting with the first fair in 1882 followed by the development of other agricultural fairs and exhibitions in Brandon, specifically The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, and the Ag-Ex livestock show.
Custodial History
Records were collected and created by McGuinness, Coates, and The Pride Research Team during the process of the creation of the book, The Pride of the Land: An Affectionate History of Brandon’s Agricultural Exhibition. The materials were donated to the SJ McKee Archives by the authors circa 1988. The Archives accessioned the records in 2008.
Scope and Content
The subseries consists of textual records, created and collected during the production of the monograph Pride of the Land. It includes research cards created by the research team, copies of newspaper articles from very early editions of Brandon newspapers (such as the Brandon Sun, Brandon Daily Sun, Western Sun, and The Independent), copies of fair/organizational minutes, photocopies of photographs used in the publication, and chapter drafts. Of particular interest are the detailed summaries of Provincial Exhibition minutes that were specifically produced for each book chapter.
Notes
Information in the history/biography was taken from a Brandon University press release dated June 1985, about the Pride of the Land Project (see file 64)
Description Note: The original accession number is noted on the front of each file folder. The circled number indicates the original file order in the 6-2008 accession
Accruals
Closed
Language Note
Fred McGuinness often uses journalistic jargon to label his files. A “brite” refers to a short, amusing story
Pride of the Land acronyms:
PEM = Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba
RCMP = Royal Canadian Mounted Police
WAAA = Western Agricultural & Arts Association
Finding Aid
A file level inventory is available
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Related Material
Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba fonds
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives. Subseries has been arranged according to book chapter. McGuinness often organized his ideas and research materials by potential brite topic
These records were produced between 1986 and 1987, the researching and writing period for the book Manitoba: The Province & The People. Published in 1987 by Hurtig Publishers (Edmonton), Manitoba is a 203-page hard cover book, containing 2 maps, and 58 images.
BU faculty members Dr. Kenneth “Ken” Stephen Coates, Assistant Professor of History, and Mr. Fred McGuinness, Lecturer in Journalism, authored the book. Assisting the writers was a research team of three BU history students: Diane Fowler, Rob McGarva, and Bruce Stadfeld. All three students were former research assistants for The Pride of the Land monograph.
The authors cover 117 years of Manitoba social history, starting with the Red River Settlement and the Dominion of Canada expansion in the 1870s, followed by the war years, and the emergence of modern, contemporary Manitoba.
Custodial History
Records were collected and created by McGuinness, Coates, and the research students during the creation of the book, Manitoba: The Province & The People. The materials were donated to the McKee Archives by the Estate of Fred McGuinness circa 2011. The Archives accessioned the records in 2015.
Scope and Content
The subseries consists of textual records, created and collected during the production of the monograph Manitoba: The Province & The People. It includes copies of newspaper articles from newspapers (such as the Brandon Sun, Brandon Daily Sun, Winnipeg Free Press, and Saturday Night), copies of journal articles about the Red River Valley, Government of Manitoba industrial publications, photocopies and a few original photographs used in the publication, and drafts for chapter “brites.”
Notes
Information in the history/biography was taken from the “Manitoba: The Province & The People’s” acknowledgments section
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
Related Material
Original copies of the July 10, 1899 and July 12, 1899 editions of the Brandon Daily Sun containing articles about the Hilda Blake trial are available in the oversize drawers in the Reading Room
See McG 1.2 Box 3 File 48 for correspondence pertaining to royalties for this monograph
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
Original file titles, where available, have been recorded in square brackets after the file title assigned by the Archives
For this subseries, the original photographs have been relocated to the McGuinness collection photograph series (McG 9)
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
The inaugural meeting of the Western Manitoba Home Economics Association (WMHEA) was held in September 1971, with 48 members. In 1973, the WMHEA members voted to affiliate with the Canadian Home Economics Association (CHEA).
Custodial History
Records were in the possession of Margarite Hughes and other officers of the Western Manitoba Home Economic Association prior to their donation to the SJ McKee Archives on July 17, 2010.
Scope and Content
Fonds includes: minutes (September 1971 - May 2010); lists of executive members; membership lists; financial records; newsletters; scrapbooks; correspondence; records of special events; miscellaneous publications; and organizational banners.
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 grant application materials including a project proposal, budget template, bios for participating authors, and minutes for the April 20, 2007 meeting of the Aboriginal Literary Festival Committee.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 8: Library Services
8.4 Library special events
8.4.1 Brandon Aboriginal Literary Festival
During the independent existence of Manitoba Pool Elevators, the Manitoba Co-operator, published by the Manitoba Co-operative Conference Ltd., was the official organ of the cooperative movement in the province. The sub-series consists of issues of The Manitoba Co-operator from 1931-1936 and 1943-2001.
The importance of knowledge and education to the Manitoba Wheat Pool is made clear in the The Scoop Shovel, the official organ of the Manitoba Wheat Pool and other co-operatives in Manitoba. Established in the 1920s, The Scoop Shovel owed its existence to a decision by the directors of the Pool to set aside small percentage of income per bushel for educational purposes. R.A. Hoey began to hold meetings to discuss the idea that the Pool was about more than just marketing grain, and in 1926 a Department of Education and Publicity was organized within the Pool. It was directed by J.T. Hull and advised by R.A. Hoey; they expanded and supervised The Scoop Shovel.
They also began to accumulate the educational volumes that would become the Pool library. Hull announced in November of 1926 that the library would be open by the end of the month and reported that: "We have a good representation of works on sociology... On co-operation we have about every book that we can find published in the English language. We have also a good selection of books on economics, history, science, general literature, and rural life. In a word, we have tried to make the library one of usefulness to people whose life is on the land."
He also encouraged Pool members--who were the only ones allowed to use the library at this time--to utilize the library to educate themselves, saying “Use it, for knowledge is power”.
Once the library was open to all Pool members, Hull wrote a regular column for The Scoop Shovel called “In the Library”, in which he would review books and recommend reading in response to frequent questions from members. When the library gained new books, which was almost continually, he would list them and sometimes discuss them.
The library service was a mailing one; the main collection was kept at the Manitoba Wheat Pool central office in Winnipeg and members could request a catalogue of all the library holdings. If they wanted to borrow a book or books on a specific topic, they could write to Hull and the books would be mailed out to the member and returned by mail, all postage costs covered by the Pool Library.
During the crisis of the early 1930s, the library was saved because the Manitoba Co-operative Conference believed it was vital to the success of the Pools and the co-operative movement. The Conference took over administration of the Pool library in 1931, leasing the books and equipment from the Wheat Pool. The library was formally incorporated under a charter after it changed hands, the other charters members being the Co-operative Marketing Board and the United Farmers of Manitoba.
In 1935 the service was made available free of charge to all rural Manitobans with the financial support of the Co-op Marketing Board. By 1939, Manitoba Pool Elevators had begun to prosper again, and took back responsibility for the administration and housing of the library. The traveling library was also established around this time, and hundreds of boxes were distributed to all MPE points. The boxes were rotated and refreshed twice a year.
In 1942 Hull estimated that there were approximately 4,700 books in the Pool Library with an annual circulation of 4,000 to 5,000 books. Operating the library cost around two thousand dollars per year, although the cost was split between the members of the Manitoba Co-operative Conference, at least it was in theory. The Pool library ran as a free service to all rural Manitobans, regardless of whether they were members of the Pool, and the federal government census in 1941 indicates that over half of Manitoba’s population (56%) still lived in rural areas. In 1948, the majority of the Pool Library’s services were rendered unnecessary by an act called the “Public Libraries Act” that had been passed by the Manitoba legislature on April 22, 1948, and would go into effect July 1, 1948. The act provided for the establishing of a provincial “Public Library Advisory Board” that would be appointed by the government. Once the board had been established, the act allowed for the establishment of municipal and regional libraries that would be the administrative responsibility of the municipality or region they served and would be supported by a land tax levied on the population that would have access to the library. All employees of the central provincial library would be considered civil servants.
When the Provincial Library was being established in 1949, the Minister in charge of education--Ivan Shultz--actively sought both the advice of those who operated the Pool Library and the physical resources of the Library. In a letter to W.J. Parker, the President of Manitoba Pool Elevators, Shultz wrote that: "We find that in looking at the province as a whole that the box library service of the Manitoba Pool Elevators is the best developed and the best distributed within the province... We would feel that to a considerable extent you had pioneered in this field and we would be using your accomplishments as a springboard for a wider coverage of the province and an enlargement of the service."
He also requested that Miss E.L. Shields—the Pool Librarian--be released from Pool employment so that the Provincial Library could hire her for a year to aid in setting up the new library system.
An agreement was reached between MPE and the Provincial Library, and the bulk of the Pool Library was transferred to the province. The Pool retained the volumes it wished to keep as reference for its employees, and donated the rest of the open shelf library to the province. The traveling library service was sold at a discount to the province, with the caveat that service not be interrupted during the transfer and that the quality of service to rural Manitoba not diminish once the Library had been entirely transferred to the government. In a letter to Ivan Shultz after the agreement to sell the traveling library had been reached, W.J. Parker wrote that: "...Manitoba Pool Elevators has maintained an open shelf library for a period of some twenty years. These books have been made available to anyone in Manitoba, outside the City of Winnipeg, and the postage both ways was paid by the Pool. We feel it has served a very useful purpose, but that it is not primarily our function and if the government proposes to offer a more complete and universal service we are prepared to retire from the field and avoid what might be considered unnecessary duplication."
Scope and Content
Series contains items once held as part of the Manitoba Pool Library. It has been divided into the following four sub-series: (1) MPE E 1 Manitoba Pool Library publications; (2) MPE E 2 The Scoop Shovel; (3) MPE E 3 The Manitoba Cooperator; and (4) MPE E 4 Pamphlet collection.
File consists of certificates regarding the Labour Relations Act and applications by Brandon University Non-Academic Staff Association, Brandon University, Brandon University Faculty Association and the Manitoba Government Employees Association.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 2: Board of Governors
2.1 Documents
Box 1
File consists of correspondence and recommendations of the Social Science Research Council of Canada on the proposed granting council for the social sciences and humanities.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 2: Board of Governors
2.4 Correspondence and subject files
Box 6
