In addition to working as a journalist, editor, and publisher, Fred McGuinness worked as a freelance writer or “wordsmith” as he identified himself on his business cards. Throughout his career, McGuinness would write/publish about a topic in a variety of forums and would continually re-work manuscripts. The last piece of freelance writing the S.J. McKee Archives appears to have is a un-proofed draft manuscript titled “Tommy Douglas and Me” printed on October 2, 2010.
McGuinness wrote promotional pieces for businesses such as McKenzie Seeds, The Keystone Centre, possibly Patmore’s Nursery, and Westman Communications Group. He wrote for industry magazines and newsletters such as CP Trucking News, BC Business Journal, TV Times, and Western People. He also contributed memoirs to the Manitoba History Journal. He was invited to submit contributions to the World Book Encyclopedia (1977) and Encyclopedia of Manitoba (2007).
In the 1990s, McGuinness was a consultant with the WESTARC Group, the non-profit Western Training and Applied Research Centre affiliated with Brandon University. The group was concerned with the project management, research, training, and economic development of communities and organizations in Western Canada. McGuinness would be involved in a number of economic development workshops and rural forums through his work with WESTARC.
Additional freelance work was contracted by the Manitoba government to write business profiles about Manitoban entrepreneurs; these stories/profiles were published as booklets for distribution titled: Bootstrap Two (1989), Bootstrap Three (1994), and Bootstrap Four (1995).
McGuinness’ interests in rural development lead to writing assignments for the Community Futures Program and Western Diversification Series. He accepted a five-year writing assignment for Industry Canada (1996 – 2000) and the Community Access Program, which focused on introducing the internet into rural communities.
Custodial History
Accession 1-2015 contains records created and collected over the course of McGuinness’ career as a newspaper journalist and freelance writer. The Estate of Fred McGuinness donated the materials to the SJ McKee Archives circa 2011. The Archives accessioned the records in 2015.
Scope and Content
The subseries contains records created and collected by Fred McGuinness during his time as a journalist, editor, and freelance writer in Manitoba. The records consist of research materials (e.g., newspaper clippings, copies of articles and book chapters, brochures, pamphlets), notes, drafts, copies of articles and reports, and correspondence.
Notes
Information in the history/biography was taken from documents in the Miscellaneous freelance subseries (McG 3.2)
In the file level inventories, square brackets at the 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
Finding Aid
A file level inventory is available
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Related Material
Fred McGuinness would write/publish about a topic in a number of forums. Therefore, it is possible research materials pertaining to this subseries may be found in the Fred McGuinness collection subseries: Correspondence (McG 1.2), Brandon Sun (McG 2.2), Neighborly News (McG 2.3), The Reader’s Digest (McG 3.1), Local history research (McG 4.1), and Talks and workshops (McG 6.3)
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives. Subseries has been re-arranged according to publication period
Exhibitors and participants in the fairs donated many of
these records to the Winter Fair Board. Professional photographers, hired by the Board, generated others. As well, Brandon Sun photographers took a large number of photos throughout the twentieth century. In the 1980s, the Board reprinted them and then added the reproductions to their own photograph collection. Publishing houses generated some photographs, probably as services to participants and organizers of the fairs. Finally, the Canadian government created a few of the photos.
Custodial History
Exhibitors and participants in activities at the winter fair donated many of these records to the Winter Fair Board. The Manitoba Provincial Archives housed other records and later transferred them to the McKee Archives. Most of the records were stored in the offices of the Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba until they were brought to the McKee Archives ca. 1986.
Scope and Content
Series consists primarily of black and white photographs either taken at the Winter Fair or owned by the Winter Fair Board. Subjects included are buildings and grounds, horses, livestock, poultry and eggs, exhibits, youth activities, entertainment, and dignitaries. Almost all of the materials have been excellently preserved.
BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS
Several of the pictures of the buildings and grounds are aerial photos; these date from 1949 through the 1980s. Photos taken between 1908 and 1952 depict the winter fair building, the livestock arena, the Wheat City Arena, the horse barns, and the swine barn. Photos taken from the 1960s to the early 1980s show horse barns, the Keystone Centre, and quonsets.
HORSES
Photos of horses and horse events comprise the largest number of the graphics of RG2SF2. Unlike other winter fair pictures, types of horse photos do not change throughout the twentieth century. There are many pictures of heavy horses, including Clydesdales, Belgians, and Percherons. They are usually in harness and in teams of two, four, six, and eight. They pull wagons, landaus, and carts. Heavy horses appear in photos of shows, sales, parades, ceremonies, and draft horse competitions.
Light horse photos are also numerous. There are many photos of owners and drivers with award-winning horses. Depictions of races form a prominent part of the light horse pictures; these include portrayals of chuck wagon, chariot, bike, and barrel races. Also featured are competitions like cutting, jumping, pole bending, western riding, musical chairs, hackney, costume, unicorn, and fault and out. Finally, there are many photos of ponies, including hackney, harness, and pleasure ponies.
LIVESTOCK
There are three types of livestock shown in the photos of RG2SF2: cattle, swine, and sheep. Depicted are both sales and shows of these animals. As well, there are pictures of these animals’ carcasses.
In the first forty years of the fair, people took few pictures of cattle, but after World War II, pictures of cattle became a prominent part of the Winter Fair Board’s graphic records. Featured are purebred cattle such as Angus, Hereford, Shorthorn, and Simmental. Dairy cows like Jersey and Holstein-Friesian are also notable. Some pictures depict people grooming their cattle.
Photos of swine date from 1927 through the 1980s, and include Yorkshire sows and boars, as well as market hogs. Sheep are depicted throughout the twentieth century. While most sheep photos are of shows and sales, there are some photos of sheep-shearing contests taken in the 1950s.
POULTRY AND EGGS
Poultry photos date between the 1950s and the 1970s. Featured are both chickens and game birds. Pictures of egg shows and competitions date from 1966 through the 1980s.
EXHIBITS
There are four types of exhibit photos: commercial, award, seed, and Baby Fair. Commercial exhibits date from the 1940s through the 1980s. They feature agricultural implements made by Ford, John Deere, Massey Ferguson, and Case. Photos dating from the 1970s depict commercial booths owned by such companies as Badger and Sprayer Monitor.
Award exhibits date throughout the twentieth century, and feature ribbons, plaques, and trophies. Placed on tables, these awards are mostly for winners in horse and livestock competitions.
Seed exhibits date from the 1950s through the 1970s. Included in the seed exhibit pictures are prize-winning wheat, potato, and canola seed pictures.
Baby Fair, or petting zoo, photos comprise a large portion of the graphic records of MG 2. Dating primarily from the 1970s, Baby Fair pictures depict chicks, pups, lambs, piglets, and other baby animals.
YOUTH ACTIVITIES
Most of the youth activities’ photos are of calf and pig scrambles, and date from the 1950s through the 1980s. 4-H Club activities are prominent, and include pictures of boys and male teens learning how to show and judge livestock and seed. Depicted also are fashion shows put on by female 4-H members. Finally, pictures of a hula-hoop competition dating from the 1950s are notable.
ENTERTAINMENT
Entertainment graphics date from the 1950s through the 1980s, and include ceremonies, rodeos, parades, and contests. Pictures of ceremonies depict the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Fair. Featured in these photos are winners of horse events, pipe and drum bands, and dignitaries giving speeches.
Rodeo pictures date only from the 1970s. Featured are men riding bucking broncos and cattle round-ups.
Parade photos, which date throughout the twentieth century, depict floats, six-horse teams pulling wagons, people riding horses, club entries—such as the Lions’ Club and the Neat and Nifty Sewing Club, and marching bands.
Contest pictures include fiddling competitions and dog shows. The Winter Fair Board sponsored fiddling contests sporadically, and photos of such contests date from the 1950s through the 1970s. Dog show pictures also appear intermittently in the records, such as the Mutt Show photos of the 1950s.
DIGNITARIES
Photos of dignitaries, which date throughout the twentieth century, are mostly of men. Depicted both individually and severally are members of Winter Fair Boards, municipal and provincial politicians, and local professional and business representatives. In these pictures they are usually giving speeches, signing documents, and holding meetings. Notable are the pictures of members of associations that held meetings at the winter fairs, including the Cattle Breeders Association (1960s).
The graphic materials of RG2SF2 are useful for many purposes. For one, they offer a rich visual history of the Winter Fair. From these pictures, one can ascertain the ways in which the fair has changed and expanded throughout the twentieth century. By viewing the photos of newly built buildings, for instance, one can determine that the fair expanded in size over the years.
Also valuable is the history of western Canadian agriculture that is contained in these pictures. Over the years, the types of exhibits changed at the winter fair, thus indicating the changing nature of farming. Photos of cattle, for example, reflect the changes in types of breeds raised in the west. Exotics like Simmental only appear after the late 1960s, thus indicating that this breed began to flourish in western Canada only in the second half of the twentieth century.
The number of people contained in these pictures is formidable, and the pictures of people are valuable in many ways. By studying the pictures of dignitaries associated with the fair, one can determine who the leading agricultural personalities were over the twentieth century in Brandon. As well, the photos of exhibitors offer a wide cross section of the rural residents of southwestern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan. From the pictures of exhibitors, one can establish who were the farmers and ranchers of this region, where they lived, and in what field they specialized.
The photographs of the Winter Fair, then, are valuable for many researchers. Not only do they offer a rich history of the fair, but they also offer a vivid history of the people and agriculture of southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba.
Notes
Item-level descriptions of the graphics of RG2SF1 through RG2SF4 are located on a searchable database. This database is entitled “Brandon Photographs” and can be read using Microsoft Access. “Brandon Photographs” is located on a 3½ floppy disk entitled “Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba fonds Series 9” included in this finding aid. The description of each photograph on this database includes the following information: accession number, title, date, place, physical description, scope and content, notes, creator, and copyright. By searching the database, individual photographs can be located easily. Detailed instructions on how to use the database are located in the printed finding aid.
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
RG2SF2 Manitoba Winter Fair
Related Material
Pictures of the Winter Fair may also be found on the National Archives of Canada website. The Western Canadian Pictorial Index in Winnipeg, Manitoba, houses additional graphic records of the Winter Fair.
Arrangement
Graphics for RG2SF1 through RG2SF4 are located in boxes. Graphics larger than 24 x 35 cm are located in the image mapcase, which is located in the reading room. The graphics are filed chronologically by accession number. The arrangement is as follows:
Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds; RG2SF1-RG2SF4; Series 9
Boxes 1 through 15, as follows:
Box 1 EX0001 to EX0125
Box 2 EX0157 to EX0263
Box 3 EX0265 to EX0399
Box 4 EX0400 to EX0499
Box 5 EX0500 to EX0599
Box 6 EX0600 to EX0699
Box 7 EX0700 to EX0799
Box 8 EX0800 to EX0899
Box 9 EX0900 to EX0921
Box 10 EX1000 to EX1099
Box 11 EX1100 to EX1199
Box 12 EX1200 to EX1299
Box 13 EX1300 to EX1399
Box 14 EX1400 to EX1499
Box 15 EX1549 to EX1859
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).
Francis (Eugene) Chaplin, violinist, was born in Newcastle, NB on Dec. 30th, 1927 and died in Brandon, MB on Dec. 3rd, 1993. He received his Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School in 1950, a Graduate Diploma from Juilliard in 1951, and an honorary D Mus from Mt Allison University in 1974. His childhood musical education began with Hans Graae in Newcastle, continued with Clayton Hare from 1940-45 at Mount Allison Academy in Sackville, NB and by private study in Calgary. His debut, at age 16 in Toronto, was described as brilliant. He continued at the Juilliard School as a full scholarship student with Louis Persinger 1946-49 and Ivan Galamian 1949-53, and upon graduation received the Morris Loeb Memorial Award. He moved in 1953 to Halifax, where he was concertmaster of the CBC Halifax Orchestra and the Halifax (Atlantic) Symphony Orchestra. Chaplin gave weekly recitals for Halifax CBC radio and later on national CBC TV's Souvenirs and Reflections programs. He appeared as recitalist and as soloist with major orchestras in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Quebec City, Hamilton and Halifax, and at the New York Museum of Modern Art. He was a member of the Halifax (later Brandon University) Trio and the Halifax String Quartet. The trio moved to Brandon University in 1966 and Chaplin began teaching violin and viola there in 1967. He continued as a member of the School of Music faculty until his death. Among his pupils were James Ehnes, Gwen Hoebig, Tom Williams, and other accomplished violinists. Chaplin recorded for the CBC with the Brandon Trio, and with Judy Loman and the Johnny Burt orchestra. In 1984 Chaplin recorded 10 Caprices for Solo Violin by S.C. Eckhardt-Gramatte for the Masters of the Bow label; he also edited an edition of the Caprices (Brandon University School of Music Press, 1993). Chaplin died from smoke inhalation following a house fire. - Biographical information taken from the Canadian Encyclopedia
Scope and Content
Sub-series consists of annotated musical scores and resources pertaining to teaching of private violin and viola students
Notes
Description by Donna Lowe.
Storage Range
MG 3 Brandon University Teaching and Administration
1.20 Francis Chaplin
Related Material
RG 6 Brandon University fonds, Series 7 Faculties and Schools, 7.4 School of Music.
VICE-PRESIDENTS (ACADEMIC & RESEARCH):
MEIR SERFATY (1986-1992)
Meir Serfaty was born on January 13, 1946 in Melilla, Spain (see note below*). He obtained his B.A. (Hons.) in Politics and Economics from Manchester University in 1967, his M.A. in Political Science from the University of Calgary in 1969 and his Ph.D. in Political Science from Carleton University in 1976.
Prior to coming to Brandon University in 1973, Serfaty worked as an Academic Advisor of Foreign Public Administration Students (1970-1973), the Co-ordiator of Teaching Assistants (1970-1972) and a sessional lecturer at Carelton Univeristy. He is currently a professor in the Department of Political Science. Since 1973, he has been a professor in the Department of Political Science and Department of Modern Languages (Spanish). In the winter of 1993 he was a Visiting Professor, Department of International Relations at the Universidad de las Americas, Peubla, Mexico.
Serfaty's administrative positions and appointments at Brandon Unviersity have included the following: Chair, Brandon University Tenure Appeals Committee (2005); Director, Office of International Activities (1998-2002); Chair, Department of Political Science (1995-1998, 2005); Vice-Chair, Arts Faculty Council, and occasional Acting Dean (1994 - ); member of the Executive, Board of Governors (1999 - ); Senate representative, Board of Directors (1999 - ); member of the Executive, Senate (1999 - ); member of Senate, representing professors (1995-1998, 1999 - ); Vice-President, Academic and Research (1986-1992); Director, Canadian Studies Program (1979-1985); President, BUFA (1980-81, 1983-84, 1984-85); Director of various national, regional and provincial conference; Chair of various campus committees; and a member of numerous Arts Faculty and University-wide committees.
His external positions, appoinments and professional activities have included the following: member, City of Brandon Strategic Plan Steering Committee (2004 - ); Chair, City of Brandon Electoral Review Commission (2001 - ); National Executive member, Canadian Jewish Congress (1993-1998); Chair, Consumer Conciliation Panel, Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board (South-Western Region) (1989); Executive member, Manitoba Task Force on Multiculturalism (1987-1988); Senior Acting Chair, The Manitoba Municipal Board (1982-1988); President, Western Manitoba Multicultural Council (1981-1983); has assisted the City of Brandon, the towns of Powerview and Pine Falls and Churchill, Manitoba on issues of local governance; a political commentator and analyst on election night (various radio stations) (1979-2004), as well as numerous guest appearances on local radio and television, and local and Canadian press commentaries discussing political events.
As of January 2006, Meir Serfaty continues to teach at Brandon University.
*Melilla is a town located geographically in Moroccan territory, but it is an autonomous Spanish province. (Meir Serfaty email, January 12, 2006).
SUSAN HUNTER-HARVEY (1992-1995)
Susan Hunter-Harvey was born and raised in Wisonsin, graduating with a B.A. in History from Carrol College in Wisconsin in 1964. She completed an M.A. (1967) and a Ph.D. (1968) in Political Science at the University of Hawaii. She was a Post Doctoral Fellow and lecturer at the University of Alberta and then was an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Western Ontario. Hunter-Harvey came to Brandon University from the Department of Sociology at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in 1992, where she had been teaching since 1975. In 1995, Hunter-Harvey was appointed the President of Douglas College in New Westminster, BC.
T. PATRICK CARRABRE (1995 - 2001)
* Additional biographical information on Patrick Carrabre is located under RG 6, sub sub series 7.4.1 (Director of the School of Music).
T. Patrick Carrabre was born in 1958. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in 1980 from the University of Manitoba. He went on to study at the Banff Centre of Fine Arts and the University of Western Ontario before working closely with Pulitzer and MacArthur Award winning composer George Perle. Carrabre obtained his Ph.D. from the City University of New York.
Prior to coming to Brandon University in 1992, as the Dean of Music, Carrabre was the Performing Arts Officer with the Manitoba Arts Council, where he managed the granting programs in Dance, Music and Theatre. After more than a year as Acting Vice-President (Academic & Research), the Board of Governors approved his appointment at its December 19, 1996 meeting.
Carrabre has worked closely with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra since 1992. He is currently (March 2006) the orchestra's Composer-in-Residence, a position he assumed in 2001, after five year's in the role of "Associate Composer." In addition to his work writing music, he is also a co-curator of the WSO's wildly successful New Music Festival.
At present (March 2006), Patrick Carrabre continues to teach in the School of Music.
JEFFERY GEORGE WILLIAMS (2001 - June 30, 2007)
Jeff Williams was born in Stoke-on-Trent, England, 3 May 1945. He is a graduate of the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, with a Bachelor of Science degree (1966) and a Ph.D. (1969), both in Mathematical Physics. Subsequently, he was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Alberta and Solvay Fellow at the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium.
Williams worked as hospital statistician at the Queen Elizabeth Medical Centre in the United Kingdom before moving to Canada. After serving as a faculty member at Okanagan University College and Mount Saint Vincent University in Nova Scotia, Dr. Williams and his wife, Edith-Mary Smith, came to Brandon in 1986 where Dr. Williams took up a faculty appointment in the Department of Mathematics & Computer Science at Brandon University.
Williams has taught a wide range of mathematics courses, from elementary statistics to advanced calculus and, in 1992, he received the Brandon University Senate Award for Excellence in Teaching. He was Chair of the Department of Mathematics & Computer Science for seven years.
In 1991, Williams was elected to membership in the province-wide Winnipeg Institute for Theoretical Physics and served a term as Institute Director. His major research interests are in theoretical/mathematical physics and specifically in “general relativity” – the geometric theory of gravitation. Dr. Williams has published over forty articles in learned journals, has edited two books, and is an active member of the general relativity community, both in Canada and internationally. His hobbies include mountain walking and creative writing. For a number of years, Dr. Williams was President of the Brandon Writers Club and edited a number of issues of Brandon University’s electronic magazine, Ecclectica.
Jeff Williams became Acting Vice-President (Academic & Research) on 1 September 2001, and was appointed Vice-President (Academic & Research) on February 28, 2002.
SCOTT GRILLS (July 1, 2007 - present)
See RG 6, Series 7 (Faculties and Schools), 7.1 (Faculty of Arts), 7.1.1 (Dean of Arts) for biographical information on Scott Grills.
Notes
A partial inventory for the sub-series exists as a Word document. Biographical information on Meir Serfaty was taken from the curriculum vitae he made available to the Archives (January 2006) - see biography files "Meir Serfaty". Biographical information on Susan Hunter-Harvey was taken from her personnel file (Dean of Arts). Carrabre and Williams provided their own biographical information.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 4: Office of the Vice-President
