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authority records
Borden, Alice Victoria
UBCA-ARC · Person · 1907-1971

Alice Borden (née Witken) obtained her B.A. at the University of California in 1930. She married the noted archaeologist Charles Borden in 1931. Borden studied at the University of Heidelberg (1935-1936), taught at her private kindergarten, and later became the first Director of the University of British Columbia's Child Study Centre (1961-1963). After that, she served as a professor in the Faculty of Education until 1970.

Biely, Jacob
University of British Columbia · Person · 1903-1981

Jacob Biely, an internationally recognized poultry scientist, was born in Russia. He came to Canada with his family following the Russian Revolution and enrolled at the University of British Columbia in 1922. Biely graduated in 1926 with a B.Sc. in agriculture. He took a Masters's degree in science at Kansas State College (1929) before returning to UBC, where he earned his M.Sc. in Agriculture (1930). Biely worked for the Canadian National Research Council before joining the UBC Department of Poultry Science faculty full-time in 1935. In 1952, he succeeded E.A. Lloyd as head of the department. Following the Faculty of Agriculture reorganization in 1955, Biely became Chairman of Poultry Sciences, a position he held until his retirement in 1968.

Black, Sam, 1913-1998
University of British Columbia · Person · 1913-1998

Noted British Columbia artist and art educator Sam Black was born in Ardrossan, Scotland, on 5 June 1913. He graduated from the Glasgow School of Arts in 1936. After receiving his Teachers Certificate and Art Teachers Diploma in 1937, he taught art in primary and secondary schools in Scotland. Black also continued his study of art in London, Paris and Brussels before World War II. When the war began in 1939, Black enlisted in the Royal Scottish Fusiliers and received a commission in the Officer Corps. Shortly thereafter, he became a camouflage officer. Black saw military action in France, Belgium and Germany and was decorated with three military stars, the Defence Medal, an Oak Leaf and the Belgian Medaille Civile for bravery. During the war, Black also worked for the War Artists Advisory Committee. His paintings are now in the permanent collection of the Imperial War Museum in London. Black married Elizabeth Morton Howie on 3 May 1941. Following the war, Black served as a school inspector for the British Ministry of Education from 1946 to 1949 and then as a Principal Lecturer in Arts at the Jordanhill Training College in Glasgow. In 1957, Black was a visiting professor at the University of British Columbia, teaching art at the summer school session. The following year, he joined the faculty at UBC as a professor of fine arts and art education. He enjoyed a distinguished career at UBC, remaining there until his retirement in 1978. In 1970, Black became the second faculty member to receive the Master Teacher award. Black's numerous public speaking engagements allowed him to share his ideas about art and education with various audiences. Black also contributed to the professional literature in his field. He participated in various art and education organizations -- he was a founding member and vice president of the International Society for Education Through Art. In addition, he served as president of the Canadian Society for Education Through Art.

Black was also one of British Columbia's most outstanding artists. He was an accomplished artist in watercolours, acrylics, oils, and graphic prints: woodcuts and lithographs. Throughout his career, Sam Black received many honours and awards for his artwork. He was elected to the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colour (1953), the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour [CSPWC] (1963) and the Print and Drawing Council of Canada (1964). Black received the CSPWCs Honour Award for "Me and My Straw Hat" (1983), "Church at Castro Marin" (1985), and "Encroaching Flowers" (1992). His painting "Old Pals" was selected for the CSPWCs Diamond Jubilee Collection presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for the Royal Collection of Drawings and Watercolours at Windsor Castle. A Black print was selected for reproduction as part of the Expo 86 print collection. One of Black's most prestigious honours came in 1977 when he was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. In 1990, the City of Vancouver commissioned Black to design street banners. Perhaps one of the unique tributes paid to Black came in the form of Stewart Grant's concert work for a full orchestra inspired by the coastal imagery of Black's paintings and prints. The "Sam Black Sketches" consists of nine inter-connected sections bases on a single piece or collection of pieces. The world premiere of "Sketches" took place at the Yates Memorial Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta, in May 1988 [a recording of the performance is included in the fonds.] "Sketches" was later performed in other Canadian cities and was also broadcast by CBC radio. Although accomplished in many art forms, it is perhaps his watercolour paintings for which Black is best known. While his watercolours and other artwork include many different subjects, there is a "maritime" theme too much of his work. In particular, his art depicts land- and seascapes along the British Columbia coast. The affinity for maritime life probably dates back to his childhood growing up in Adrossan, a coastal town in western Scotland. His family home overlooked a small harbour. Black's father, James, who served in the Royal Navy, built boats with his son, who often went to an offshore island to study birds, a subject which would later become a common element in his artwork. Black often carried a sketchbook around with him wherever he went. These sketches served as a sort of memory or reference for possible future paintings. He also took many photographs, particularly during his travels. Still, he later explained that he preferred sketching his subjects because that would allow him to focus on various aspects, including proportion, scale, patterns, etc. Black was a powerful proponent of accurate observation and recording and talked about the importance of attention to detail. The artist heeded his own advice is evident from his artwork, particularly in his rendering of groups of seagulls, geese or crows where each bird is individually positioned and seems to project its own unique personality. Following his retirement from UBC, Black and his wife Elizabeth retired to Bowen Island. For many years Black had commuted between Bowen Island and Vancouver. There he continued to create many new paintings and other artwork. During his retirement, he continued to be recognized nationally and internationally for his outstanding creativity. In 1990, UBC honoured Black by conferring upon him the degree Doctor of Letters, honoris causa.

Bourne, Charles Beresford,
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1921-2012

Charles Beresford Bourne was born in Barbados in 1921. He married Barbara (daughter of Glenville and Dorothy Farmer) on 20 August 1949. The Bournes have three children: Frances, Peter, and Angela. Charles Bourne received post-secondary degrees from the University of Toronto (BA 1945) and St. John's College, Cambridge (LLM, 1947), and the University of Toronto (SJD 1970). He was called to the Bars of Middle Temple (1947), Barbados (1949), and British Columbia (1957). He began his academic career at the University of Saskatchewan in the College of Law in 1947. He remained there until 1950 when he accepted a position at the University of British Columbia, an associate professor from 1950-1957, and then a full professor. Bourne served as Academic-in-Residence of the legal Bureau Department of External Affairs, Ottawa (1971-72), Honorary Solicitor and member of the Board of Governors for Vancouver School of Theology (1971-80) and Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Yearbook of International Law (1962-92). He also served as president of the Canadian British International Law Association (1961-64) and the Canadian Council of International Law (1978-80). Bourne was a member of the UBC Senate and served as an advisor to the President with responsibility for relations between the University and the Faculty Association (1975-1986). Bourne specialized in administrative, constitutional, and international law, emphasizing international drainage basins and environmental protection. He retired from UBC in 1986.

Borden, Charles E.
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1905-1978

Charles E. Borden, the grandfather of British Columbia archaeology, was born in New York City on May 15, 1905. Shortly after that, he accompanied his widowed mother to her family home in Germany, where he was raised. At the age of 22, after accidentally discovering he was an American citizen, Borden returned to the United States. He enrolled at the University of California at Los Angeles, from which he received his B. A. for German Literature in 1932. He continued his German studies at the Berkeley campus of the University of California. He later secured an M.A. in 1933 and a Ph.D. in 1937. In addition, he held a brief teaching assignment at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Borden joined the Department of German faculty at the University of British Columbia in 1939 and remained a member until his retirement.
As a result of various circumstances, including the difficulty of securing research materials from Germany during World War II and the post-war period, Borden became increasingly more interested in a subject closer to home, the archaeology of British Columbia. Borden began his archaeological career with a small privately funded dig in the Point Grey area in 1945. He gradually expanded the scope of his archaeological research to include major surveys throughout the province, salvage archaeology and in-depth studies of Fraser Canyon and Delta areas. In 1949 he was appointed Lecturer in Archaeology in the Department of Sociology and Archaeology at the University of British Columbia while retaining his German department responsibilities.
From 1949 to 1978, Borden established a highly respected and internationally visible presence in archaeology as an instructor, an author, an editor, a researcher, and a spokesman for his chosen discipline throughout the balance of his career. His publications reflect his principal interest in archaeology, cultural-historical synthesis. He developed the Uniform Site Designation Scheme, which has been adopted in most of Canada. In addition to his academic contributions to archaeology, Borden also devoted considerable energy to securing provincial legislation to protect archaeological sites. In conjunction with Wilson Duff, he was responsible for the passage in British Columbia of the 1960 Archaeological and Historic Sites Protection Act and the creation of the Archaeological sites Advisory Board. Borden married Alice Victoria Witkin in 1931. They had two sons, John Harvey and Richard Keith. Alice Borden pioneered the development of numerous new techniques in pre-school education throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Her papers are available at the University of British Columbia Archives. Alice Borden predeceased her husband in 1971. In 1976 Borden married his second wife, Hala. Charles E. Borden died Christmas afternoon 1978, having that morning completed editing a chapter in a book on the prehistory of Northwest Coast art.

Birney, Earle, 1904-1995
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1904-1995

Born in Calgary, Alberta, Earle Birney was educated in British Columbia, Toronto and California. He lectured in English at the University of Toronto from 1936 to 1941 when he left to serve overseas. After the war, he worked for the CBC in 1945, and in 1946 he joined the Department of English at the University of British Columbia, where he taught the first credit course in creative writing offered by a Canadian university. During the next two decades, Birney added more writing courses and tutorials to the curriculum. In 1964 he became editor of the literary magazine Prism International and affiliated it with the creative writing programme. Birney retired from UBC in 1965 to become a writer-in-residence at Scarborough College at the University of Toronto – soon after he left, UBC officially established the programme he founded as the Department of Creative Writing.
He was a well-known poet and writer, publishing novels, volumes of poetry, short stories, essays and plays. His honours include the Governor General's medal for poetry (twice); the Lorne Pierce gold medal for Literature, the University of Ontario President's medal for poetry; and the Stephen Leacock medal for humourous writing (for his novel Turvey). Birney died in September 1995.

Akrigg, Helen B., 1921-
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1921-

Helen Manning was born in Prince Rupert in 1921, grew up in Victoria and attended UBC in Vancouver for her third and fourth years. She earned a B.A in 1943. At UBC she met and married Philip Akrigg [1913-2001] who taught in the English Department. Akrigg wrote her Master's Thesis on the History and Economic Development of the Shuswap Area in 1964. The couple had three children, Marian, Daphne and Mark. They owned a lakeshore lot on Shuswap Lake at Celista and spent summers there.

The Akriggs co-authored 1001 British Columbia Place Names, British Columbia Place Names and two volumes of British Columbia Chronicle.

Bewley, Lois M., 1927-
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1927-

Lois Bewley was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1927, and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia in 1947. She then went on to study library science, graduating from the University of Toronto with a BLS (1949) and later from the University of Illinois with an MSLS (1966). After working as a librarian and lecturing in the field, Bewley joined the School of Librarianship at UBC in 1969. She worked extensively in various professional associations, including the British Columbia Library Association and the Canadian Library Association. She was involved on numerous committees and panels in British Columbia and the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Interested in legislation affecting the financing and structure of public libraries in general, Bewley was active in the 1970s in the Library Development Commission, which sought to restructure public libraries in British Columbia.

University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1913-2001

Born in Calgary in 1913, George Philip Vernon Akrigg received a B.A. (1937) and M.A. (1940) from the University of British Columbia and his Ph.D. from the University of California (1944). He began his UBC teaching career in the Dept. of English in 1941. The author of many scholarly articles and books, Akrigg continued his research in British Columbia history after his retirement in 1978. He died in 2001.

Ames, Michael M., 1933-
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1933-2006

Michael Ames was born in Vancouver and attended the University of British Columbia, where he graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology in 1956. He continued his education at Harvard University, earning his Ph.D. in Social Anthropology in 1961. Ames returned to UBC as an assistant professor in 1964, rising to full professor in 1970. In addition to his work in the department, Ames also became Director of the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) in 1974. From 1974 to 1976, Ames was president of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, which was established in 1968 with funding from the Government of India to promote Indian studies in Canada. A recipient of the Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in 1970-1971, Ames was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1979 and promoted as a Fellow of the Society for Applied Anthropology in 1996. Ames also has an extensive list of publications in a broad range of topics, from religion and social organizations in South Asia, First Nations issues to museums and popular culture, including the monograph Cannibal Tours & Glass Boxes: The Anthropology of Museums, published by the University of British Columbia in 1993.
Ames retired from the MOA directorship at the end of June 1997 and received emeritus professor status in 1998. From 1998 to 2002, Ames co-taught with adjunct professor Jim Green several undergraduate anthropology courses on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. He also chaired the Dean of Arts First Nations Language Programme advisory committee from 1998 to 2002. In 2002, in cooperation with Associate Dean Margery Fee and the Musqueam Band Council, a joint "Musqueam 101" seminar at Musqueam, which is loosely patterned after the Humanities 101 programme and is funded by the Provost's Office. In July 2002, Ames returned to the MOA as Acting Director for one year, which was then extended to August 2004.

Boss, Arthur Evan
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · [1899]-1949

Arthur Evan Boss graduated from UBC as part of the Arts ’21 class. He then completed an M.A. in Chemistry in 1923. Following graduation, he appears to have gone to the United States. The 1932 edition of the Graduate Chronicle listed him among the alumni with whom the organization had “lost contact.” In 1937 he was listed as a research chemist for the Columbia Alkali Corp. in Barberton, Ohio. According to the American Chemical Society, Boss died on May 18, 1949.

Boggs, Theodore Harding
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1882-1969

Theodore Harding Boggs (1882-1969) became the University of British Columbia's first economics professor and head of the Department of Economics, Sociology and Political Science from 1916 to 1930. He was born in southern India where his parents served as missionaries. He was educated at Yale (M.A. 1906) and Acadia (Ph.D. 1908) before his UBC appointment. He moved to Stanford University in 1930 and remained there until his retirement in 1947. As a member of the Faculty, he is recognized as one of the pioneers who helped to build the University of British Columbia.

Bollert, Mary Louise
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · [188-?]-1945

Mary Louise Bollert (188-?-1945) was the first Dean of Women at the University of British Columbia. She arrived at UBC in 1921 in the new role of “Advisor to Women” and became “Dean of Women” in 1922 when her position was renamed. She remained at UBC as Dean of Women until her retirement in 1941. She also held the position of Assistant Professor of English and was a member of the UBC Senate from 1933-1941. She is remembered for her fight to create proper resident accommodation for women and her creation of a women’s student loan fund to help women. She possessed a strong belief that educated women could work together to change society for the better. Mary Bollert Hall, at 6253 Northwest Marine Drive, built initially as a women’s residence, is named for her.
Mary Bollert was born in Guelph, Ontario, to Malinda (Bowers) Bollert and Ernest Robert Bollert (please see below under “Notes” for further information regarding her date of birth and other significant dates). Mary Bollert had three younger sisters, L. Grace, Helen, and Florence, and a younger brother, Ernest. She attended high school in Guelph. Subsequently, she attended the University of Toronto where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages.
There is confusion over the exact dates and titles of post-graduate degrees that she obtained. However, she did she obtain a graduate degree at the University of Toronto, studied at the Ontario Normal College, and subsequently obtained an additional post-graduate degree from Columbia University in New York. During her time in New York, she held posts as Principal of Alma College in St. Thomas and taught at Curtis High School, Horace Mann High School and Teacher’s College, Columbia University.
After her time in New York, Mary Bollert returned to Canada and worked as Dean of Women and Professor of English at Regina College (likely from 1914-1917 though here, too, there remains confusion as to dates and her exact title). At some point before 1917, she began work in Toronto with the Robert Simpson Company as its Director of Education and Social Work. In 1917, she accepted the additional role of Superintendent of Sherbourne House, a private club for businesswomen and girls in Toronto. Her sister, Florence Bollert, began as Mary’s secretary at Sherbourne House in 1917 and subsequently, became Superintendent from 1921-1946.
During her time at UBC, Mary Bollert was involved with many organizations. In 1926 she was one of two women representing Canada at the Institute of Pacific Relations in Honolulu. She was a Canadian representative at conferences of the International Federation of University Women in Paris, Geneva, and Edinburgh. She was a speaker at the International Congress of Women in 1933. In 1934 she was selected to tour Japan as one of 12 women who held the position of Dean of Women at universities across North America. When she passed away in 1945, she was the International President of the Pan-Pacific Women’s Association, a position she was first elected to in 1937.
Additionally, Mary Bollert was a charter member of the Soroptimist Club, Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Student Christian Movement, UBC, National President of the University Women’s Club, Honorary Secretary of the Women’s Canadian Club, Honorary Regent of the University Chapter of the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire, member of the Toronto University Alumni Association, member of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, as well as a member of St-Andrew’s-Wesley United Church in Vancouver.

Black, Charlotte Scott
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1902-1979

Charlotte Scott Black (1902-1979) was born in Nelson, B.C., in 1902. She graduated from the University of Manitoba with a B.Sc. in Home Economics in 1925 and began teaching in Vancouver schools in that year. Black joined the faculty of the School of Home Economics at the University of Washington in 1941. Her primary responsibility was the establishment and development of the Home Management House. With the establishment of the Department of Home Economics at UBC, she was invited to join the faculty and accepted. In 1946, she was made head of the department following the resignation of Dorothy Lefevbre. The status of Home Economics changed from a department to a school in 1951, and Black then became director until her retirement in 1965.

Belshaw, Cyril Shirley
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1921-2018

Cyril Shirley Belshaw was born on 3 December 1921 in Waddington, New Zealand. He received an M.A. from Victoria College, New Zealand and a Ph.D. in 1949 from the London School of Economics. Before coming to the University of British Columbia in 1953, he was a research fellow at the Australian National University. Belshaw arrived at UBC in 1953 and joined the Department of Anthropology, Criminology and Sociology. In 1959 Belshaw was appointed as acting head of that department, serving as official head from 1968 to 1974. He remained on staff as a professor until his retirement in 1987. The suspicious death of his wife Betty Joy Belshaw in Switzerland in 1979 saw Belshaw go on trial for her murder, but he was acquitted. Professor Betty Joy Belshaw taught at the Department of English.

Belshaw also served as president of the Faculty Association in 1960, and in 1961 he was appointed director of the UN Regional Training Centre at UBC. He was also involved with the Senate Committee on Long-Range Objectives. In addition, he served as a consultant to the UN Bureau of Social Affairs and as editor of Current Anthropology. Outside the University, Belshaw actively participated in numerous national and international academic initiatives such as the Social Science Research Council, UNESCO, and the Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association (among others). Following his time at UBC, Belshaw continued to write and maintained involvement with publishing through Webzines of Vancouver.

University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1924-1995

Italian Renaissance scholar Danilo Aguzzi-Barbagli was born in Arezzo, Italy, in 1924. After completing undergraduate work in Italy, he received his Dottore in Lettere from the University of Florence in 1949 and Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University in 1959. Aguzzi-Barbagli began his teaching career at Vassar College, New York (1955/56), before moving on to the University of Chicago (1959-1964), and then Tulane University (1964-1971). He joined the University of British Columbia's Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies as a professor in 1971. During his career, he taught courses, published and lectured in the Italian language, Italian literature (from the late Middle Ages to the seventeenth century), and comparative literature. After retiring from UBC, Aguzzi-Barbagli died in 1995. The following year an excellent collection of sixteenth and seventeenth-century books collected by Aguzzi-Barbagli were donated to the UBC Library by Hannibal Noce.

Birney, Esther
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1908-2006

Esther Birney (née Bull) was born in 1908 in London, England, where she was active in a Trotskyist group. She met Earle Birney in London while studying at the University of London (1935/36) and returned to Canada with him, and they were married in 1940. Esther Birney received a degree in Social Work from the University of Toronto, and she remained active in this field until 1978. She and Earle Birney were divorced in 1977.

Adaskin, Gordon
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1931-2001

Born the brother of musician Harry Adaskin, Gordon was adopted by Harry and his wife Frances at the age of five, after his father's death. Although Gordon's birth mother, Rifle, was still alive, she allowed the Adaskins to adopt Gordon, following the elder Adaskin's dying wish. Gordon moved to Vancouver in 1946 and attended University Hill Junior School. He would forego his final year at University Hill in order to attend the Vancouver Art School. Subsequently, Gordon toured Europe, paying particular attention to the museums and galleries of Italy. Upon his return to Canada, Adaskin went to the Alberta College of Art and was soon hired to teach at the University of Manitoba in the Faculty of Architecture, where he remained for over twenty-five years. His artwork was regularly exhibited at the university, as well as in touring shows, two of which visited Vancouver, the home of his parents.
Adaskin, a visual artist, was also an interviewer and commentator on art and artists. He interviewed many of the leading Canadian artists of the mid-twentieth century, including B.C. Binning and Jack Shadbolt. In the early 1990s, Gordon moved to Gibsons, British Columbia and married Jan Busch, his second wife, in April 1997. Gordon Adaskin died in December 2001.

Benoit, Chantal
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1960-

Chantal Benoit, a member of Canada's Wheelchair Basketball Team, competed for Canada at five Paralympic Games, winning three gold medals (Barcelona, 1992; Atlanta, 1996; Sydney, 2000) and one bronze (Athens, 2004). She was Canada's flag bearer at Athens in 2004.

Astell, Caroline
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · [unknown]

Caroline Astell was educated at the University of British Columbia (BSc 1964, MSc 1966, Ph.D. 1970) and returned to teach there and received tenure in July of 1985. The fonds relates to her time as a Ph.D. student in the lab and her work with Nobel prize winner Michael Smith. Astell, a member of many scholarly societies, including the American Society of Microbiology and the American Society for Virology, was herself a winner of the Killam Research Award in 1985. Astell has served on a variety of organizations on campus, including the Graduate Admissions Committee and the Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship Committee. Astell has studied the replication of parvoviruses since the late 1970s and determined the complete sequence of the first autonomous virus in 1982, later extending the research to include the human B19 parvovirus, a newly recognized pathogen. She has published a variety of works, including a number co-authored with Michael Smith, including "Thermal elution of complementary sequences of nucleic acids on cellulose columns with covalently attached oligonucleotides of known length and sequence" (1972).

Beesley, John Alan
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1927-2009

John Alan Beesley (1927-2009) was born in Smithers, B.C. From 1949 to 1950, he obtained his B.A. and LL.B from the University of British Columbia. The following year, he was called to the Bar of British Columbia, where he practiced law with Crease & Co. in Victoria until 1956. In September of 1956, he joined the Department of External Affairs, and in 1967 he became the Director of the Legal Division and held this position until 1971.
Beesley's assignments have included: the Canadian Embassy in Israel; the Canadian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva (1964-1967); Assistant Under-Secretary and Legal Advisor (1972-1973); Ambassador of Canada to Austria, IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) from 1973-1976; Canadian High Commissioner to Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu (1978-1980); Ambassador for Disarmament, New York (1980-1982); Ambassador to United Nations at Geneva to the Disarmament Conference and GATT (1983-1987); Visiting professor at the University of British Columbia Law School (1987-1988); and Ambassador for Marine Conservation and Special Environmental Advisor to Canadian Foreign Minister (1989-1991). Beesley is remembered for his leading role and contributions as Ambassador to Law of the Sea Conference and Chairman of the Conference Drafting Committee from 1967 to 1983. In 2003, Beesley was invited to participate in Canada's Ratification of the Convention under Jean Chrétien.
Significant honours for Beesley have included earning honorary doctorates in Environmental Studies (University of Waterloo, 1983), and in Law (Dalhousie University, 1994). He received the Order of Canada in 1984, as well as the Prime Minister's Outstanding Public Service Award in 1983. Medals have included the Admiral's Medal for Contributions to Canadian Maritime Affairs (1993), Medal of Honour from the United Nation Association of Canada (1995), the Human Rights Medal of Honour, and the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (2002). John Alan Beesley died on 22 January 2009.

Adaskin, Harry
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1901-1994

Harry Adaskin was born in Riga, Latvia, in 1901, and later emigrated with his family to Toronto. As a child, he learned to play the violin, and at the age of twelve, he entered the Toronto Conservatory of Music. In 1923 he and three colleagues formed the Hart House String Quartet, in which Adaskin played the second violin. Sponsored by Vincent and Alice Massey, it was the first Canadian musical quartet to make an international reputation. The quartet made many concert tours of North America and Europe, and in 1928 played at Maurice Ravel's New York debut. In 1938 he resigned from the quartet, and as a freelance musician, combined musical performance with a broadcasting career. He and his wife, pianist Frances Marr Adaskin, undertook several concert tours throughout Canada and the United States. For several seasons in the 1940's Adaskin was an intermission commentator for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra's Sunday afternoon concerts, heard throughout Canada. He also hosted several CBC Radio programmes, including Musically Speaking and, later, Tuesday Night. In 1946 he became head of the new Department of Music at UBC, a post which he held until 1958 – he continued as a professor until his retirement in 1973. His circle of friends and acquaintances included Emily Carr, members of the "Group of Seven," Vincent Massey, and Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as other prominent artists. Adaskin received the Order of Canada in 1974, and honorary doctorates from Simon Fraser University in 1979 and UBC in 1980. He died in 1994.

Bennett, R.B.
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1870-1947

Richard Bedford Bennett was born in New Brunswick in 1870. Bennett was prime minister of Canada between 1930-1935 and was broadly criticized for his response to the Great Depression. During his time as prime minister, he created the Bank of Canada, the Canadian Wheat Board and the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission, which became the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Armstrong, William
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1915-1990

William Armstrong was born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1915, and graduated in Applied Science from the University of Toronto in 1937. Before becoming Dean of Applied Science at UBC, he was the head of the Department of Metallurgy for two years. After ten years in business with the Steel Company of Canada and the Ontario Research Foundation, he was appointed Associate Professor of Metallurgy at UBC in 1946. Between 1964 and 1974, he held the positions of Head of the Department of Metallurgy, Dean of Applied Science, and Deputy President. In 1974, Armstrong resigned his position at UBC to become the first Chairman of the Universities Council of B.C. and was later appointed Executive Director of the Research Secretariat.
He played a key role in the formation of TRIUMF, chaired the board of directors of the Tri-Nation body to construct a 144-inch telescope on the island of Hawaii, and served as a Director of WESTAR. His honours included an Honorary Doctor of Science from UBC in 1975 and his appointment as Member of the Order of Canada in 1982. Armstrong assumed leadership positions in the Engineering profession, the university community, and this province's educational system. He played an important role as a member of Canada's Science Council, the National Research Council, and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. He was committed to the promotion of science and research in the nation's interest. He approached every task as a challenge and an opportunity to improve the quality of life for all Canadians. He died on July 6, 1990.

Aberle, David
University of British Columbia Archives · Person · 1918-2004

David F. Aberle was an American anthropologist and author. Born in 1918 in St. Paul, Minnesota, Aberle completed a Ph.D. in Anthropology at Columbia University in 1947. After returning from a stint overseas during World War II, Aberle began his academic career teaching at Harvard University between 1947 and 1950. Having worked in New Mexico studying the Navajo and Hopi for two summers in 1949 and 1950, Aberle worked for the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs in Window Rock, Arizona, where he developed an enduring interest in Navajo culture and land rights in the Southwestern United States.
Pursuing extensive field research in Arizona in the 1960s and into the 1970s and 1980s, Aberle studied Navajo kinship patterns, economic development and the Peyote religion among the Navajo. He also became an active participant in the Navajo-Hopi land dispute before the American courts in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, centred on the issues surrounding historical land occupation, removal to Reservation lands, land use and grazing rights between the Navajo and Hopi tribes in Arizona. Aberle collaborated on a variety of exploratory reports on the subject and participated in an American Anthropological Association Ad Hoc Panel on Navajo-Hopi land claims, making recommendations to the courts and government agencies involved in the case.
From 1952 to 1960, Aberle taught in the Departments of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Michigan, moving to Brandeis University in 1961 and the University of Oregon in 1963. Aberle and his wife, Kathleen Gough Aberle, also a professor at Brandeis and Oregon, left the United States in the wake of some controversy surrounding Gough's stated position regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis, which Aberle supported. Both Gough and Aberle were known to have Marxist leanings and openly challenged the U.S.'s position toward Cuba and the war in Vietnam and actively sought university postings in Canada. Moving to Vancouver, Aberle taught at UBC in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology from 1967, becoming Professor Emeritus in 1984.
The contributor to several volumes, and author of many essays and articles, in 1962 Aberle published the book Chahar and Dagor Mongol Bureaucratic Administration: 1912-1945. In 1966, Aberle published The Peyote Religion among the Navajo and in 1974, he published Lexical Reconstruction: The Case of the Proto-Athapaskan Kinship System with Isidore Dyen. The majority of Aberle's academic career was focused on his work with the Navajo in the Southwestern U.S. David Aberle died in 2004.