MHS Centennial Organization: Brandon College / Brandon University

Link to:
Presidents | Chancellors | Dean of Women | Honorary Degrees

Faculties:
Arts | Education | Music | Science

In the summer of 1899, Brandon College was established in Brandon by the Baptist Union of Western Canada, on the foundation of S. J. McKee’s Brandon Academy established in Brandon in 1891 after several years of successful operation in Rapid City from in the early 1880s. McKee had arrived in Rapid City in the wake of the creation and collapse of Prairie College, the first attempt by Baptists (in this case Dr. John Crawford, formerly of the Canadian Bible Institute at Woodstock, Ontario) to establish a post-secondary Baptist institution in Western Canada. Because Baptists were committed to separation of education institutions from the state, the founders of Brandon College rejected any affiliation with the state-sponsored University of Manitoba. Failing to gain a charter from the Manitoba government, Brandon College affiliated with McMaster University in 1912.

Until 1938 graduates of Brandon College received degrees with the imprimatur of McMaster University. In 1938 the Baptist Union of Western Canada withdrew its financial support from the College. In that year, the College affiliated with the University of Manitoba as a non-denomination college granting University of Manitoba degrees. In 1967, Brandon College became Brandon University through an Order-in-Council approved by the Duff Roblin government under the existing Universities Establishments Act. In 1998, Brandon University finally received its own charter through the Brandon University Act.

The MHS Centennial Organization Award was presented to Brandon University President Louis P. Visentin by MHS President Gordon Goldsborough on 27 May 2004.

Presidents

Period

President

1899-1912

Archibald P. McDiarmid (1852-1946)

1912-1923

Howard Primrose Whidden (1871-1952)

1923-1924

Franklin W. Sweet (1869-1924)

1925

Harris L. McNeill (?-?) (Acting)

1925-1926

David Bovington

1927-1928

Harris L. McNeill (?-?) (Acting)

1928-1959

John Robert Charles Evans (1891-1959)

1960-1969

John Everett Robbins (1903-1995)

1970-1977

Andrew Lloyd Dulmage (1917-1989)

1977-1983

Harold Jackson “Jack” Perkins (1930-2019)

1984-1985

Earl John “Curly” Tyler (1913-1997)

1985-1990

John Mallea

1990-2000

C. Dennis Anderson

2000-2009

Louis P. Visentin

2009-2014

Deborah Poff

2014-2017

Gervan Fearon

2017-2019

Steven Robinson - Acting

2019-?

David Docherty

Chancellors

Period

President

1967-1970

Maitland Bernard Steinkopf (1912-1970)

1970-1990

Stanley Howard Knowles (1908-1997)

1990-1996

Ronald Dean Bell (1932-2020)

1996-2002

Kevin Patrick Kavanagh (1932-2020)

2002-2008

Edward Richard Schreyer

2008-2012

Stephen Henry Champ (1937-2012)

2013-2021

Michael B. Decter

2021-?

Mary Jane McCallum

Dean of Women

Period

Dean

1926-1927

Jennie Mason “Jane” Turnbull (1895-1966)

1927-1934

Annie Evans Wright (1881-1959)

1936-1953

Sarah Persis Johnson Darrach (1886-1974)

1953-1967

Flora Cruickshank Cowan (1902-1986)

Arts

Period

Dean

1921-1928

Harris L. McNeill (?-?)

1928-1935

William Burton Hurd (1894-1950)

1935-1937

C. F. Richards

1937-?

E. M. Whidden

?-?

Frederick James “Fred” Westcott (1904-1961)

?-1965

?

1965-1972

Ralph Frederick Breach King (c1922-2002)

1972-1980

Michael Blanar

1981-1993

Peter John Calveley Hordern

1993-1999

Robert E. Florida

2000-2007

C. Scott Grills

2007

Reinhold Kramer - Acting

2008-2009

Steven Robinson - Acting

2009-2014

G. Bruce Strang

2015-2019

Demetrious Tryphonopoulos

2019-?

Lisa Robson - Acting

Education

Period

Dean

1952-1954

John Earnest McKim Young (1913-?)

1954-1967

Wilfred Whyte McCutcheon (1919-2008)

1967-1969

John A. B. McLeish (1913-1995)

1970-1971

Gerald Thorneycroft Rimmington

1971-1977

Ralph R. Pippert (1922-2014)

1977-1987

Dale T. Hayes

1987-1988

Ralph R. Pippert (1922-2014)

1989-1994

Robin J. Enns

1994-1996

Frederick Renihan

1996-1998

Gerald Richards

1998-2000

Ronald Common

2000-2001

Robin J. Enns - Acting

2001-2005

Tom B. MacNeill

2005-2010

Jerry Thomas Storie

2010-2013

Sal Badali

2013-?

Heather Duncan

Music

Period

Director

1967-1981

Lorne Watson (1919-2010)

Science

Period

Dean

1965-1966

Henry Stewart Perdue (1904-1979)

1967-1970

David Ross Moir (1918-2003)

1970-1972

Westley George “Wes” Wong (1922-2004) - Acting

1972-1974

David Ross Moir (1918-2003)

1974-1975

John Langton Tyman

1976

A. P. Miiller - Acting

1977-1982

Robin Arthur Giles

1982-1993

Peter Letkeman (1938-2020)

1994-1996

Roger F. C. Smith (?-2019)

1996-1998

?

1998

Roger F. C. Smith (?-2019) - Acting

1999-2005

Janet S. Wright

2005-2011

Austin F. Gulliver

2012-2013

Phillip Goernert - Acting

2013-2016

Andrew Egan

2016-2017

Austin F. Gulliver - Acting

2017-?

Bernadette F. Ardelli

Honorary Degree Recipients (1967-2021)

Recipient

Year

Murray Adaskin

1972

Arthur Amoitte

1994

Randy Bachman

2001

Robert Earl Beamish (1916-2001)

1988

Ronald Dean Bell (1932-2020)

2006

Wilfred Gordon “Bill” Bigelow (1913-2005)

1967

Heather Bishop

2011

Ray Bollman

2011

Tom Breneman

2008

Beatrice Alice Brigden (1894-1977)

1973

Samuel Bronfman (1889-1971)

1969

James Stinson Brown (1923-2009)

2004

Douglas Lloyd Campbell (1895-1995)

1967

Sharon Carstairs

2003

Stephen Henry Champ (1937-2012)

2005

D. P. Chang

2002

Matthew Choptuik

2002

Andrew Hill Clark (1911-1975)

1975

Tom Cochrane

2005

Maurice Joseph Cooney (1913-1982)

1973

Flora Cowan (1902-1986)

1967

Laurence Harold Cragg

1976

Stuart Criddle (1877-1971)

1968

Burton Cummings

2001

Sarah Persis Johnson Darrach (1886-1974)

1971

Remi DeRoo

1987

Lisa de Wilde

2015

Eric Lyle Dick

2014

Walter Gilbert Dinsdale (1916-1982)

1977

Gary Albert Doer

2011

Maurice Stanton Donovan

1973

Kenneth Dorter

2008

Shirley Douglas

2005

Thomas Clement “Tommy” Douglas (1904-1986)

1970

Henry Edmison “Harry” Duckworth (1915-2008)

1982

W. Yvon Dumont

2000

Ferdinand Eckhardt (1902-1995)

1990

Sophie-Carmen “Sonia” Fridman Eckhardt-Gramatté (1899-1974)

1970

James Ehnes

2005

Frank Henry Epp

1975

Leonard Salusbury “Len” Evans (1929-2016)

2001

Marlene Fitzsimmons

2009

Theoren Fleury

2015

Larry Phillip “Phil” Fontaine

2010

Eric Friesen

2016

Chief Dan George

1973

Betty Gibson (1911-2001)

1977

George Gooden

1993

Charles Gordon

1994

John King Gordon (1900-1989)

1974

Elizabeth Grant

2009

James Henry Gray (1906-1998)

1974

Audrey Engle Hawthorn

1984

Harry B. Hawthorn

1975

August James Henzel

1980

Paul Gerhardt Hiebert (1892-1987)

1974

Tomson Highway

1996

Milton Carman Holden (1903-1975)

1967

Robert Dudley Howland

1974

Linda Hutcheon

2018

Diedre Irons

2007

Tom Jackson

2021

Grettir Leo Johannson (1905-1985)

1975

Martin Wesley Johns

1972

Basil Johnston

2009

James Kale

2001

Brian Keating

2009

Stanley Howard Knowles (1908-1997)

1967

Anton Kuerti

2012

John Lane (1903-1975)

1971

Jean Margaret “Peggy” Wemyss Laurence (1926-1987)

1975

Philip S. Lee

2015

Stephen H. Lewis

2010

Peter M. Liba (1940-2007)

2004

John Walter Grant MacEwan (1902-2000)

1969

Rev. Harris L. MacNeill

1967

Laurence Gladwyn MacPherson

1975

Lydia Makhubu

1995

Henry Heard Marshall (1916-1994)

1974

Paul Martin

2016

Wilfred Whyte McCutcheon (1919-2008)

1989

Don McDougall

2001

Wilfrid Forrest McGregor (1902-1968)

1967

Frederick George McGuinness (1921-2011)

1997

Gerald A. McKinney

1985

Thomas Hector MacDonald McLeod (1918-2008)

1987

William Ormond Mitchell

1974

William Morrison

2007

Erin Moure

2008

Lorne Munroe

2008

Andy Murray

2017

Annette Osted

2012

Shirley Jo Paine

2008

Fred Penner

2007

Donald Henry “Don” Penny (1939-2019)

1999

Garry Peterson

2001

Leo Pettipas

1999

Mitchell “Mitch” Podolak (1947-2019)

2015

Robert C. Prus

2002

Philipe Andre Renaud

1971

Helen Clara Gerring Riesberry (1916-2010)

1972

Christopher Riley (1896-1969)

1969

John Everett Robbins (1909-1995)

1974

Donald Alexander “Don” Robertson (1935-2019)

1992

Lloyd Robertson

2013

Brent Roussin

2021

Buffy Sainte-Marie

2011

Benjamin Schachter

1995

Peggy Agnes Sharpe (1914-2005)

1998

Victor Joseph Houston Sharpe (1918-2009)

2003

Ian Cormack Palmer Smith

2001

David Bradshaw Stewart (1916-2006)

1992

Maurice Frederick Strong (1929-2015)

1968

Lawrence Adne Stuckey (1921-2001)

1997

Christopher Summerville

2014

Eli Taylor

1998

Miriam Toews

2006

Paul Henrik Thorbjorn Thorlakson (1895-1989)

1970

James Harvey Tolton (1898-1987)

1976

Jon Vickers

1976

Bill Wallace

2001

Norma E. Walmsley (c1921-2011)

1988

John Henry Warkentin

1987

Lorne Watson (1919-2010)

1993

Lewis Davidson “Lew” Whitehead (1926-1996)

1990

John R. Wiens

2000

Warren Winkler

2007

Kenneth Winters

1989

Westley George “Wes” Wong (1922-2004)

2000

William Lewis Wright

1969

Norma Wylie

2001

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Brandon College and Clark Hall Buildings (270 Eighteenth Street, Brandon)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: S. J. McKee Archives / Brandon University Archives (270 Eighteenth Street, Brandon)

“Only Brandon Men Can and Will Save It”: Boosterism, Brandon College, and the Crisis of the Great Depression by Tom Mitchell and W. R. Morrison
Manitoba History, Number 24, Autumn 1992

McKee of Brandon College by Tommy McLeod
Manitoba History, Number 40, Autumn/Winter 2000-2001

“To Bestir Themselves:” Canadian Baptists and the Origins of Brandon College by Tommy McLeod
Manitoba History, Number 56, October 2007

Brandon University

Sources:

“Brandon U to honor four,” Winnipeg Free Press, 19 April 1969.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Tom Mitchell.

Page revised: 31 May 2023