Memorable Manitobans: Frederick Drury Baragar (1891-1964)

Frederick Drury Baragar Click to enlarge

Educator.

Born at Stirling, Hastings County, Ontario on 28 September 1891, son of Charles Inkerman Baragar and Emily Bell, brother of Charles A. Baragar, he moved with his family to the Elm Creek district of Manitoba at an early age. He graduated from United College in 1914 and attended the Faculty of Education at the University of Toronto. In 1919 he joined the staff of St. John’s High School in Winnipeg, while continuing postgraduate studies at Chicago, Cambridge and the University of Wales at Aberystwyth. He was Principal of Principal Sparling School for eight years and of Laura Secord School for 19 years. After his retirement as a Principal in 1957, he taught at St. John’s High School for another two years.

During the First World War, he served overseas with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and was awarded the Military Cross. He was a Major in a reserve artillery unit during the Second World War.

On 31 December 1919, he married Edith Anne Robertson (1895-1988) at Winnipeg. They had three children: Peggy Paragar (wife of S. D. Sanders), Fletcher Drury Baragar (1927-2022), and Michael John Baragar (1931-2012). He served as a Sunday School Superintendent for St. John’s United Church and Augustine United Church, President of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society (1946-1947), and an executive member of the Manitoba Geographical Society. He belonged to the Mentors’ Club and the Schoolmasters’ Club, Winnitoba Campers Association, and was a member of the Board of Regents of United College.

He died at Winnipeg on 3 October 1964 and was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery. A collection of his papers are held in the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections.

See also:

“Are You ‘Doing Your Bit’?”: Edith Robertson, Letter-Writing, and Women’s Contributions in First-World-War Winnipeg by Andrea Martin and Tyyne Petrowski
Manitoba History, Number 82, Fall 2016

Cool Things in the Collection: The Baragar Letters
Manitoba History, Number 88, Fall 2018

Sources:

Attestation Papers, Canadian Expeditionary Force, Library and Archives Canada.

Marriage registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

The History of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society by Haraldur Victor Vidal, MA thesis, University of Manitoba, 1958.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 5 October 1964, page 29.

Obituary [Michael John Baragar], Winnipeg Free Press, 7 November 2012.

Obituary [Fletcher Drury Baragar], Winnipeg Free Press, 7 May 2022.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

We thank Mireille Theriault (Manitoba Teachers’ Society) for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 7 May 2022

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!