Herbert Douglas Kemp (1913-1997)

Teacher, historian.

Born at Regina, Saskatchewan on 11 June 1913, he was raised in the Galt area of southern Ontario. He was stationed in Manitoba with the Air Force Medical Corps during World War II. After the war he earned an MA in History and a degree in Education from the University of Manitoba. His MA thesis, written in 1950, was entitled The Department of the Interior in the West 1873 - 1883 is still recognized as a standard reference by scholars. He taught in the Winnipeg School Division from 1952 until his retirement in 1976. He taught at Robert H. Smith School and Lord Selkirk High School but spent most of his teaching years at Elmwood High School where he shared his keen interest in Canadian history with his students and colleagues.

He was very active in the Manitoba Historical Society during the time of its growth in the 1950s and served as President from 1959 to 1961. He worked tirelessly for many years on MHS publications such that the Manitoba Pageant and the Transactions and served on numerous committees. He remained active until illness restricted him in later years. In 1970, he was awarded the Manitoba Centennial Medal.

He died at Winnipeg on 5 September 1997. The MHS created the Douglas Kemp Award in his honour. This award is presented annually to a member who has made significant contributions as a volunteer to the Society.

His articles for the Manitoba Historical Society:

Land Grants Under the Manitoba Act
MHS Transactions, Series 3, Number 9, 1952-53 Season

From Postage Stamp to Keystone
Manitoba Pageant, April 1956

Stories Stamps Tell
Manitoba Pageant, September 1956

The Big Woman Befriends the Sioux
Manitoba Pageant, January 1957

The Special Survey
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 3, Number 3, April 1958

The Indian Treaties of the North West
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 5, Number 3, April 1960

The Red River Parish
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 8, Number 1, September 1962

Book Review: Cuthbert Grant of Grantown by Margaret Arnett MacLeod and William L. Morton
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 8, Number 3, April 1963

Sources:

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 9 September 1997.

Profile revised: 26 September 2009

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