Memorable Manitobans: Gordon Brian “Gord” McDiarmid (1941-2021)

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Gordon Brian McDiarmid
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Business administrator, historian.

Born at Winnipeg on 29 August 1941, he attended the University of Winnipeg, receiving a double major in Social Science and Group Work, and George Williams College (Chicago, Illinois) where he completed a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology with research and internships at hospitals in Chicago.

Returning to Manitoba, he was President and CEO of U-Rent It Limited and Wallace & Wallace Fencing Limited (1973-1985) and Campaign Director for the United Way of Calgary (1985-1986). In 1986, he became Director of Development at Brandon University, where he established the Brandon University Foundation, serving until 1991 when he returned to Alberta as Vice-President of Development at the Banff Centre. He held this position until 1994 when he became proprietor of Assiniboine Consulting Group Limited at Calgary and Vice-President for Western Canada of Navion Financial Management Limited at Vancouver.

Other positions that he held were Director of Development & Special Projects for Lions Club of Winnipeg (1998-2000), Interim Executive Director and Consultant for the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba (2000-2003), and a private fundraising consultant (1995-2006).

In retirement, he conducted research on the history of his ancestors in the building trade in western Canada. It resulted in the 2021 book We Were Builders from Scotland: The Story of One Company that Helped Build Western Canada. It received a Manitoba Day Award from the Association for Manitoba Archives.

He died at Winnipeg on 15 December 2021.

Sources:

Director of development - general files, S. J. McKee Archives, Brandon University.

We thank Doug McDiarmid for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 25 May 2022

Memorable Manitobans

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.

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