Winnipeg in Focus is a database for archival descriptions and digital collections at the City of Winnipeg Archives.

Showing 19 results

people and organizations
Person

Yanofsky, Abe

  • Person
  • 1925-2000

Born Daniel Abraham Yanofsky in Poland in 1925, Abe Yanofsky came to Canada as a small child. His family eventually settled in Winnipeg. Yanofsky was a graduate of the University of Manitoba and a Rhodes scholar, and earned a law degree at Oxford. He returned to Winnipeg where he became a successful lawyer and Queen’s Counsel. Yanofsky served as Alderman and Mayor of West Kildonan from 1961 until 1971, then as Councillor on the Unicity Council of the City of Winnipeg from 1972 until 1986. Among his accomplishments in civic politics was construction of the Seven Oaks General Hospital and Wellness Institute in Winnipeg’s north end.

In addition to his legal and political careers, Yanofsky was an exceptional chess player, winning the Canadian Chess Championship eight times. His development as a player began early. By the age of eleven he was recognized as a child prodigy, and represented Canada on second board in the world chess Olympiad in Argentina in 1939. He was named Grand Master in 1964 by the world chess organization, FIDE. Yanofsky was a central figure on the local chess scene, wrote the Free Press chess column for many years and was responsible for bringing the Pan American Chess Championships to Winnipeg in 1974.

Abe Yanofsky was awarded the Order of Canada in 1972. He died March 5, 2000.

Wilkes, Barbara J.

  • COWA
  • Person

Barbara J. Wilkes worked for the Sovereign Life Assurance Company of Canada in Calgary. The company was incorporated by a special Act of the Parliament of Canada in 1902 and commenced business out of Toronto in 1903. The head office was moved to Winnipeg in February of 1912. Prominent local businessman W. Sanford Evans served as president from 1933 until 1948. In 1957, the company moved into a new purpose-designed head office building on the corner of Smith and Broadway in Winnipeg (287 Broadway). By 1970, the head office was no longer in Winnipeg and the building on Broadway had been sold.

Weir, Alice

  • Person
  • 1903-2003

Alice Mabel Weir was born in Kenora, Ontario, 1903. Her father, William A. Weir, was a banker who helped open the first Imperial Bank in Kenora. The Weirs moved to Winnipeg in 1910, where her father became the manager of the Clearing House.

Her career in dance started when Weir was in Quebec City. After moving to Winnipeg, she continued studying ballet as well as other performing arts, including piano and violin. Weir started teaching ballet when she was 18 years old. Her parents supported her in this endeavor and converted space in their home on Wardlaw Avenue to accommodate her ballet school. The living room and dining room of their home were transformed into her studio. Weir’s mother became her greatest supporter, creating costumes for her students’ recitals.

Alice taught dance because of a passion for dancing. She travelled to study with some of the great contemporaries of the time like Leon Leonidoff, director of Radio City Music Hall (New York). She also studied in Paris and London.

Alice and her pupils performed at different locations throughout Winnipeg, putting on recitals at the Royal Alexandra Hotel, the Walker Theatre, Eaton’s Grill Room, and the Winter Club to name a few.

In 1927, Weir started dance classes in Dauphin, Manitoba. In 1928, she moved her Winnipeg dance studio out of her parents’ home to McMillan Avenue. She married Julian A. Robins in 1932 and retired from teaching the same year. They had six children together. She died in 2003.

Wallace, John

  • Person
  • [ca. 1920]-[after 1996]

John Wallace was a corporal in a branch of the Canadian military during and sometime before the Second World War. He lived in Fort Osborne Barracks before the War.

Thompson, Susan A.

  • Person
  • 1947-

Susan A. Thompson was the 40th mayor and first woman mayor of the City of Winnipeg. She was born in Winnipeg on 12 April 1947. Spending most of her youth in the city, she graduated from the University of Winnipeg Collegiate in 1967 and earned her BA from the same university in 1971.

Embarking on a successful career in retail, Thompson worked for Eaton’s and the Hudson’s Bay Company in Winnipeg, Calgary, and Montreal. Called home in 1980 after her father’s illness, she bought the family business Birt Saddlery, a long standing and well known local business, and embarked on a successful career as an independent businesswoman. In that capacity, she worked hard to break many barriers for women in business, eventually becoming active in a number of business organizations such as Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce.

In 1992, Thompson threw her hat in the mayoral ring, winning the election in October of that year. She won a second term in 1995 and was instrumental in guiding forces in the fight against the Flood of the Century in 1997. Thompson did not seek a third term in 1998. Instead, in 1999, she was appointed as the Counsul General for Canada in Minnesota, the first woman to hold that position since it was instituted 30 years earlier. During her tenure as the Counsul General, Thompson actively promoted Canadian business and political interests with our southern neighbours.

Returning to Winnipeg in 2003, Thompson became the first and founding President and CEO of the University of Winnipeg Foundation, a position she held until 2011. The University of Winnipeg Foundation serves the University of Winnipeg in the areas of Students scholarships and bursaries, Capital projects, and academic enhancements.

Smaill, William

  • Person
  • 1870-1947

William Smaill was born in Montréal in 1870 and was educated as a chemist and a civil engineer. In 1892, Smaill was living in Acadian Mines, Nova Scotia, but briefly returned to Montréal to marry Jane Robinson Batt, who was from Ireland. In 1894, they had a son, William Hubert, and a daughter, Margaret Kathleen, in 1896. Shortly after this, Smaill and his family moved to Rat Portage (now Kenora), where he worked as a mining engineer and had two more children: Elsie in 1899 and Carlton in 1901.

Smaill was involved in the construction of the Winnipeg Aqueduct that transports safe drinking water from Shoal Lake to Winnipeg. Preliminary work for the aqueduct began in 1914 and included the building of the Greater Winnipeg Water District Railway and the Falcon River Diversion that diverted the waters of Falcon River, which had an unwanted colour, to Snowshoe Bay. The diversion solved the problem of unwanted colouration of the water supply, but had the effect of limiting Kekekoziibii Shoal Lake 40 First Nation's access to the mainland. In September 1914, contracts were awarded to various companies to build portions of the aqueduct. The Northern Construction Company and the Carter Halls Aldinger Company made a joint bid and were awarded contracts 32, 33, and 34 to build over 47 miles of the aqueduct between Indian Bay and the Whitemouth River. The Winnipeg Aqueduct Construction Company, a conglomerate of Northern Construction and Carter Halls Aldiner, was incorporated in January 1915. William Smaill served as the new company’s superintendent, overseeing the construction of its portion of the aqueduct. The aqueduct was completed in March 1919.

Smaill took many photographs of the construction process and believed photography could be used as an engineering tool. He gave a paper to a University of Manitoba engineering class in 1918 titled, “The Uses of the Camera in Engineering Work”. He wrote several other papers on the aqueduct’s construction, including articles for the Excavating Engineer (1915 and 1917) out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the Engineer News Records (1917), out of New York City.

Smaill and his family lived in several places while construction of the aqueduct was underway. These places included Reynolds, Manitoba, the Rural Municipality of Springfield, Manitoba, as well as various camps along the aqueduct’s construction route. Shortly after the aqueduct’s completion, Smaill and his wife moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he was involved in the construction of the Ballantyne Pier and the Second Narrows Bridge. Smaill’s son, William Hubert, also an engineer, served in the First World War as a sapper from 1916 to 1918. Smaill’s other son, Carlton, died in 1921. Smaill passed away in Vancouver in 1947.

Plunkett, Thomas J.

  • Person
  • 1921-2005

Thomas J. Plunkett was born in Northern Ireland in 1921 and grew up in Montreal. He served with the Air Force during the Second World War and obtained degrees from Sir George Williams (Concordia) University and McGill University. He worked as a consultant and advisor on public administration to municipalities across Canada and internationally, and was the chief advisor on the amalgamation of the Greater Winnipeg Metropolitan Area in 1972. He passed away in Kingston in 2005.

Landen, Frederick Cluett

  • Person
  • 1878-1966

Frederick Cluett Landen was born in Hull, Yorkshire, England in 1878. He first came to Winnipeg sometime between 1901 and 1903 to see what the City had to offer. While there, he took several photographs and added them to an album given to him by his older brother, Arthur, in the hopes that they would convince his fiancé, Mary Elizabeth, to move there, which they did in around 1904. Landen continued to add photographs to his album until 1906 and he and Mary Elizabeth lived in Winnipeg for the rest of their lives, starting a painting and decorating business and having two children. Mary Elizabeth passed away in 1939, followed by her husband in 1966.

Kalen, Henry

  • Person
  • 1928-2004

For more information on Henry Kalen, see the Henry Kalen fonds at the University of Manitoba Archives and Special Collections.

Henry Kalen was born in Winnipeg on January 20, 1928. He attended the University of Manitoba and obtained a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1957. Kalen became a well known photographer, particularly for architecture firms, and eventually became a lecturer at the University of Manitoba. Kalen passed away in 2004.

Jordan, Edwin O.

  • Person

Jordan was the editor of the Journal of Infectious Diseases (Chicago).

Frost, Richard L. (Rick)

  • Person

Richard L. (Rick) Frost worked for 25 years in municipal public service and was the Chief Commissioner of the City of Winnipeg from 1989 until 1997. During his municipal career, he served in many leadership roles including President of the Canadian Municipal Managers Association, President of the Ontario Municipal Management Association and President of the Ontario Municipal Management Development Board. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of The Winnipeg Foundation, Canada’s oldest and third largest community foundation. Since joining The Winnipeg Foundation in 1997, he has served on the Boards of many organizations including the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, The Associates – Asper School of Business, and Dorais Charities. He is also Past Chair of Community Foundations of Canada, a national membership organization serving Canada’s 190+ community foundations and serves on the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council. Mr. Frost holds a Master of Arts (History) from McMaster University, a Master of Public Administration from Queen’s University and Honorary Doctorates of Law from both the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba.

Clarke, Jack

  • Person
  • [?]

Jack Clark worked as the City of Winnipeg Signals Engineer circa 1960s.

Clark, Owen

  • Person
  • 1938-

Owen Clark was born on July 16, 1938 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His first experience playing a musical instrument occurred in 1955 at a Canadian Army cadet camp in Dundurn, Saskatchewan where he played the snare drum. A year later at Tec Voc High School in Winnipeg, Clark replaced an absent bass drummer in a school performance, and decided to become a professional musician when he was invited to join the country group, the CKY Playboys in the late 1950s. In 1971, Clark graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education and a Licentiate Diploma in Performance (High Distinction in Percussion) from McGill University in Montreal. In 1974, he received a Masters of Science in Education (Major in Music) from Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minnesota. Clark has five children and is married to Kolleen Karlowsky.

Clark’s musical skills include drums, vocals, percussion, electric bass, composing and arranging. For many years, he taught The History of Rock Music and Percussion at the University of Manitoba, and Music, Canadian History and Computer courses in the Seven Oaks School Division (Winnipeg). He was a radio announcer and chair of the program committee at CJNU radio station in Winnipeg and performed for radio and television, including recording at CBC (TV and Radio), CTV, CKND, and Shaw cable television network. In addition, Clark performed on albums, jingles, films, documentaries and videos at major Winnipeg recording studios. His symphonic experience includes the CBC Montreal Opera Orchestra, Les Grande Ballets Canadienne, National Arts Center Orchestra (Ottawa), Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, National Ballet, the Manitoba Opera Co., and the CBC Winnipeg Orchestra. Commercially, Clark has performed Classical, Jazz, Rock, Country, Pop, Latin music and in musical theatre, and has appeared with Stevie Wonder, Sarah Vaughan, the Four Aces, Esquivel, Lionel Hampton, Jazzmobile, Stanley Black, Arthur Fiedler, Vincent Price, the Queen City Kids, Rich Little, Lenny Breau, Tom Jackson, Harry Belafonte, Ron Paley, Bob Hope, Andy Williams, Gloria Loring, Freddy Fender, Pat Boone, Bobby Curtola, Len Cariou, Catherine McKinnon, and on Sesame Street, Disney On Parade, the Ice Capades, Alan Blye, Aubrey Tadman, Rainbow Stage, Manitoba Theatre Centre, and The Warehouse Theatre. As co-owner of Clark Productions Ltd. since 1980, Clark plays drums, bass, and percussion and sings with Owen Clark and the Good Time Dance Band, the Owen Clark Big Band, the Ragtime Strutters, and the Owen Clark Jazz Group. He also freelances with many bands, singers, and performing groups in the Winnipeg area. In 2008 he published the book, Musical Ghosts: Manitoba’s Jazz and Dance Bands, 1914-1966 using many photographs from his Collection in the book.

As part of a creative arts committee at Elwick Community School in Winnipeg, Manitoba Clark was awarded the Hilroy Fellowship for Innovative Teaching in 1986. In 2009, he received the Manitoba Jazz Musician of the Year Award and an Association for Manitoba Archives Manitoba Day Award. In 2011 he was nominated for a Winnipeg Arts Council Arts Award.

Block, Morris

  • Person
  • 1929-1998

Morris Block was born in Winnipeg on December 24, 1929. He was educated in Winnipeg where he earned two undergraduate degrees at the University of Manitoba (Science and Engineering) and graduated at the top of his Civil Engineering class in 1955. In 1958, he started the engineering firm M. Block & Associates. His interests included the history of Winnipeg and Manitoba and he collected a wide variety of materials relating to these two themes.

Shortly after graduation, Morris Block married Clara. They had six children. Morris Block died in December of 1998.

Berman, Martin

  • Person

Martin Berman grew up in Winnipeg but moved to Toronto to raise his family. He collected his first postcard on March 15, 1985. His goal was to collect postcards of Winnipeg and rural Manitoba.

Allan, Hugh

  • Person
  • 1917-2004

For more information on Hugh Allan, see the Hugh Allan fonds at the University of Manitoba Archives and Special Collections.

Hugh Allan was born on May 14, 1917 in Cypress River, Manitoba, and eventually moved to Winnipeg, where he became a highly regarded photographer. Allan worked for many different employers, including Time Magazine and Maclean's, but he is most famous for his work with the Winnipeg Tribune, which employed him from 1950 to 1970. After leaving the Tribune, Allan worked as a freelance photographer. He passed away on May 30, 2004.