Papers relate to research, teaching, and the union, community, and political activities of Dr. Ernst Zimmermann, professor of history and Dean of Arts at Lakehead University.
The Lakehead Social History Institute is a partnership between historical researchers at Lakehead University and members of the Thunder Bay community. Active since 1997, the Institute supports and promotes historical research in the Northwestern Ontario region. The Institute facilitates research, trains new researchers, disseminates information about historical resources, conducts workshops, assists educational and community organizations, supports historical publications, and encourages local groups to preserve archival materials.
The fonds includes meeting minutes, correspondence, research projects, funding applications, workshop materials, membership lists, and publications. It also contains records of collaborations with educational institutions and community organizations, reflecting the Institute’s commitment to advancing historical research and public engagement.
Sem títuloRecords relating to Steve Mantis's work in injured workers' rights and advocacy, including with: Thunder Bay District Injured Workers Support Group; Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups; and the Worker's Compensation Board (WSIB). Records of research projects. New Directions Speakers' School. Poverty reduction initiatives. Bay Credit Union Social Responsibility Committee. Run for MPP in 2011 Ontario election as NDP candidate for Thunder Bay-Superior North.
While records are divided into series by organization/association, it will be clear to readers that the work of many of these organizations overlaps and interconnects. Mantis's role was often as a connector, building synergy and solidarity between organizations.
Sem títuloRecords of Keewatinase, the Department of Indigenous Education, Faculty of Education, Lakehead University. A significant amount of the material relates to Native Language Instructors' Program, NLIP, after 2001 known as Anishinaabemowik.
The records include reports and administrative records, program newsletters, yearbooks, student and instructor handbooks, and ephemera.
Languages represented in the program include Ojibwe/Anishinaabemowin, Oji-Cree/Anishininimowin/Severn Ojibwe, and Cree/nēhiyawēwin.
Sem títuloRaymond Souster was born in 1921 in Toronto, Ontario, He lived there until his passing in 2012. He never lived outside of Toronto except during his military service in the Royal Canadian Air Force in the 40s. Outside of his military service he was employed by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce until his retirement in 1985. His literary career began with an association with John Sutherland and his literary magazine First Statement. This led to him launching a literary magazine titled Direction in 1943. He was awarded the governor general award in 1964, and continued publishing works well into the 70s and 80s.
After Souster ended Direction he began a partnership with Louis Dudek and Irving Layton to launch the Contact magazine from 1952-1954, and Contact Press from 1952-1967. This partnership with Louis Dudek would also lead to the two working together on many of Souster’s poetry collections such as Selected Poems released in 1956 and included poems by Souster chosen by Dudek for publication. Souster collaborated with a wide variety of poets through Contact Press and worked to bring attention to Canadian poetry. He was also in contact with many American poets such as Sidney “Cid” Corman, Jonathon Williams, Charles Olson, and Louis Zukofsky. Souster received feedback from these poets on his collections while providing them with feedback of his own. He was incredibly involved in the poetic community especially for Canadian poetry.
Outside of poetry, Souster also published two works of fiction, one titled The Winter of Time in 1949, and the other titled On Target in 1972. He published these under the pseudonyms Raymond Holmes and John Holmes. His contributions to the literary community, not only in his own poetry, but through his collaborations with others and his work in publishing makes him an influential force for many Canadian poets. His publishing work at Contact Press allowed him to uplift new Canadian writing which included work from Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1995, and the League of Canadian Poets named an annual prize after Souster in January of 2012.
Dr. James T. Angus was the first Dean of Education for Lakehead University.
The fonds consist of Dr Angus’s copies of correspondence, reports, memos, agenda and minutes, and printed material related to the integration of Lakehead Teachers’ College into Lakehead University; establishment of the Faculty of Education; graduate programs in education; program for training Indigenous teachers for First Nations schools in Northwestern Ontario. Activities documented include policy, procedures and programme development, budget planning, proposals, appraisals and surveys; evolution of the faculty’s administrative structure; development of curriculum and delivery of courses.
Sem títuloResearch notes and correspondence of Dr. Elizabeth Arthur, professor of history at Lakehead University.
Marshall Blanchard Dean was an early physician in Fort William; his son Marshall Macdougall Dean had a career with the Canadian Coast Guard and a lifelong interest in history and genealogy. Collection includes correspondence, photographs, and research materials.
The Finnish Building Company was formed in 1909 and raised funds for the construction of the Finnish Labour Temple (Big Finn Hall) at 314 Bay Street.
The fonds consists of 357 file folders of Mel Bartley’s personal files. The files range from mining reports, publications, and claims. There is also an index for the reports, and a mining publications index.
The entire fonds is arranged alphabetically, as one series.
Sem títuloThe fonds consists of correspondence, minutes, membership lists, newsletters, photographs and slides, and other various records associated with the activities of the club. Arranged into the following series:
Records were created, held, or gathered by Cairine Budner over the course of her association with the Thunder Bay Finnish Canadian Historical Society, and other local heritage organizations and sports organizations.
The fonds includes
Correspondence, diaries, and reports related to the philosophical and social theories of Dr. Douglas J. Thom, professor emeritus of education at Lakehead University.
Frederick O. Robinson was born in Port Arthur, Ontario on Aug. 2, 1903. He attended public and high school in Port Arthur and then served his apprenticeship to the machinist trade in the C.N.R. shops. He worked for 25 years as a skilled machinist in the Port Arthur shops of the C.N.R. until his election to the Ontario legislature in 1943. He continued to work as a C.N.R. machinist between sessions of the legislature, and after his election to the office of mayor, he worked in the C.N.R. shops on weekends.
He entered public life in January 1943 when he was elected to the Port Arthur Board of Education. In August of the same year he was elected to the Ontario legislature as C.C.F. member for Port Arthur. He was M.L.A. for Port Arthur until his defeat in 1951. In civic affairs, he remained on the Board of Education until 1946 when he was elected as alderman. In 1949, he became Mayor of Port Arthur; he remained in this post except for 1952 when he was defeated until 1955 when he resigned to become personnel manager for the Public Utilities Commission. He left active political life at this time. He resigned from the Public Utilities Commission in 1966 because of ill health. In July, 1969, he died.
The Frederick O. Robinson fonds comprises 7 feet of correspondence, clippings, pamphlets, articles and other material and is contained in seventeen transfer cases. The folder titles in the main are those designated by Mr. Robinson. Some re-arrangement of the material has been effected in order to comply with the folder titles. Since the folders themselves were in no apparent order when .they were donated to the university, the following arrangement was thought to be most suitable for research purposes:
I. Pre-1943 Period
II. Political Affairs (relating to the C.C.F.)
III. The Ontario Legislature and Provincial Affairs, 1943-51
IV. Provincial and Local Affairs.
V. Local and Municipal Affairs.
VI. General
VII. Miscellaneous
Records of Dr. Pradip Sarbadhikari (1938-2020), professor of political science at Lakehead University from 1964 to 1999. The records reflect his teaching and research (including peace studies and Asian studies), as well as participation in international associations and conferences. Of particular note are records relating to participation in the Canadian International Development Agency's Centres of Excellence programme.
Pradip Ranjan Sarbadihkari was born in Calcutta, India, and also studied at London and Utrecht. He brought his family to Thunder Bay in 1964 to join the faculty of the new Lakehead University, and taught until retirement in 1999. These records were donated through the library probably shortly after his retirement.
Teaching and research materials of Dr. Gerd Schroeter, professor of sociology at Lakehead University. His work focused on teaching sociology at Lakehead and at other institutions, and research into the history of sociology (particularly re Theodor Geiger and Max Weber). Records are divided into three series: Personal, Teaching, and Research.
Records of Reverend Toivo Johannes Pajala (1903-1972), minister of Saalem Pentecostal Church.
Toivo Pajala was born Dec 31, 1903, in Vimpeli, Finland. His family was Lutheran, with some ties to the Pentecostal Church. Pajala migrated to Canada at age 19, and was in Port Arthur at least by 1923. For many years he made a living as a bushworker.
Religion became an important part of Pajala's life: he became Laestadian, then Pentecostal. He attended the Western Bible College in Winnipeg for two years, and then was ordained in 1946 in Toronto. He married his wife Sylvia in 1949 shortly before returning to Port Arthur.
From 1949 to 1963, Pajala was pastor of Saalem Finnish Pentecostal Church in Port Arthur. In 1951, he established a Finnish-language Pentecostal radio program on CKPR, particularly reaching bushworkers and others in rural areas, and people unable to leave their homes. He was also well known for supporting immigrants to the region, and providing funeral services when others would not.
Pajala spent 1963-1967 as a pastor in Waukegan, Illinois. After 1967, he officially retired, and returned to Port Arthur, where he was still active in the church. His death was in 1972.
Most of the records in this fonds relate to either Pajala's religious education in the 1940s (organized by class or by notebook) or the sermons he gave in Finnish or English, in Port Arthur and by radio (organized loosely by theme.)
The last few files of the fonds relate to a project after Pajala’s death: to interview those who knew him and memorialize him. The book “Kansanpappi Toivo Pajala,” written by Tellervo Kähärä and available in the Library, is a result of that work.
Sem títuloRecords include meeting minutes, financial information, and some personal/member information of branches and districts of the Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario. The records relate to work at the branch and district level of the organization, with the majority being within the Thunder Bay district.
Most of the records are minute books that also include financial information; they also contain newspaper clippings related to organization. There are also reports and convention information pamphlets.
Area: Northwestern Ontario
District: Thunder Bay
Branches: Port Arthur; Beardmore; Raith; Finnish Branch; Murillo.
Records of the Northern Ontario Pastoral Institute, a nonprofit organization providing clinical pastoral education in Thunder Bay. Established in 1990 and dissolved in 2025. A member organization of the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education, which later became the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care.
Primarily records of the Board of Directors, including meeting minutes, correspondence, and financial records. These originated with and were kept by two long-time board members, Ernie Epp (a Board member since 1990 and long term Treasurer), and Rev. Ed Long (a Board member since 1990 and former Treasurer and President.)
There are also records relating to programming, and relating to pastoral services in Thunder Bay and the surrounding region.
The Canadian Injured Workers Alliance was founded in 1990 as an umbrella organization of injured workers' groups across Canada. It has engaged in advocacy, research, and the creation of educational information for members. Records relate to the labour movement, disability, legal and legislative rights for workers, and the operation of the organization.
Sem títuloLloyd Arthur Dennis (1923-2012) served as Co-Chair for the Provincial Committee on Aims and Objectives of Education in the Schools of Ontario (1965-1968) and was the co-author of the report “Living and Learning," commonly referred to as the Hall-Dennis Report. The fonds consists largely of records related to the Committee; the research, development, and writing of the Report; and responses after the Report's publication.
The records include:
Dennis was born in 1923 in Aspdin, ON. He served in the Canadian Armed Forces 1942-1946, and earned a B.A. and B.Ed. from the University of Toronto. He began teaching elementary school in 1948, and worked as Principal at several schools from 1957-1965.
Dennis joined the Provincial Committee on Aims and Objectives of Education in the Province of Ontario first as Secretary and Research Director, and became Co-Chair with Justice Emmett Hall in 1967. After the Report's publication in 1968, he was responsible for public interpretation, and gave many speeches and presentations across the province.
These records relate to the establishment and first years of operation of the Women's Studies program at Lakehead University. After a proposal in 1988, the first classes ran in the 1990-1991 academic year. The program developed quickly, with more courses added and cross-listed, and Women's Studies was granted status as a Department in 2002.
The records, most of which date 1990-1996, include minutes of the Women's Studies Advisory Committee, and correspondence about the program and its courses. Some files also relate to fundraising, and local events and issues.
Consists of five zipped files arranged by Google Suite app.
Keiller-UL-calendar contains ICS exports of various calendars maintained by Keiller as University Librarian
Keiller-UL-drive contains an export of all Google Drive folders and files, covering a wide range of Library matters.
Keiller-UL-groups contains MBOX exports of local Google Groups, including Librarian and Library Staff communications
Keiller-UL-mail contains MBOX exports of Keiller’s email, particularly communications with Provosts and with OCUL lists
Keiller-UL-sites contains an export of Google Classic Sites, including the Lakehead University Library Intranet and Library Annual Reports.
Derek Burney was a Canadian diplomat, who served as Ambassador to the Republic of South Korea (1978-1980) and Ambassador to the United States (1989-1993), and was instrumental in negotiations of the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement and the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Burney was born in Fort William in 1939, and received a BA and MA from Queen’s University in Kingston. He served in the federal public service from 1963 to 1993: including diplomatic work, ambassadorial postings, and as Canada’s first Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister (1987-1989), working with Brian Mulroney.
After retirement from public service, Burney worked for Bell Canada, 1993-1999, and sat on the boards of several other corporations. He returned to federal government work leading Stephen Harper’s transition team in 2006.
Burney served as Chancellor of Lakehead University from 2013 to 2017. He also received an Honourary Doctor of Laws from Lakehead in 1990, as well as honourary degrees from Queen's, Carleton, and Wilfrid Laurier Universities.
Most of the records in this fonds relate to Burney’s career with the Department of External Affairs. There is also a small amount of material relating to work in private business, and other writings and memorabilia.
Sem títuloThe 1978 Young Canada Works "Herstory" project's aim was to compile material on women pioneers in Northwestern Ontario with the intention of using the material to write a book on the same theme. The hope was to illustrate the lives and achievements of Northwestern Ontario women and stimulate further interest in women's contribution to Northwestern Ontario history.
The material here was collected through interviews with over 100 women around Northwestern Ontario. Records include 70 audio cassettes with taped interviews, recorded largely in 1975, and mostly accompanied by transcripts. The records also contain research notes, news articles and photographs, related to Northwestern Ontario communities and fields of activity relating to women's history. They also include correspondence, reports, financial and other administrative records of the project leaders and workers.
The project work did not continue through to the writing of a book. These records were held but largely untouched until a project review in 1993.
In the Decade Council's 1993 report, three objectives were listed: To validate women’s contributions within the context of NWO; to restore and catalogue the records of women’s lives in NWO; and to create a resource that would provide a perspective on women’s Herstory in NWO. A detailed summary of those interviewed, their location and details on whether there is a transcript or release form were created. This report concluded with multiple recommendations with the aim of preserving the tapes and collected materials for eventual public use. This project was not continued, and the material was stored in various locations until its donation in 2024.