Head and shoulders image of C.J. Mackenzie, first dean of Engineering, 1915-1922.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Chalmers Jack (CJ) Mackenzie was born in 1888 in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, and earned a BEng at Dalhousie University in 1909. In 1912 he was hired to develop an engineering program at the University of Saskatchewan. During World War I Dr. Mackenzie served with the 54th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (1915-1918). After the war he continued at the U of S until 1932, when he took a leave of absence to supervise public works projects. In 1939 he left Saskatchewan for Ottawa to become president of the National Research Council. Dr. Mackenzie served as president of the National Research Council, first president of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, first president of Atomic Energy Control Board and instrumental in the development of science and engineering education in Canada. In 1949 he sat on the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences, the so-called "Massey Commission", one objective of which was developing Canada's system of publicly funded research. Among many honours Dr. Mackenzie received an honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the U of S in 1945. In 1967 Mackenzie was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. CJ Mackenzie died in Ottawa in 1984 at age 95. The U of S College of Engineering’s annual Distinguished Lecture Series was started in 1976 to honour alumni who have achieved positions of eminence in the profession. On its 10th anniversary the event was renamed for Dr. Mackenzie, to recognize the contribution he made to the college, the university and the engineering profession. By 2022 the series was named the C.J. Mackenzie Gala of Engineering Excellence.

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Esli L. Woods, dean, College of Pharmacy, 1928-1946.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Esli Longworth Woods was born of Irish Canadian parents in Napanee, Ontario, in 1898. He received his schooling in Oakville, Ontario and completed a four-year drug apprenticeship in Winnipeg and Indian Head, Saskatchewan. During World War I Dr. Woods served with the Canadian Mounted Rifle Battalion in France for three and a half years. He was then transferred to the Canadian Army headquarters in England where he served as a sergeant. In 1919 Dr. Woods returned to Canada to attend the School of Pharmacy at the University of Saskatchewan where he obtained a certificate in Pharmacy in 1920. His teaching career began with his position as a lecturer and instructor in the pharmacy laboratory while a student. He was awarded a BSc in Pharmacy with Great Distinction in 1924. In 1928 Dr. Woods was appointed dean of the College of Pharmacy. At age thirty he was the youngest dean of Pharmacy in North America. Dr. Woods helped to establish the three- and four-year pharmacy programs at the U of S. In 1930 he received his MSc from the University of Wisconsin. In 1946 Dr. Woods accepted the position as head of the newly-created Department of Pharmacy at the University of British Columbia. Three years later, he became the first dean of Pharmacy when, through his efforts, the Board of Governors recognized the department as a full-fledged faculty — the Faculty of Pharmacy. Dr. Woods was widely acknowledged as having made outstanding contributions to pharmacy, particularly in the standardization of pharmaceutical education in Canada. His leadership skills helped to develop both the College of Pharmacy at the U of S and the Faculty of Pharmacy at UBC. Dr. Woods was dean of Pharmacy at UBC until his death on 31 December 1951 at age 53.

Head and shoulders portrait of Dr. Thorvaldur G. Johnson, Director, Dominion Rust Research Laboratory, Winnipeg; and future honourary Doctor of Laws degree recipient from the University of Saskatchewan in 1967.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Thorvaldur G. Johnson was born in 1897 at Arnes, Manitoba, and attended schools at Arnes and at Saskatoon. After serving with the Royal Air Force in World War I, he obtained a BSc in Biology from the University of Saskatchewan in 1922 and a BSA in Field Husbandry in 1924. Graduate studies at the University of Minnesota were undertaken immediately and resulted in an MSc in 1925 and PhD in Plant Pathology in 1930. Dr. Johnson was first employed by Agriculture Canada in 1923 as a seasonal plant disease investigator. A few years later he was appointed plant pathologist, and in 1946 became director of the rust program at Winnipeg. Dr. Johnson became officer-in-Charge of the Plant Pathology Laboratory in 1953 and in 1959 was appointed director of the newly-established Winnipeg Research Station. He retired in 1962 after an outstanding scientific and administrative career. Dr. Johnson began studies on physiologic specialization and hybridization in the cereal rusts in collaboration with Dr. Margaret Newton in 1926. Their work gained worldwide recognition. During much of his career he was associated with plant breeding programs and made important contributions to the production of rust resistant cereal cultivars for western Canada. In addition to being awarded a fellowship in the American Phytopathological Society in 1966 Dr. Johnson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1950. He also was made a Fellow of the Agricultural Institute of Canada in 1958 and an honourary member of the Canadian Seed Growers Association in 1963. Dr. Johnson received the Gold Medal of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada in 1962, and was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1971. He received an honourary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba in 1962 and an honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the U of S in 1967. Dr. Johnson died in Winnipeg in 1979.

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Leon Katz, director of the Linear Accelerator Laboratory and professor of Physics.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Leon Katz was born in 1910 in Lutsk (then part of the Russian Empire; after World War I part of Poland), He emigrated to Canada in 1920 and was reunited with his father who emigrated in 1914. During these early years he studied at Toronto Central Technical School to become an electrician, however through an exchange program with Queen’s University he was able to transfer into a science program working part-time to afford tuition. Dr. Katz completed his BSc and MSc degrees at Queen’s University, and received a PhD from the California Institute of Technology. He specialized in Accelerator Physics, RF Systems and, in later life, Chaos Theory. After working for Westinghouse Electric Company on radar equipment for aircraft in Pittsburgh, Dr. Katz moved to Saskatoon in 1946 to become an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan. In collaboration with Drs. Haslam and Jones, he was part of the team that was successful in bring a Betatron to the U of S. The Betatron was used as the first radiation therapy facility in the province and also for research. He was the founding director of the Saskatchewan Accelerator Laboratory from 1964-1975 that eventually led to the formation of the Canadian Light Source. Dr. Katz received an honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the U of S in 1990. Dr. Katz died in Saskatoon in 2004 at age 94.

F. Hedley Auld, University Chancellor, makes presentation of an honourary Doctor of Laws degree to Murdoch A. MAcPherson at Convocation held in Physical Education gymnasium. Norman K. Cram, University Registrar, prepares to hood recipient.

Bio/Historical Note: Murdoch Alexander MacPherson was born in 1891 at MacPherson House on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. He attended law school at Dalhousie University in Halifax. MacPherson served in World War I and commanded a company of the 10th Battalion at the Battle of Vimy Ridge where he came out unscathed. He was wounded by shellfire, however, at Arleux, near Arras, a few days later. MacPherson Avenue in Regina, Saskatchewan was later named in his honour, and is an official memorial of the Canadian Department of National Defence. After the war he practiced law in Saskatchewan and eventually became a Queen's Counsel (QC). MacPherson was first elected to the Saskatchewan legislative assembly in 1924, and remained a member of the Legislative Assembly until his defeat in the 1934 provincial election that wiped out the Conservative Party. He was called to Ottawa late in the term of the R.B. Bennett government to assist in creating the Farm Credit Corporation. In 1959 he headed a Royal Commission: the MacPherson Commission. In 1938 and again in 1942, MacPherson was a candidate at the federal Conservative leadership conventions, coming in second place on both occasions. The University of Saskatchewan awarded MacPherson an honourary Doctor of Civil Law degree in 1961. MacPherson died in Regina in 1966.

F. Hedley Auld, University Chancellor, making presentation of an honourary Doctor of Laws degree to Duncan A. MacGibbon at Convocation ceremony held in Physical Education gymnasium. Norman K. Cram, University Registrar, waits to hood recipient.

Bio/Historical Note: Duncan Alexander MacGibbon was born in 1882 in Lochaber Bay, Quebec. He was educated at McMaster University and then went to Brandon College in Manitoba to teach. MacGibbon left Brandon to enroll at the University of Chicago where he received his PhD in economics in 1915. He began to teach at McMaster University but his teaching career was halted by World War I. After the war MacGibbon joined the University of Alberta as professor and head of the Department of Political Economy. He served as Commissioner for the Alberta Government on banking and credit with respect to the industry of agriculture in 1922. MacGibbon was a member of the Royal Grain Inquiry Commission, Canada from 1923-1924. He left the University of Alberta in 1929 to become a member of the Canadian Board of Grain Commissioners, a post he held until his retirement in 1949. In 1930 MacGibbon was attached to the Canadian delegation to Imperial Conference, London; in 1932 he served the same role at the imperial Economic Conference in Ottawa in 1932. After his retirement, he returned to McMaster University to teach part-time. Among his many writings, MacGibbon published two definitive books on the grain trade: The Canadian Grain Trade (1932) and The Canadian Grain Trade, 1931-1951 (1952). MacGibbon died in Hamilton, Ontario in 1969.

E.M. (Ted) Culliton, University Chancellor, making presentation of an honourary Doctor of Laws degree to Dr. Thorvaldur G. Johnson at Convocation held in Physical Education gymnasium.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Thorvaldur G. Johnson was born in 1897 at Arnes, Manitoba, and attended schools at Arnes and at Saskatoon. After serving with the Royal Air Force in World War I, he obtained a BSc in Biology from the University of Saskatchewan in 1922 and a BSA in Field Husbandry in 1924. Graduate studies at the University of Minnesota were undertaken immediately and resulted in an MSc in 1925 and PhD in Plant Pathology in 1930. Dr. Johnson was first employed by Agriculture Canada in 1923 as a Seasonal Plant Disease Investigator. A few years later he was appointed Plant Pathologist, and in 1946 became Director of the rust program at Winnipeg. Dr. Johnson became Officer-in-Charge of the Plant Pathology Laboratory in 1953 and in 1959 was appointed Director of the newly-established Winnipeg Research Station. He retired in 1962 after an outstanding scientific and administrative career. Dr. Johnson began studies on physiologic specialization and hybridization in the cereal rusts in collaboration with Dr. Margaret Newton in 1926. Their work gained worldwide recognition. During much of his career he was associated with plant breeding programs and made important contributions to the production of rust resistant cereal cultivars for western Canada. In addition to being awarded a fellowship in the American Phytopathological Society in 1966 Dr. Johnson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1950. He also was made a Fellow of the Agricultural Institute of Canada in 1958 and an Honorary Member of the Canadian Seed Growers Association in 1963. Dr. Johnson received the Gold Medal of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada in 1962, and was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1971. He received an honourary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba in 1962 and an honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the U of S in 1967. Johnson died in Winnipeg in 1979.

Image of the University Company of the 28th Battalion. Members, back row (l to r): Arthur Gordon Gruchy, C. Day, H. Barr, C.A. Scott, Louis Brehaut. Second row: Harry Berry, W. Garrod, Herbert Olding, John Bolton Allen, William Burd and Corporal William Exton Lloyd. Front row: Sergeant Arthur Stephen Kenyon Lloyd, Sergeant J. Eadon Reaney, Lieutenant B. Smith, Sergeant H. Spackman and Sergeant Reginald J.G. Bateman.

Bio/Historical Note: The 28th Battalion (Northwest), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I. The 28th Battalion originally recruited in Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and Fort William and Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay), Ontario and was mobilized at Winnipeg, Manitoba. The battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Britain on 29 May 1915. It disembarked in France on 18 September 1915, where it fought as part of the 6th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division, in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battalion was disbanded on 30 August 1920. The battalion had five officers commanding: Lieutenant-Colonel J.F.L. Embury, CMG, 29 May 1915 – 17 September 1916; Lieutenant-Colonel A. Ross, DSO, 17 September 1916 – 1 October 1918; Major G.F.D. Bond, MC, 2 October 1918 – 6 November 1918; Major A.F. Simpson, DSO, 6 November 1918 – 16 December 1918; Lieutenant-Colonel D.E. MacIntyre, DSO, MC, 16 December 1918-Demobilization.The 28th Battalion was awarded the following battle honours: Mount Sorrel, Somme, 1916, 1918; Flers-Courcelette, Thiepval, Ancre Heights, Arras, 1916, 1918, Vimy, 1917, Scarpe, 1917, 1918, Hill 70; Ypres 1917; Passchendaele; Amiens; Hindenburg Line; Drocourt-Quéant; Canal du Nord; Cambrai, 1918; Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders, 1915-1918.

Shore and Moffat's drawing of the proposed Arts Building.

Bio/Historical Note: As early as 1909 plans for an Arts Building were proposed for the University of Saskatchewan campus. In the early years of the University, David Brown and Hugh Vallance, the original campus architects, had in fact designed a building for the Humanities. The building was to have been named Haultain Hall after Sir Frederick Haultain, Premier of the North West Territories from 1891-1905 and Chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan from 1917-1940. Construction on Haultain Hall was to have commenced during the mid-1910s but the onset of World War I postponed construction. A decade later building plans were again foiled when on 13 March 1925 the original Engineering Building burned down. Efforts to rebuild the building as quickly as possible sapped what funds existed for construction and the Arts Building and several other projects were put on hold indefinitely. In 1929 University President Walter Murray launched a campaign for a building “ that would provide much needed space for Arts, biology, the School of Household Science, the College of Education, the School of Accounting, administrative offices, a small gym for women, a library, and a museum. The cost as of the summer of 1930 was estimated at $885,832." This third attempt to construct an Arts Building would also fall short when on 30 October, 1930 Premier Anderson wrote that the University would have to wait another year for funding. In 1933 Murray dared to ask again, at which point his request for funding was flatly denied. Finally in 1957 funding for the construction of an Arts building materialized. In that year the Canada Council provided a grant to the University of Saskatchewan for the construction of the Arts Building. In May 1957 University President Walter Thompson obtained an agreement from the Provincial Government to provide for one-half of the funds for the Arts Building.

Elevated view of model of the Arts Building with other buildings surrounding it.

Bio/Historical Note: As early as 1909 plans for an Arts Building were proposed for the University of Saskatchewan campus. In the early years of the University, David Brown and Hugh Vallance, the original campus architects, had in fact designed a building for the Humanities. The building was to have been named Haultain Hall after Sir Frederick Haultain, Premier of the North West Territories from 1891-1905 and Chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan from 1917-1940. Construction on Haultain Hall was to have commenced during the mid-1910s but the onset of World War I postponed construction. A decade later building plans were again foiled when on 13 March 1925 the original Engineering Building burned down. Efforts to rebuild the building as quickly as possible sapped what funds existed for construction and the Arts Building and several other projects were put on hold indefinitely. In 1929 University President Walter Murray launched a campaign for a building “ that would provide much needed space for Arts, biology, the School of Household Science, the College of Education, the School of Accounting, administrative offices, a small gym for women, a library, and a museum. The cost as of the summer of 1930 was estimated at $885,832." This third attempt to construct an Arts Building would also fall short when on 30 October, 1930 Premier Anderson wrote that the University would have to wait another year for funding. In 1933 Murray dared to ask again, at which point his request for funding was flatly denied. Finally in 1957 funding for the construction of an Arts building materialized. In that year the Canada Council provided a grant to the University of Saskatchewan for the construction of the Arts Building. In May 1957 University President Walter Thompson obtained an agreement from the Provincial Government to provide for one-half of the funds for the Arts Building.

Progress shot of construction of the most westerly gate of the Memorial Gates. Thorvaldson (Chemistry) Building in background.

Bio/Historical Note: The Memorial Gates are a military memorial that is part of the University campus. Sixty-seven University students and faculty lost their lives while on service during World War I. The impact of the war on the University was immense: 330 students and faculty served during the War, a number equivalent to nearly all of the students who had registered the year prior to the beginning of the conflict. The desire to honor the staff and students who had fallen during the Great War was strong within the University community. As early as August 1918, 3 months prior to the formal Armistice, University President Walter C. Murray began making enquiries into the cost of a suitable memorial. What was settled upon were gates made of solid bronze, imported from England; the remainder, made of local greystone. Architect David R. Brown estimated the cost of what would come to be known as the Memorial Gates to be $30,000, with an additional $10,000 required for the memorial. The cement work was done by Richard J. Arrand in 1927-1928. A concerted fundraising effort among students and alumni helped cover the costs. The Memorial Gates were unveiled by President Murray and dedicated by the Bishop of Saskatchewan on 3 May 1928. A stone tablet, positioned between the bronze gates, bears the inscription: "These are they who went forth from this University to the Great War and gave their lives that we might live in freedom." For many years after, the site was used for the university’s Remembrance Day services at which wreaths are still laid every November 11th. These Gates were originally the entrance gates to campus and flanked University Drive. In the 1980s, due to increased traffic to the southwest portion of the campus, primarily Royal University Hospital, a new road entrance was built to the west. The gates remain, with the remnant of University Drive passing through them renamed Memorial Crescent. The gates are now primarily used by pedestrians, though the roadway is open to vehicles.

Oval-shaped head and shoulders image of Augustus H. Ball, member of University Senate from Yorkton, Saskatchewan.

Bio/Historical Note: Augustus Harry Ball was born 29 January 1873 in London, England, and was educated at Haberdashers' School there. He arrived in Canada in 1890 and enrolled in Law at Manitoba College (later the University of Manitoba). He was a law student with Munsen & Allan, and a lecturer in classics at Manitoba College (1896-1897). Ball taught school near Qu'Appelle, Assiniboia (later Saskatchewan, 1897); was principal of Maple Creek School (1898-1901); and was principal at Moose Jaw (1901-1903). In 1903 Ball was appointed inspector of schools with headquarters at Yorkton. Further appointments included assistant principal of Regina Normal School (1911); Saskatchewan Deputy Minister of Education (1912), and provincial commissioner of the Canadian Boy Scouts (1915). Ball served his country during World War I with the 249th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, enlisting in 1916 in Regina. He returned as Lieutenant in 1918. Ball organized Schools' Patriotic Fund; Belgian Relief Fund for Children and Schools’ Red Cross Fund. He was decorated in 1921 with the Order of the Silver Wolf for services to the Boy Scout movement. Ball was chairman of the Commission for the Education of Soldiers' Dependent Children; and chairman of the Junior Red Cross Committee. Ball retired as deputy minister in 1932 and moved to Victoria, British Columbia. He died there 28 March 1967 at age 94.

Image of two plaques unveiled on wall during Pharmacy reunion. Plaque at left honouring Esli L. Woods, Dean of Pharmacy from 1928-1946. Plaque at left: "In grateful memory of / the devoted and able teaching / and service of / Esli Longworth Woods/ B.S.P., M. Sc., F.C.I.C. / Born Sept. 22, 1898 Died Dec. 31, 1951 / a member of / the faculty of Pharmacy 1928-1946 / and / dean of Pharmacy 1928-1946 / erected by / his friends and former students".

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Esli Longworth Woods was born of Irish Canadian parents in Napanee, Ontario, in 1898. He received his schooling in Oakville, Ontario and completed a four-year drug apprenticeship in Winnipeg and Indian Head, Saskatchewan. During World War I Dr. Woods served with the Canadian Mounted Rifle Battalion in France for three and a half years. He was then transferred to the Canadian Army headquarters in England where he served as a sergeant. In 1919 Dr. Woods returned to Canada to attend the School of Pharmacy at the University of Saskatchewan where he obtained a certificate in Pharmacy in 1920. His teaching career began with his position as a lecturer and instructor in the pharmacy laboratory while a student. He was awarded a BSc in Pharmacy with Great Distinction in 1924. In 1928 Dr. Woods was appointed dean of the College of Pharmacy. At age thirty he was the youngest dean of Pharmacy in North America. Dr. Woods helped to establish the three- and four-year pharmacy programs at the U of S. In 1930 he received his MSc from the University of Wisconsin. In 1946 Dr. Woods accepted the position as head of the newly-created Department of Pharmacy at the University of British Columbia. Three years later, he became the first dean of Pharmacy when, through his efforts, the Board of Governors recognized the department as a full-fledged faculty — the Faculty of Pharmacy. Dr. Woods was widely acknowledged as having made outstanding contributions to pharmacy, particularly in the standardization of pharmaceutical education in Canada. His leadership skills helped to develop both the College of Pharmacy at the U of S and the Faculty of Pharmacy at UBC. Dr. Woods was dean of Pharmacy at UBC until his death on 31 December 1951 at age 53.