Lesya Ukrainka statue standing in front of the Arts Wing.

Bio/Historical Note: Lesya Ukrainka (Larysa Kosach-Kvitka) (1871-1913), the celebrated Ukrainian poet, made her mark on Ukrainian and world literature through her diverse writing talents. Her profound knowledge of world history and languages enabled her to write extensively across genres on a variety of subjects. In her lyrical works and dramatic poems, she vividly developed the themes of patriotism, human dignity, and personal integrity. Ukrainka’s work is timeless in its powerful assertion of human rights and freedoms. In 1976, a bronze statue of Lesya Ukrainka, made in Kyiv, Ukraine (USSR) by sculptor Halyna Kal’chenko and architect Anatoliy Ihnashchenko, was unveiled at the University of Saskatchewan. Commissioned by the Association for Cultural Relations with Ukrainians Abroad, the statue was at the time seen by some merely as Soviet propaganda designed to rehabilitate their international reputation tarnished, in part, by injustices perpetrated against the people of Ukraine. The gift was initially declined by both the Province of Saskatchewan and the City of Saskatoon before being accepted by the University of Saskatchewan and installed on campus in a grove south of the Arts Tower. Through a generous donation by Dr. Victor O. Buyniak, as well as through the support of alumni and the wider Ukrainian community, the statue was refurbished and unveiled in its present location on 1 August 2013, the centenary of the death of Lesya Ukrainka.

Statue of Lesya Ukrainka; Arts Wing and Arts Tower in background.

Bio/Historical Note: Lesya Ukrainka (Larysa Kosach-Kvitka) (1871-1913), the celebrated Ukrainian poet, made her mark on Ukrainian and world literature through her diverse writing talents. Her profound knowledge of world history and languages enabled her to write extensively across genres on a variety of subjects. In her lyrical works and dramatic poems, she vividly developed the themes of patriotism, human dignity, and personal integrity. Ukrainka’s work is timeless in its powerful assertion of human rights and freedoms. In 1976, a bronze statue of Lesya Ukrainka, made in Kyiv, Ukraine (USSR) by sculptor Halyna Kal’chenko and architect Anatoliy Ihnashchenko, was unveiled at the University of Saskatchewan. Commissioned by the Association for Cultural Relations with Ukrainians Abroad, the statue was at the time seen by some merely as Soviet propaganda designed to rehabilitate their international reputation tarnished, in part, by injustices perpetrated against the people of Ukraine. The gift was initially declined by both the Province of Saskatchewan and the City of Saskatoon before being accepted by the University of Saskatchewan and installed on campus in a grove south of the Arts Tower. Through a generous donation by Dr. Victor O. Buyniak, as well as through the support of alumni and the wider Ukrainian community, the statue was refurbished and unveiled in its present location on 1 August 2013, the centenary of the death of Lesya Ukrainka.

David Carpenter, professor of English, seated with a copy of his book Banjo Lessons. Carpenter won the City of Edmonton Book Prize for Banjo Lessons (Coteau Books, 1997), a novel in which a young man comes of age in mid-century Alberta.

Bio/Historical Note: David C. Carpenter, born 1941 in Edmonton, Alberta, earned a BA in modern languages (1962) and a BEd (1964) from the University of Alberta. He earned an MA in English (1967) from the University of Oregon and a DPhil from the University of Alberta (1973). Carpenter has served on the faculty of the English Department at the University of Saskatchewan since 1975. His oeuvre, which includes poetry, essays, short stories, novellas, and full-length books in fiction as well as non-fiction genres, focuses primarily on nature and his native western Canada. Works of fiction by Carpenter include Jewels, Jokes for the Apocalypse, and God's Bedfellows. Writing Home and Courting Saskatchewan are books of essays by him. In 2010, A Hunter's Confession, was released, in which he explores the history of hunting, subsistence hunting versus hunting for sport, trophy hunting, and the meaning of the hunt for those who have written about it most eloquently. Carpenter was awarded an honourary Doctor of Literature degree by the U of S in 2018.

John Livingstone Clark, a sessional lecturer in English, signs a book.

Bio/historical note: Ronald John Clark was born 6 August 1950 on Saltspring Island, British Columbia. He earned a B.A. from UBC in 1976 and a M.A. from SFU in 1982. He also studied at the University of Sydney in 1979 and 1980 as the Commonwealth Scholar for Graduate Studies in English Literature. In 1984, Clark moved to Saskatoon and joined the Department of English, University of Saskatchewan, as a Sessional Lecturer. In addition to his teaching duties, Clark worked as an editor, contributed to several literary publications and anthologies as a poet, prose writer and reviewer and had several books of his poetry published. His work has been published under the following names: R.J. Clark, Ron Clark, John Clark, John Livingstone Clark and J. Livingstone Clark. His awards include grants from Saskatchewan Arts Board and Canada Council, a CBC Award for Drama and an appointment as Writer-in-Residence at the Saskatoon Public Library for 1999-2000.

Image appeared in 27 Mar.1997 issue of OCN.

Autumn view of statue of Lesya Ukrainka with Arts Tower in background.

Bio/Historical Note: Lesya Ukrainka (Larysa Kosach-Kvitka) (1871-1913), the celebrated Ukrainian poet, made her mark on Ukrainian and world literature through her diverse writing talents. Her profound knowledge of world history and languages enabled her to write extensively across genres on a variety of subjects. In her lyrical works and dramatic poems, she vividly developed the themes of patriotism, human dignity, and personal integrity. Ukrainka’s work is timeless in its powerful assertion of human rights and freedoms. In 1976, a bronze statue of Lesya Ukrainka, made in Kyiv, Ukraine (USSR) by sculptor Halyna Kal’chenko and architect Anatoliy Ihnashchenko, was unveiled at the University of Saskatchewan. Commissioned by the Association for Cultural Relations with Ukrainians Abroad, the statue was at the time seen by some merely as Soviet propaganda designed to rehabilitate their international reputation tarnished, in part, by injustices perpetrated against the people of Ukraine. The gift was initially declined by both the Province of Saskatchewan and the City of Saskatoon before being accepted by the University of Saskatchewan and installed on campus in a grove south of the Arts Tower. Through a generous donation by Dr. Victor O. Buyniak, as well as through the support of alumni and the wider Ukrainian community, the statue was refurbished and unveiled in its present location on 1 August 2013, the centenary of the death of Lesya Ukrainka.

Head and shoulders image of Bill Deverell, candidate for WAB in 1959.

Bio/Historical Note: William Herbert Deverell (b. 1937) is a Canadian novelist, activist, and criminal lawyer. Deverell worked his way through law school at the University of Saskatchewan as night editor of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. He held a D. Juris from that university, where he had been an invited lecturer in the Shumiatcher series on Law and Literature and was honored at its College of Arts and Science's centenary in 2009 as one of its 100 alumni of influence. He was founder and honorary director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association. The BCCLA has played a prominent role in fighting for human rights since its formation in 1962 to advocate for a small religious sect, Sons of Freedom, whose members had been charged with conspiring to intimidate Parliament and the B.C. Legislature. Between 1968 and 1973 the BCCLA took on a string of challenges against censorship, including obscenity charges against Vancouver’s alternative newspaper, the Georgia Straight. Deverell was among prominent Canadians such as David Suzuki involved with the association in fighting for civil rights. Deverell, who received an LLB in 1963 and B.A. in 1964, was awarded an Honourary Degree in 2016.

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Anand Malik, instructor in English, College of Education.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Anand Kumar Malik was born 10 April 1924 in Lahore, India. His degrees included: an FSc (Physics), a BA (Pure Mathematics), an MA (English Literature) Panjab University; a PGCE (Linguistics), DEd, University of London; and an EdD, Columbia University (President's Scholar). As a student in London Dr. Malik was chief editor of The Londinian. Upon returning to India, he was editor, English Journal, Panjab and sub-editor, The Times of India, New Delhi. He taught at: Panjab University (Lahore), Government College (Rohtak); head, Department of Linguistics, Central Government Teacher Training College (Jullundur), British Council Scholar, Linguistics, (Mussoorie); International House, Minato ku (Tokyo); University of Idaho; Universidade da Bahia (Brazil); department chair, Panjab University, and the University of Saskatchewan. In 1967 he started teaching at University of Tennessee and retired as professor of Theoretical Foundations of Education. Dr. Malik authored numerous books and articles in: phenomenology, existentialism, cultural studies, critical theory, linguistic analysis, logical empiricism and a history of Canadian society. His book, Comparative Theories of Knowledge, was recognized as a remarkable and significant contribution to the theory of knowledge. Dr. Malik died 27 May 2006 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Dignitaries parading from the Administration Building to the special convocation ceremonies in the Bowl during the Learned Societies Conference, U of S, 22 May-8 June 1979.

Bio/historical note: A special convocation was held 2 June 1979 to celebrate the "Learned Societies Conference". It was 20 years since the last conference was held at the University of Saskatchewan. Honourary Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) degrees were conferred on four outstanding scholars: Jean Sutherland Boggs, Sir Moses I. Finley, Amartya Kumar Sen, and Arthur G.C. Whalley.

Bio/Historical Note: Learned Societies, a term applied in Canada to the large group of scholarly organizations that hold conferences annually from late May to mid-June at a different university location each year. Society members come not only to hear and discuss scholarly papers on the latest work in their fields, but also to renew contacts and share common concerns. The gathering of these associations in one place over one period is distinctively Canadian and owes more to practical evolution than to planning power. Selecting one site with suitable university accommodation was an answer to Canadian distance that allowed scholars more economical joint arrangements, let them attend meetings of societies besides their own, and encouraged them to visit varied geographical areas. The older Royal Society opened the way by moving from its Ottawa base to annual conferences at Montréal, Kingston or Toronto. Younger, more specialized associations - such as those in history, political science and economics - joined in, holding their own meetings along with, or just following, the senior scholarly society. By the 1930s the practice of holding an annual learned-conference period at a different site each year was well established, though such sites were usually in central Canada, where most larger universities were located. But in 1949 "the Learneds" went to Halifax, and soon afterwards to Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver. In April 1996, the conference name was changed to the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Head and shoulders image of Elizabeth Brewster, professor of English.

Bio/Historical Note: Elizabeth Winifred Brewster was born 26 August 1922 in Chipman, New Brunswick. As a young child she was a keen reader of any material that presented itself, including literary classics and the Eaton’s catalogue. Her first poem, submitted by her father and accepted by the Saint John Telegraph-Journal, was published when she was 12 years old. After she graduated from high school in 1942, Brewster entered the University of New Brunswick on an entrance scholarship. She received a BA in 1946, an MA from Harvard's Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1947, then began her PhD at Indiana University, before electing to travel to England on a Beaverbrook overseas scholarship to study at King's College, London from 1949-1950. She later earned a BLS from the University of Toronto, then returned in 1957 to Indiana University Bloomington to complete her PhD on the work of English poet George Crabbe and graduated in 1962. She was a professor at the University of Saskatchewan, where she taught literature and creative writing from 1972 until she retired in 1990. A founding member in 1945 of the Canadian literary journal The Fiddlehead, Brewster went on to publish over twenty collections of her poetry, five books of fiction, and two memoirs. Over the course of her long career she was a recipient of many awards and honours, including the E.J. Pratt Award for poems from her second book Lillooet, the Saskatchewan Lifetime Achievement Award (1995), the Saskatchewan Book Award for Poetry (2003), the Saskatchewan Order of Merit (2008), and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Meda (2012)l, and several other honours. Brewster was awarded an honorary degree from the University of New Brunswick in 1982. Her poetry collection Footnotes to the Book of Job was shortlisted for the 1996 Governor General's Award, and in 2001 she was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada. Brewster died 26 December 2012 in Saskatoon at age 90.

Head and shoulders image of Albert W. Trueman, honourary Doctor of Laws degree; likely taken at time of presentation.

Bio/Historical Note: Albert William Trueman was born in 1892 in Pennsylvania. His New Brunswick-born father John Main Trueman taught college in Connecticut, between 1907-1913. The family lived in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia after 1913, where his father taught at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. Trueman attended high school in Truro, Nova Scotia and graduated from Mount Allison University in 1927. He finished his MA in English Literature at Exeter College, Oxford University in 1932. Truman taught high school, and then became school superintendent in Saint John, New Brunswick. He later worked a university administrator, serving as president of the University of Manitoba between 1945-1948, and president of the University of New Brunswick from 1948-1953. He was principal and dean of University College at the University of Western Ontario from 1965-1967. He was chancellor of the University of Western Ontario from 1967-1971. He returned to academic life and had an extended term as visiting professor of English at Carleton University in Ottawa from 1967-1981. Truman acted as Government Film Commissioner and chairman of the National Film Board of Canada from 1953-1957, and then as the first director of the newly created Canada Council for the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, serving from 1957 to 1965. In these positions Trueman made contributions to Canadian cultural policies, primarily by promoting the roles and influence of both agencies. He also served on the Board of Governors of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Truman was given many honourary degrees. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada since 1964, and was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1974. Trueman wrote and edited several books, including A Second View of Things: A Memoir in 1982. Trueman died in 1988 in Toronto.

Formal portrait of Jean Bayer, Department of English, 1915-1945.

Bio/Historical Note: Jean Gordon Bayer joined the staff of the university in 1909 as President Walter Murray's secretary. Bayer previously had been his secretary at Dalhousie University. She arrived in Saskatoon in time to witness the registration of the first students. She was the President’s secretary, university librarian, and unofficial adviser to students. Bayer helped choose the university colours and motto, and was one of the founders of the Pente Kai Deka Society. In 1915, due to staff shortages caused by the Great War, Bayer was appointed Instructor in English. She proved so effective she was encouraged to continue, and took a year of study at Bedford College, London, prior to being formally appointed to the faculty. Like Murray, “she possessed a wide vision of the function of a university and, like him, she…dedicated herself to Saskatchewan.” “A most kindly guide” to her students, “many caught their first glimpse of what a literary ‘salon’ of the great days might have been in the genial atmosphere of tea and literature in her book-lined suite. She was a most loyal and cooperative colleague….She made it seem an easy thing to be happy and brave.” When Bayer returned from London in 1921 she was named Assistant Professor of English, a rank rarely held by women in that period. Bayer retained the post until her death in 1945. A scholarship in her name is available to a student who has completed at least two years of university studies.

Image 1 is a view looking northwest of the 10-foot high bronze statue of Lesya Ukrainka, the celebrated Ukrainian poet; Arts Tower in background. Image 2 is a view taken from the foot of the statue looking up at it.

Bio/Historical Note: Lesya Ukrainka (Larysa Kosach-Kvitka) (1871-1913), the celebrated Ukrainian poet, made her mark on Ukrainian and world literature through her diverse writing talents. Her profound knowledge of world history and languages enabled her to write extensively across genres on a variety of subjects. In her lyrical works and dramatic poems, she vividly developed the themes of patriotism, human dignity, and personal integrity. Ukrainka’s work is timeless in its powerful assertion of human rights and freedoms. In 1976, a bronze statue of Lesya Ukrainka, made in Kyiv, Ukraine (USSR) by sculptor Halyna Kal’chenko and architect Anatoliy Ihnashchenko, was unveiled at the University of Saskatchewan. Commissioned by the Association for Cultural Relations with Ukrainians Abroad, the statue was at the time seen by some merely as Soviet propaganda designed to rehabilitate their international reputation tarnished, in part, by injustices perpetrated against the people of Ukraine. The gift was initially declined by both the Province of Saskatchewan and the City of Saskatoon before being accepted by the University of Saskatchewan and installed on campus in a grove south of the Arts Tower. Through a generous donation by Dr. Victor O. Buyniak, as well as through the support of alumni and the wider Ukrainian community, the statue was refurbished and unveiled in its present location on 1 August 2013, the centenary of the death of Lesya Ukrainka.

Biographical/historical note: A statue of Lesya Ukrainka, the celebrated Ukrainian poet, was presented to the U of S in 1976 by the Association for Cultural Relations with Ukrainians Abroad of the USSR as a gift of friendship from the people of Ukraine to the people of Canada.

Group photo of dignitaries present at the unveiling ceremony of the 10-foot high bronze statue of Lesya Ukrainka, the celebrated Ukrainian poet. Back row from l to r: Tom Gauley, Chairman, Board of Governors; R.W. Begg, University President; V.O. Buyniak, Head, Department of Slavic Studies; and Nina Okhatrina, Ukrainian representative. Front row (l to r): Ukrainian representatives Volodymr F. Skofenko, Mikhalio Stelmakh, and Mikola Manoiolo.

Bio/Historical Note: Lesya Ukrainka (Larysa Kosach-Kvitka) (1871-1913), the celebrated Ukrainian poet, made her mark on Ukrainian and world literature through her diverse writing talents. Her profound knowledge of world history and languages enabled her to write extensively across genres on a variety of subjects. In her lyrical works and dramatic poems, she vividly developed the themes of patriotism, human dignity, and personal integrity. Ukrainka’s work is timeless in its powerful assertion of human rights and freedoms. In 1976, a bronze statue of Lesya Ukrainka, made in Kyiv, Ukraine (USSR) by sculptor Halyna Kal’chenko and architect Anatoliy Ihnashchenko, was unveiled at the University of Saskatchewan. Commissioned by the Association for Cultural Relations with Ukrainians Abroad, the statue was at the time seen by some merely as Soviet propaganda designed to rehabilitate their international reputation tarnished, in part, by injustices perpetrated against the people of Ukraine. The gift was initially declined by both the Province of Saskatchewan and the City of Saskatoon before being accepted by the University of Saskatchewan and installed on campus in a grove south of the Arts Tower. Through a generous donation by Dr. Victor O. Buyniak, as well as through the support of alumni and the wider Ukrainian community, the statue was refurbished and unveiled in its present location on 1 August 2013, the centenary of the death of Lesya Ukrainka.

Bio/historical note: A statue of Lesya Ukrainka, the celebrated Ukrainian poet, was presented to the U of S in 1976 by the Association for Cultural Relations with Ukrainians Abroad of the USSR as a gift of friendship from the people of Ukraine to the people of Canada.

E.M. (Ted) Culliton, University Chancellor, making presentation of an honourary Doctor of Laws degree to Albert W. Trueman during Convocation at Regina Campus.

Bio/Historical Note: Albert William Trueman was born in 1892 in Pennsylvania, where his New Brunswick-born father John Main Trueman taught college in Storrs, Connecticut, between 1907-1913. The family lived in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia after 1913, where his father taught at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. Trueman attended high school in Truro, Nova Scotia and graduated from Mount Allison University in 1927. He finished his MA in English Literature at Exeter College, Oxford University in 1932. Truman taught high school teacher, and then became school superintendent in Saint John, New Brunswick. He later worked a university administrator, serving as President of the University of Manitoba between 1945-1948, and President of the University of New Brunswick from 1948-1953. He was principal and dean of University College at the University of Western Ontario from 1965-1967. He was chancellor of the University of Western Ontario from 1967-1971. He returned to academic life and had an extended term as visiting professor of English at Carleton University in Ottawa from 1967-1981. Truman acted as Government Film Commissioner and Chairman of the National Film Board of Canada from 1953-1957, and then as the first Director of the newly created Canada Council for the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, serving from 1957 to 1965. In these positions, he made contributions to Canadian cultural policies, primarily by promoting the roles and influence of both agencies. He also served on the Board of Governors of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Truman was given many honourary degrees. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada since 1964, and was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1974. Trueman wrote and edited several books, including A Second View of Things: A Memoir in 1982. Trueman died in 1988 in Toronto.