Image of students listening to an unidentified instructor who is leaning on a lectern.

Head and shoulders image of Dr. James M. Pepper, Professor of Chemistry.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. James Morley (Jim) Pepper was born 30 March 1920 in Morse, Saskatchewan. His family moved to Victoria, British Columbia, in 1930 where he attended high school. He received a BSc (1939) and an MSc (1941) from the University of British Columbia. Dr. Pepper earned a PhD from McGill University in 1943. Following graduation he began his career in 1945 at the Dominion Rubber Research Laboratories in Guelph, Ontario but in July, 1947 accepted a position of associate professor of Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. He was promoted to professor in 1955, serving as department head from 1970-1976. Dr. Pepper retired in 1986. Dr. Pepper’s research interests centred on wood chemistry, focusing on research involving the isolation, structure and potential chemical utilization of the lignin component and liquefaction of wood as an alternative energy source. He published numerous papers in this area before retiring from the department in 1985. Dr. Pepper was married to Thelma Pepper (1920-2020) for 58 years; he supported and assisted Thelma's widely recognized work in photography. Jim Pepper died in May 2012 in Saskatoon at age 92.

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Jim Pepper, professor of Chemistry.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. James Morley (Jim) Pepper was born 30 March 1920 in Morse, Saskatchewan. His family moved to Victoria, British Columbia, in 1930 where he attended high school. He received a BSc (1939) and an MSc (1941) from the University of British Columbia. Dr. Pepper earned a PhD from McGill University in 1943. Following graduation he began his career in 1945 at the Dominion Rubber Research Laboratories in Guelph, Ontario but in July, 1947 accepted a position of associate professor of Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. He was promoted to professor in 1955, serving as department head from 1970-1976. Dr. Pepper retired in 1986. Dr. Pepper’s research interests centred on wood chemistry, focusing on research involving the isolation, structure and potential chemical utilization of the lignin component and liquefaction of wood as an alternative energy source. He published numerous papers in this area before retiring from the department in 1985. Dr. Pepper was married to Thelma Pepper (1920-2020) for 58 years; he supported and assisted Thelma's widely recognized work in photography. Jim Pepper died in May 2012 in Saskatoon at age 92.

Bio/Historical Note: Thelma Vivian Stephens was born 28 July 1920 in Kingston, Nova Scotia. Her father Lester was crazy about photography, nature and history and had a huge influence on Thelma in these areas. Thelma received a scholarship to attend Acadia University (BSc, 1941) and McGill University (MSc, 1943) where she played on the university tennis team. While at McGill she was attracted to one of her lab students, a chemistry Ph.D. candidate named Jim Pepper. On one of his lab assignments she said he could do better! They were married in the Annapolis valley of Nova Scotia in 1945 just as WWII came to an end, and they spent the next 58 years together. Jim was offered an associate professor position at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon where for the next 30 years, Thelma's focus was on supporting Jim, raising four children, and thoroughly enjoying learning about the birds, flowers and history of Saskatchewan. At 60 years of age, she tried reading to pioneer women at a local seniors care home. It was exciting for Thelma to see them so happy telling their life stories. It was a natural thing for her to try and capture this personal enjoyment with a photograph like her father and grandfather had done before her. That experience with the pioneer women started a second career that consumed her and gave Thelma great personal satisfaction. With the support of the Saskatoon Camera Club and the Photographer's Gallery, Thelma produced four major photography exhibitions over the next 30 years that toured across Saskatchewan, Canada and Europe. In a pre-digital era, Thelma did all the photograph printing herself, a skill she learned from her father in the Kingston house bathroom that doubled as a darkroom. Her panorama photographs captured the emptiness but beauty of the prairie landscape and towns. A common theme for all the work was a celebration of the dignity and happiness that exists in everyone including pioneer women, the disadvantaged and the elderly. Her work celebrated the uniqueness, spirit and history of Saskatchewan people. For her unique contributions, Thelma received many awards including The Saskatchewan Arts Board Lifetime Achievement Award (2014) and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit (2018). Thelma worked actively on her photography until the age of 92 when her energy and determination allowed her to fully recover from open heart surgery. Thelma Pepper died on 1 December 2020 in Saskatoon at age 100.

Dr. Rudy Abramovitch (seated) and Dr. Jim Pepper, professors of Chemistry, working with a proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer machine in the Chemistry lab.

Image of the Intensely Vigorous College Nine mixing with the crowd at a football game at Griffiths Stadium. Press boxes and camera perch visible in background.

Bio/Historical Note: The Intensely Vigorous College Nine marching band was founded on 1 October 1954 by “Bobs” Caldwell as a spoof on college marching bands. It began life as the Dawn Sommers-Irvine Epstein Memorial Band, in reference to a 1954 prank in which three law students convinced everyone on campus that an aspiring Winnipeg actress visiting campus was actually a rising starlet on contract with Paramount Studios. Irvine Emmanuel Epstein was supposedly the one who exposed the hoax, hence the name. In the fall of 1954 the band changed its name to the G.B. Armstrong Memorial Vegetable Soup Contest and Tug O’ War College Marching Band before settling on the Intensely Vigorous College Nine, perhaps in reference to the ‘College Nine,’ a popular student swing band of the late 1940s. Having rehearsed regularly and dismissing rumours that they were learning only one number, members summed up the band’s progress by noting “she’s not much for music but she’s hell for laughs.” Their first public appearance was at the Homecoming weekend parade. So unusual was their talent, so original their arrangements and so spirited their participation during those festivities that the College Nine were named “Men of the Week” by the Sheaf. The Intensely Vigorous College Nine remained a campus tradition long past the graduation of its original membership, and was an entertaining presence at the University until the mid-1990s. In addition to being active participants in student life, many band members went on to great achievement in their professional careers. Indeed, one alumnus of the College Nine, Ray Hnatyshyn (1934-2002) PC CC CMM CD QC QC (Sask) Hon. FRHSC, became Governor-General of Canada in 1989.

Members of the Pharmacy Students' Society sit, socialize, study, and smoke together.

Head and shoulders image of E. Kent Phillips, member, University Board of Governors.

Bio/Historical note: Edward Kent Phillips was born in Ottawa on 31 July 1904 and came to Saskatoon as a young boy. He graduated from Nutana Collegiate and received an MA in Engineering in 1925 from the University of Saskatchewan. He received his MA in Civil Engineering from the U of S in 1927. From 1925 until 1947, Phillips was a lecturer in the College of Engineering. From 1960-1966 he served as a member of the University Board of Governors. He was also a member of the University Senate and president of the University Alumni Association. Aside from his academic career, Phillips was also a prominent athlete. He played forward for the University of Saskatchewan hockey team in 1921-1922, the year the team became champions of the Saskatoon-Prince Albert Hockey League. He was also involved in rugby, having been part of the Saskwanis Rugby Club when they were Western Canadian champions in 1922. From 1928-1937 Phillips coached the football team and was an assistant coach from 1941-1943. In 1947 he became the first president of the Saskatoon Hilltops Junior Football Club. In 1948 Phillips became president of the Canadian Rugby Union. In 1951 Phillips was appointed commissioner of the Western Interprovincial Football Union, the precursor to the Canadian Football League’s West Division. He was also a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders executive. Phillips died on 5 March 1972 in Saskatoon. He was inducted posthumously into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1980. The E. Kent Phillips trophy is one of the Major 7 Awards given out by Huskie Athletics annually. The first E. Kent Phillips trophy was given to Dan Marisi in 1966. Prior to 1989, the award was awarded to an outstanding male athlete of a team sport. After 1989, the award was awarded to male recipients competing on an individual basis.

Image of speaker addressing audience at the first Physiotherapy Graduation held in Convocation Hall. View from back of hall looking towards dais.

Head and shoulders image of Linda J. Pipke, Extension Specialist, Department of Extension, 1970-1972.

Studio portrait of Bob Polischuk, Huskie high jumper, wearing a track uniform in an indoor scene.

Bob Hills (left), president, Engineering Students' Society, presents a Robert Hurley painting to Arthur J. Porter, departing Dean of Engineering.

View of model of Physics Addition with minor landscaping. Made by Nik Semenoff, according to The Business Leader, Vol. 1 no.1 August 1964.

Indoor group photo of members (including five women) of the University Physics Club.

Image of J.A. (Jack) Pringle, University Controller, talking on the telephone while seated at his desk.

Bio/historical note: John Alexander (Jack) Pringle was appointed Vice-President (Admin) on 1 July 1975. The Board of Governors created the position as part of the major administration reorganization after the creation of the University of Regina. Pringle had been employed by the University since 1947 in a variety of administrative positions including Bursar and Controller. His V.P. duties included the development of policy and procedures in the area of financial management, personnel relations, physical plant administration, purchasing and business operations, such as residences, food services and the bookstore. Pringle retired in 1981.

Head and shoulders image of J.A. (Jack) Pringle, University Vice-President (Admin).

Bio/historical note: John Alexander (Jack) Pringle was appointed Vice-President (Admin) on 1 July 1975. The Board of Governors created the position as part of the major administration reorganization after the creation of the University of Regina. Pringle had been employed by the University since 1947 in a variety of administrative positions including Bursar and Controller. His V.P. duties included the development of policy and procedures in the area of financial management, personnel relations, physical plant administration, purchasing and business operations, such as residences, food services and the bookstore. Pringle retired in 1981.