View of the original wood frame buildings, known as the "College of Shacks." Rugby Chapel peak visible at centre.

Bio/Historical Note: Emmanuel College pre-dates the University of Saskatchewan by some thirty years. The College was founded at Prince Albert in 1879 by Rt. Rev. John McLean as a “training College for Native Helpers.” In 1883 by an Act of Parliament, Emmanuel College was incorporated as "The University of Saskatchewan.” When the provincial university was established in Saskatoon in 1909, the Synod decided to relinquish its title and opt for affiliation to the new university. Emmanuel sold its old site to the federal government, to be used for a penitentiary, and shipped all its belongings to Saskatoon in four boxcars. On unbroken prairie on the east side of the river, professors, students and carpenters began to construct a series of wooden buildings. This “College of Shacks” was moved between 1910 and 1912 to the campus. In 1913 Rugby Chapel, so named because it had been funded by the staff and students of Rugby School, England, was moved to the campus from Prince Albert. A stone clad, permanent college building was constructed between 1911 and 1912. Designed by Brown and Vallance, the building contained residential space for students and the principal, classrooms and a refectory in the basement. In 1916 the college was used as a military hospital for returned soldiers and in 1918, as a hospital during the outbreak of influenza. St. Chad College was established in Regina in 1907 for the training of divinity students. It amalgamated with Emmanuel College to form the College of Emmanuel & St. Chad, continuing as an affiliate college of the University of Saskatchewan. The Chapel of St. Chad was designed by Webster, Forrester and Scott of Saskatoon and constructed in 1965-1966. In 1962 the Emmanuel College Residence was built as an addition to Emmanuel College but a proposed walkway connecting the two was never completed. The Emmanuel and St. Chad buildings were vacated in 2005 when they joined the Saskatoon Theological Union, and the college moved into leased space in the Lutheran Seminary building. The college building and St. Chad chapel along with the neighboring Rugby Chapel were purchased by the university for $1.1 million in the fall of 2006 and Emmanuel and St. Chad space earmarked for the Graduate Students' Association (GSA). In 2012 its council announced the college would suspend operations the following year, while it would work to come up with a three-year restructuring plan. In 2013, however, the council said it would continue operating for the time being, by working with its partner schools in the Saskatoon Theological Union (STU) - St. Andrew’s College (United Church of Canada) and the Lutheran Theological Seminary. By this time the principal’s position had been eliminated, and the faculty was down to a single professor. Since 2014 it has been working on a plan to offer its licentiate of theology (LTh) mostly remotely, online, with the support of locally-based mentors and tutors—an offering intended as training for diaconal ministry or for locally-raised priests.

Looking east at Emmanuel College shortly after completion.

Looking east at Emmanuel College; landscape in foreground.

Looking east at Emmanuel College; landscape in foreground.

Looking southeast at roof construction of St. Chad Chapel.

Bio/Historical Note: St. Chad College was established in Regina in 1907 for the training of divinity students. It amalgamated with Emmanuel College and moved to the Saskatoon campus in 1964. The Chapel of St. Chad was designed by Webster, Forrester and Scott of Saskatoon and constructed in 1965-1966. Located between Emmanuel College and Rugby Chapel near the Wiggins Street entrance, the stone clad structure’s dominant feature is its soaring roof line. The stained glass used in this building is another character defining element. At the head of the chapel nave stands a window 30 feet in height and 10 feet in width. The window depicts the creative works of God and man. Two windows flank this principle window in the transept; one devoted to the College of Emmanuel and one to St. Chad. These windows measure 33 feet high by 4 feet wide. Some windows depict intricate figurative scenes while others are abstract. The windows lend a range of color to the chapel, defining in particular the character of the nave. Because stained glass is a material associated particularly with Christian churches, the windows also reflect the chapel’s history as a theological institution. The stained glass has been well maintained and fully retains its commemorative integrity.

Brickwork almost completed during construction of the Engineering Building.

Bio/historical note: The original Engineering Building was destroyed by fire on Friday, 13 March 1925.

View of first Engineering Building shortly after completion; winter scene.

View of first Engineering Building shortly after completion.

View of first Engineering Building shortly after completion.

Exterior of the Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization building.

Dr. Leo F. Kristjanson seated at his desk in the President's office on the second floor addition of the Administration Building.

Otto Lang, Canadian Transport Minister, holding a telephone receiver to his ear while speaking at the official opening of the new research and development building for SED Systems Ltd.

Bio/Historical Note: The University of Saskatchewan's Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies joined in 1965 with university scientists and researchers to form the Space Engineering Division (later known as SED Systems Incorporated). SED Systems supplies both systems and services to the satellite industry. SED is located in the Innovation Place Research Park on the U of S campus.

Cadets standing by Royal Canadian Air Force recruiting display.

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Stuart Houston, Medical Imaging.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Clarence Stuart Houston, son of Dr. Clarence J. and Dr. Sigridur Augusta (Christianson) Houston, was born in 1927 in Williston, North Dakota and grew up in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. After obtaining an MD from the University of Manitoba in 1951, Stuart married Mary Belcher in 1951 and practiced medicine with his parents from 1951 to 1960. Moving to Saskatoon in 1960, he began training in Diagnostic Radiology. After graduating with a FRCPC in 1964, Dr. Houston joined the University of Saskatchewan and became head of Radiology from 1982-1987. Dr. Houston retired in 1996 as professor emeritus. He published works in medicine and the history of medicine include five books, 13 book chapters and 66 scientific articles, as well as numerous book reviews, abstracts and editorials. In addition to medicine, Dr. Houston was involved in ornithology and natural history since his early teens. Beginning as a bander of ducks for Ducks Unlimited, he was recognized as one of the leading authorities on birds in Canada. He published six books, 33 book chapters, 251 original papers, 123 book reviews, and numerous abstracts and editorials in this field. He and his wife Mary banded over 126,000 individuals of 206 species, with 3,191 recoveries - the largest list for a private bander in North America. Dr. Houston served in several capacities in the American Ornithologists' Union, of which he was named a Fellow in 1989. Dr. Houston was a recognized authority on the Franklin expeditions, on the factor-naturalists of the Hudson's Bay Company, and on the medical history of Saskatchewan. The first of three books on the Franklin expedition, To the Arctic by Canoe, 1819-1821, The Journals and Paintings of Robert Hood, was published in 1974; later publications included Steps on the Road to Medicare (2002) and Eighteenth-Century Naturalists of Hudson Bay (2003) (with Mary Houston and Tim Ball). Houston's awarda include honourary doctorates for literature, the Roland Michener Conservation Award from the Canadian Wildlife Federation (1990), the Saskatchewan Order of Merit (1992), and the Order of Canada (1993). Dr. Houston died on 22 July 2021 at age 94.

Bio/Historical Note: Mary Isabel Belcher was born in 1924 at her family's farm near Dilke, Saskatchewan. She obtained her BA (with distinction) and BEd degrees from the University of Saskatchewan. Mary taught for three years at the Yorkton Collegiate Institute. After marrying Stuart Houston in August 1951, Mary worked with him, until nearly the end of her life, on bird banding and on much of his writing. Mary was one of the first four elected Fellows of the Saskatchewan Natural History Society in 1987, and served as vice-president from 1979-1981. She banded not only thousands of Bohemian waxwings, but also thousands of mountain bluebirds, tree swallows, purple martins, ring-billed gulls, California gulls, cormorants, and pelicans. Mary was named as one of the "Outstanding Saskatoon Women" in International Women's Year (1975). She also received the Douglas H. Pimlott Conservation Award from the Canadian Nature Federation (1988), the Meewasin Conservation Award from the Meewasin Valley Authority (1996), the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal (2005) and the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal (2005). Mary was honoured with induction into the College of Education Alumni Wall of Honour (2010), the Saskatoon Women's Hall of Fame (2011) and was named a College of Arts and Science Alumnus of Influence in 2013. Mary Houston died in Saskatoon in 2019 at age 94.

Head and shoulders image of Glen Makahonuk, Senior Library Assistant and CUPE Union President.

Bio/Historical Note: A senior library assistant at the University of Saskatchewan, Glen Makahonuk served as president of the Saskatchewan division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees from 1992 until his untimely death in 1997. During the same period, he served as president of CUPE Local 1975 (representing University of Saskatchewan support workers), regional and general vice-president on CUPE's National Executive Board, and vice-president with the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour. Despite his many union offices, Makahonuk took pride in being part of the “rank and file.” He continued his work at the university and found time to chair his Local's grievance committee for almost twenty years, handling over 1,200 grievances. Makahonuk was a strong proponent of “social unionism.” He believed that unions should not be focused solely on collective bargaining and grievance handling, but rather should strive to advance the broad interests of the working class and the unemployed, forge strong ties with social justice coalitions, and organize workers. He was a constant fixture at picket lines. Indeed, he is fondly remembered as one of the best picketers during Saskatoon's Common Front municipal strike of 1994. It was also a common sight to see Makahonuk at the microphone speaking to resolutions at union conventions, which he saw as an opportunity for workers to educate each other about the issues facing the labour movement. In letters to politicians and “letters to the editor,” he called for measures to improve the lives of working people and the unemployed, such as anti-scab legislation, pay equity, a higher minimum wage, and well-funded social programs. While Makahonuk won widespread respect as a tireless labour activist, he was also a keen student of labour history, which helped shape his deep sense of social justice. He completed his Master's thesis on the Estevan coal miners' strike of 1931, and was a frequent contributor to Briarpatch and Saskatchewan History. Just prior to his death on 10 Dec. 1997, Makahonuk authored the booklet Class, State and Power: The Struggle for Trade Union Rights in Saskatchewan, 1905-1997.