Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Ceremonies Office fonds
General material designation
- Multiple media
Parallel title
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Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on the provenance of the fonds
Level of description
Fonds
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
13.55 m of textual records and other material
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
From the time of the University of British Columbia's first Congregation, a Ceremonies Committee was appointed from faculty by the President to assist in staging the event. The committee chairman supervised the Congregation activities, while ad hoc committees handled other ceremonial activities. Ceremonial functions of the university fell primarily to the Chancellor; the Ceremonies Committee worked closely with the Chancellor and the President. The Ceremonies Office evolved slowly, beginning with the arrival of Sir Ouvry Roberts in the President's Office. He began as Director of Traffic and, in the early 1960s, gradually assumed responsibility for staging the university's public functions. The Ceremonies Office was first located in the Wireless Station. Malcolm McGregor replaced Roberts as Director of Ceremonies in 1968. The Office moved to the Old Administration Building in the late 1960s and assumed responsibility for staging the university's public functions. McGregor characterized the role of the Office as the "University on parade." The Ceremonies Office has prepared material for memorials, tributes, obituaries, honorary degrees, plaques and dedications, and sponsored special luncheons and dinners, hosted royalty and directed Congregations. In 1977, Benjamin N. Moyls succeeded McGregor as Director of Ceremonies. Moyls was, in turn, succeeded by J.K. Stager (1985-1990), C.E. Slonecker (1990-2004), and Eilis Courtney (2004- ).
Custodial history
Scope and content
The fonds consists of records generated through the various activities of the Ceremonies Office. Included in the fonds are administrative records (1964-1984) as well as records that document the activities associated with Congregation (1950-2006), building openings (1951-1986) and numerous functions sponsored by the University (1962-1995). The fonds also include information about honorary degree recipients, congratulatory greetings to Presidents K. George Pedersen (1983), David Strangway (1985) and various other ceremonial activities. There are also audio recordings of special events around the University campus. For additional information, see Series Descriptions.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
The four UBC Register Honorary Degrees 1925-2017 are located in the archives vault.
Availability of other formats
The bulk of the photographs (35,000) consists of negatives stored on reels and are individual shots of students receiving their degrees (1993-1997). These images are provided through name indexes available in the University Archives. These photos are located in the archives vault.
The remaining photographs document Congregation processions, speeches, honorary degree recipients, audiences, and tree-planting ceremonies (1966-2002). The latter photographs have been digitized and are accessible through UBC Library Open Collections Series UBC 35.1 and Series 35.2
Restrictions on access
These are institutional records and subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Researcher access to these records is subject to review. To organize access please contact us at UBC Archives.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Finding Aid
Please see the finding aid for the file list.
Uploaded finding aid
Associated materials
Accruals
Physical description
Includes: 56,772 photographs, 596 audio recordings, 4 honourary degree registers, 575 video recordings.
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Pedersen, K. George (Subject)
- Strangway, David (Subject)
- University of British Columbia. Faculty Club (Subject)
- Piper, Martha C. (Subject)
- Cranmer Webster, Gloria (Subject)
- Scow, Alfred (Subject)
- Savery, Barnett (Subject)