Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Robert A.J. McDonald fonds
General material designation
- Textual record
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on the contents 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
6.56 m of textual records and other material.
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Dr. Robert A.J. (Bob) McDonald was born on April 5th, 1944, in Brandon, Manitoba. He graduated from the University of Manitoba with a BA and an MA (inaugural winner of the W.L. Morton Gold Medal); he later earned his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia. He was appointed assistant professor of History in 1978. With more than three decades of teaching at Simon Fraser University, the University of Western Ontario, and the University of Victoria and UBC, Bob has educated thousands of undergraduate students in Canadian and British Columbia History. In recognition of his academic commitments, Bob received the Killian Teaching Prize from UBC in 2000. McDonald published a book on Vancouver's early History, Making Vancouver: Class, Status, and Social Boundaries, 1863-1913 (1996), and many academic articles on BC and Canadian History. In addition, he edited the journal BC Studies and served on the boards and committees to raise awareness of the History of his adopted city and province, Vancouver, B.C. McDonald was also the Seagram Chair at the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada and the Vancouver Historical Society president. He retired from teaching in 2012 but continued his research, sitting on the UBC History Department almost daily to work on his contribution to the book Party Conscience: The CCF, the NDP, and Social Democracy in Canada (2018), and finally, his long-awaited book on the first 100 years of BC politics. He was in the final stages of finishing that book when he passed from a stroke on June 19th, 2019. He was 75. A scholarship fund has been created at UBC in McDonald's memory.
Custodial history
After McDonald's death, a portion of these materials was transferred to the University Archives from McDonald's office at the UBC Department of History. The remainder had been kept at his residence and were boxed up and sent to the Archives by his family.
Scope and content
The records relate primarily to McDonald's professional teaching, writing and research work and, to a much lesser extent, are records about his personal life. The course teaching materials include outlines and syllabi, lecture notes, class handouts, newspaper clippings, website printouts, and other materials used to develop course content. Records relating to McDonald's writing include typescript drafts, off-prints, handwritten notes, conference papers, and correspondence. The most extensive records relate to McDonald's research. They include newspaper clippings and other published items, copies of articles annotated by McDonald's, handwritten index cards with notes and citations, correspondence, and audio recordings of interviews, music and speeches. Finally, records related to awards and recognition received include curriculum vitae, certificates, correspondence and McDonald's Killam Teaching Award from 2000.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Uploaded finding aid
Associated materials
Accruals
General note
No further accruals are expected.
General note
Please be aware that researchers will encounter terms that are no longer acceptable. In instances where these terms are used in the original titles, they have not been changed.
Physical description
Other material includes ca. 540 photographs: prints, negatives and slides: b&w and col.; 25x20 cm or smaller, 15 sound recordings and 1 object.
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- University of British Columbia. Dept. of History (Subject)
- Calder, Frank (Subject)