Ralston family
Ralston family fonds. - [ca. 1935 - 2003].
13 m of textual records.

Keith Ralston taught history at the University of British Columbia and his wife Mollie was a teacher in the school system. They lived and raised their family in Vancouver.

The fonds predominantly consists of the Household Accounts series, which includes documents supporting the daily activities of the Ralston family from 1956-2003, including bank statements, life insurance documents, receipts, correspondence, and three photographs of Mollie. The Income Tax Files series consists of tax returns and supporting documentation for the years 1965-1996. The fonds also contains a Construction and Upkeep of House series with files related to the construction of the Ralston’s house on West 28th Avenue in Vancouver, built in 1969. The Educational Notes series includes notes written by Keith, Mollie, Bruce and Delia during their grade school and university educations, and includes notes from 1935 to the 1970s.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Ralston, Henry Wellington, 1887-1943
Henry Ralston fonds. - 1914 -1919.
12.5 cm of textual records.

Henry Wellington Ralston was born on January 20, 1887 in Birtle, Manitoba. He enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1914, and fought in World War One, where he was severely wounded. As a result of his injuries, he was unable to work at an indoor occupation, and found employment as a driver-salesperson in the bread service industry in Victoria, British Columbia. Henry Ralston died in Victoria in 1943.

The fonds consists predominantly of correspondence between Henry Ralston and his future wife, Gertrude M. Walker during his military service in World War One. Some correspondence of Gertrude Walker herself is also included, as well other miscellaneous letters. In addition to correspondence, the fonds contains newspaper clippings and broadsheets, cards, and Military and Defence receipts.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Ravenhill, Alice, 1859-1954
Alice Ravenhill fonds. - 1939-1954.
40 cm of textual records.
19 photographs.

Born in England, Alice Ravenhill educated herself in the subjects of public health, home economics and child care. She held many positions, including Secretary of the Royal British Nurses' Association (1894-1897), and university lecturer on Home Economics at the University of London, through which she helped advance social welfare in Britain. In 1910 she came to Canada where she organized women's institutions in B.C. and helped generate interest in home economics and school hygiene. In the late 1920s Ravenhill's new interest in Indian culture and art led to her lecturing about Indian arts and crafts and to publishing The Native Tribes of B.C. (1936) as well as to founding the Society for the Furtherance of B.C. Indian Arts and Crafts (1940). In 1948 she was honored with the degree of D.Sc. from the University of British Columbia and in 1950 she received an honorary degree of Doctor of Home Economics from the American Association of Home Economics.

The fonds consists of biographical material about Ravenhill, incoming and outgoing correspondence (1939-1951), a draft of Glimpses of a Long Life (1951) and two proofs of Memoirs of an Educational Pioneer (1951). The fonds also includes printed material (pertaining to health, welfare and education), memos, clippings, memorabilia and nineteen photographs used primarily as illustrations for Memoirs.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Read, Sir Herbert
Sir Herbet Read fonds. Typescript speech notes, 1956
16 pp.

Sir Herbert Read has been described as an art critic, educationalist, poet and novelist. He held the chair of Fine Arts ant the University of Leeds and was editor of Burlington Magazine. He served as president of the Institute of Contemporary Arts and was knighted in 1953 for distinguished service in his field.

Material Includes a typescript copy of notes for speech given at the Vancouver Rotary Club (1956) entitled “Vancouver in Relation to the Arts.”

Reeve, Albert F., 1936-
Albert F. Reeve fonds. – 1948-2005, predominant 1978-1991.
1.32 m textual records and other material.
118 maps, technical drawings and plans, 16 photographs, 399 slides, 2 videocassettes, and several artifacts.

Albert Reeve served as president of the Blackdome Mining Corporation from 1978 to 1985, and was in full charge of exploration, development, feasibility studies and financing of the Blackdome Gold Mine.

The fonds consists of materials generated in the exploration and operating process of Blackdome Exploration Ltd., and the Blackdome Mining Corporation. This includes: maps, mine plans and technical drawings, slides, photographs, geological reports, proposals, correspondence, environmental impact statements, budgets, a Master’s degree thesis from the University of Alberta, exploration notes, operations reports, operating costs, geological interpretations, memorandums, recommendations, evaluations, production summaries, economic performance reports, personnel files, accounting charts, feasibility studies, annual and quarterly reports, news releases, press clippings, diamond drill hole logs and summaries, and several artifacts.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Reid, A. Fraser
Fraser Reid fonds. - 1948, 1953, 1973.
2 cm of textual records.

Fraser Reid was a member of the Vancouver Burns Fellowship and the Burns Foundation.

The fonds consists of a 163-page typed manuscript entitled "Burns and the Messiah" (ca. 1953), correspondence, and a newspaper clipping.

Reid, Robert, 1927-
Robert Reid fonds. - 1905-1944.
80 cm of textual records.
9 photographs.

Robert Reid became interested in printing when he was given a printing press during his childhood. His years as a student at the University of British Columbia, where he graduated in 1949 with a Bachelor of Commerce, were spent experimenting with his press, producing imaginative ads for campus events. He worked at the UBC Library in the Reference Division. His association with Neil Harlow, then the Chief Librarian, led him into the field of fine printing. He opened his own press under a variety of names including Graphos Press, The Nevermore Press, and eventually the Private Press of Robert Reid. Reid worked in the Vancouver area until 1963 when he moved to Montreal and then in 1974 to New York.

The fonds consists of a printer's collection of fine printwork and files on various old books. It also includes undated biographical material, correspondence (1905-1944), financial records, speeches, notes, clippings, photographs and printed material.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Reid, Robie Lewis, 1866-1945
R.L. Reid fonds. - 1754-1945.
57 cm of textual records.

Lawyer and historian R.L. Reid was born in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. He came to B.C. in 1885 and taught school in the Fraser Valley. Reid befriended another young teacher, F.W. Howay of New Westminster. Both returned to Nova Scotia to complete law degrees. He completed his studies at the University of Michigan where he earned his L.L.B. In 1893 Howay and Reid formed a partnership in New Westminster and practised law together until 1905 when Howay became a County Court justice. Reid moved to Vancouver where he joined the firm of Reid, Wallbridge, Gibson and Sutton. From 1915 to 1935, he served as a member of the University of British Columbia Board of Governors and for many years acted as the University's solicitor. He donated his notable library of Canadiana to the University. In addition to his Canadiana collection, Reid is best remembered for his community service and his interest and writing in the field of numismatics and historical studies.

The fonds consists of personal materials including biographical information, correspondence (1905-1944), financial records (1892-1930), speeches, clippings and memorabilia relating to Canadiana and mining in British Columbia. Also included are collected historical items, most prominent amongst which are research materials relating to Alfred Waddington (1858-1872). The fonds also includes various collected historical items (1754-1889).

Inventory [PDF] available.

Reithaug, Olga
Olga Reithaug fonds. - 1933-1985.
13 cm of textual records.
59 photographs.

Olga Reithaug was involved with the B.C. Co-operative Commonwealth Youth Movement.

The fonds consists of photographs depicting conventions or groups (C.C.F. or C.C.Y.M.), press releases, correspondence, newspaper clippings, publications and a brief historical outline of the Co-operative Commonwealth Youth Movement written by Olga Reithaug. The fonds shows the workings of the C.C.Y.M., the issues with which it involved itself, and its relationship with the C.C.F.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Reliance Motor and Machine Works
Reliance Motor and Machine Works fonds. - 1924-1963.
ca. 17 m of textual records.

Reliance Motor and Machine Works Ltd. was a machine manufacturer that built, sold and serviced equipment used in B.C.'s resource industries. The firm also produced airplane parts for the British Mosquito during World War II.

The fonds consists of company minutes (1924-1963), repair orders (1927-1959), annual reports, working plans and drawings for various pieces of machinery and machine parts.

Inventory [PDF] available

Religious Society of Friends of Vancouver
Religious Society of Friends of Vancouver fonds. - 1911-1969.
91 cm of textual records.

The Religious Society of Friends is a Quaker organization. The movement began under George Fox's leadership in England around 1647. The Friends rejected war, oaths, and a formal religious organization including a professional priesthood. They emphasize the personal aspect of religion and the inner guidance of the Holy Spirit, and so reject formal worship and the construction of church buildings. The abolition of slavery, penal reform, education of the poor and pacificism have been among the major concerns of the Quakers. A branch of the Religious Society of Friends was set up in Vancouver.

The fonds consists of subject files, minute books, financial records and printed material.

Inventory [PDF] available

Richardson, Lee
Lee Richardson fonds. - 1946-1964.
13 cm of textual records.

Biographical information unavailable.

The fonds consists of typescripts of hunting and fishing expeditions by Lee Richardson (1946-1964) including big game hunting in the Cassiers (1946) and fishing in the Kispiox and Babine Rivers (1955).

Inventory [PDF] available.

Richmond, Hector A., 1902-1989
Hector Richmond fonds. - 1936-1986.
45 cm of textual records.
5 photographs.
10 maps.

Active for over 65 years in his chosen profession of forest entomology, Hector Richmond was a well-known and highly respected forester, researcher, administrator, and consultant. He worked for the Canadian government and then as a consultant to the Council of Forest Industries of B.C. His greatest contribution to the field was his work on the control of the ambrosia beetle.

The fonds consists of correspondence, reports, photographs and maps documenting Richmond's work as a forest entomologist. The bulk of the materials are from the 1960s and his work on the control of the ambrosia beetle.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Roberts, Milnor, b. 1877
Milnor Roberts fonds. - 1905-1915, predominant 1913-1914
13 cm of textual records
147 photographs
13 maps

A professor of mining and metallurgy, Milnor Roberts served a Dean of the College of Mining at the University of Washington, 1901-1947. During the first few decades of the twentieth century, he was engaged in several reconnaissance trips to the coal fields on Graham Island, British Columbia, the largest of the Queen Charlotte Islands.

The Milnor Roberts fonds consists of letters, reports, notes, accounts, drawings and maps, photographs and printed material relating to his mine field work. Much of the material relates to the work carried out near Camp Robertson and Camp Wilson on behalf of Western Coal and Iron. Roberts' reports to Metropolitan Trust Co., New York, concerned lands acquired by the company from Western Steel Corporation in 1913.

Title based on the contents of the fonds.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Robertson, James W. (James Wilson), 1857-1930
James Robertson fonds. - 1869-1930.
4.4 m of textual records.
25 photographs.

James Robertson was born in Scotland and in 1875 came to Canada where he joined his father in farming and in the management of cheese factories and food exports to the United Kingdom. Robertson was an educationalist and agricultural expert. He participated in many national service organizations and chaired two royal commissions: an investigation into industrial training (1910)= and an enquiry into the Sydney labour unrest of 1923. He was Dairy Commissioner for the Dominion from 1890 to 1904. From 1905 to 1910, Robertson served as Principal of Macdonald College. In 1919 he was appointed Canadian Director of Food Supplies and represented Canada on the food section of the Supreme Economic Council in Paris. Robertson received honorary LL.D. degrees from four universities and was created a C.M.G. in 1905.

The fonds consists of correspondence, addresses, lectures and reports. The fonds also contains pamphlets relating to Robertson's activities and some photographs and memorabilia.

Inventory [PDF] available

Robeson, Paul
Paul Robeson Memorial Concert Collection. - 2001-2002
3 folders of textual materials.
12 audio cassettes.
4 mini discs.
1 compact disc.

Records and audio recordings created by the organizing committee of the Paul Robeson Memorial Concert. This committee had two primary functions. The first function was to organize the 50th anniversary concert of the famous concert which was held at the Peace Arch in 1952 and featured the American Communist and singer Paul Robeson. The second involved an oral history project. For this project, the committee conducted oral interviews with many of the political activists who helped to organize the initial concert.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Robinson, Spider and Jeanne
Spider and Jeanne Robinson fonds. - 1974-1991
4.1 m of textual records

Spider Robinson was born in 1948 in the Bronx, New York. He graduated from SUNY Stony Brook, N.Y. with a B.A. in English. He married Jeanne Rubbicco in 1975. Born in Boston in 1948, she attended the Boston Conservatory of Music, Dance and Drama, and studied ballet and modern dance techniques at numerous other schools. After their marriage they moved to Nova Scotia, where Jeanne was the founder, director, and resident choreographer/teacher of the Nova Dance Theatre, 1980-1987. They moved to Vancouver in 1987. Since 1973 Spider Robinson has published numerous science fiction novels and short stories, as well as book reviews and articles. Three novels, Stardance (1978), Starseed (1991), and Starmind (1994), were written in collaboration with Jeanne; they won Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards in 1978 for Stardance. Spider has also won other awards for his writing, including the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (1974), the Hugo Award for Best Novella for a portion of Telempath (1976), another Hugo for Best Short Story for "Melancholy Elephants" (1983), and frequent AnLab awards (Analog magazine readers' polls, 1973-1984). Other significant works include Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (1977), Time Travellers Strictly Cash (1981), Night of Power (1985), Callahan's Lady (1989), and Off the Wall at Callahan's (1994).

Part I of the fonds was deposited on temporary loan at the Dalhousie University Library Archives in 1980 and 1981, but was removed and brought to Vancouver when the Robinsons moved in 1987. Part I and Part II were deposited at Special Collections in 1994.

The fonds consists of correspondence (mainly incoming), drafts (manuscripts, typescripts, and computer print-outs), galley proofs, notebooks, printed material, and other materials relating to their careers. The first part of the fonds was arranged and described at the Dalhousie University Library Archives, with correspondence being arranged alphabetically by sender and other material arranged in appropriate series. The second part was arranged in similar series when it and the first part were deposited at Special Collections.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Roethke, Theodore, 1908-1963
Theodore Roethke fonds. - 1933-1953.
6.5 cm of textual records.

Theodore Roethke was a professor of English at the Universities of Washington, Lafayette, Pennsylvania State and Bennington. As a poet he was awarded many fellowships and honours, such as two Guggenheim fellowships, the Eunice Tietjens prize (1947), and the Levinson award (1951). In 1954 Roethke won the Pullitzer Prize for poetry with The Waking: Poems, 1933-53.

The fonds consists of typescripts, galley proofs and introductory paragraphs of The Waking.

Rogers, Kenneth
Kenneth Rogers fonds. - 1640-1920.
3 cm of textual records.

Kenneth Rogers was a descendent of the Swaledale Elliots and the Reedley Nutters.

The fonds consists of a typescript genealogy of the Elliot family of Swaledale (Yorkshire). It includes typewritten copies of family correspondence and some handwritten additions to the text.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Postcard Collection
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Postcard Collection. ca. 1900's - 2002.

This historic force was established by the Canadian government in 1873 as the Northwest Mounted Police and a year later marched into what is known as the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to enforce federal laws. In 1920 the Northwest Mounted Police amalgamated with the Dominion Police to form the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They have continued to serve as Canada's major law enforcement agency.

The collection consists of postcards, memorabilia, photographs, printed articles, other printed material and a recruitment leter, 1929, relating to the activities of the force and its various anniversariies and highlights.

Royce, A.E.
E.A. Royce fonds. - 1934-1943.
5 cm of textual records.

E.A. Royce was a subsistence farmer in the area of Browns Point, British Columbia.

The fonds consists of a diary of Royce's activities at Christina Lake (1934-1943), including some financial accounts and weather reports for the winters of 1935/36 and 1936/37. The diary also lists the names of many families in the area.

Run Out Skagit Spoilers Committee
Run Out Skagit Spoilers Committee fonds. - 1968-1978.
2.5 m of textual records.

In 1941, under provisions of the 'Boundary Waters Treaty' (1909), the City of Seattle applied to the International Joint Commission to raise the level of the reservoir on the Skagit River. This application was approved in 1942. By 1967 it had become necessary to raise the Ross Dam to increase electricity supplies to the City of Seattle. The proposal would have resulted in the flooding of almost 5,000 acres of the Skagit Valley in B.C. By 1969 outdoor and environmental groups began to lobby against the plan citing the devastating ecological ramifications. The R.O.S.S. (Run Out Skagit Spoilers) Committee was formed in 1969 as a coalition of numerous interest groups which organized protests against raising the dam. Plans to flood the Skagit Valley were delayed in light of the public outcry.

The fonds consists of correspondence, thesis, printed material and other related records pertaining to the R.O.S.S. Committee's attempts to save the Skagit Valley.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Runnalls, F.E., 1895-1990, collector
F.E. Runnalls research collection. - 1859-1940.
13 cm of textual records

Reverend F.E. Runnalls left the Cedar College United Church in Vancouver to begin his mnistry at Knox United Church in Prince George in 1941. He has written a number of books about British Columbia history, particularly the development of the United Church. More biographical information is available from the United Church of Canada BC Conference Archives.

The collection consists of assorted research materials assembled by Runnalls, relating to the history of the United Church in British Columbia.

Title based on the name of the collector.

Rush, Maurice, 1915- .
Maurice Rush fonds. - 1935-1998.
45 cm of textual records and other material.

Maurice Rush was active in the Canadian Communist Party (CCP) in various capacities from the 1930s through the 1990s.

Fonds consists primarily of material related to Rush’s activities as a leader of the CCP, political activist and writer in Vancouver from 1935 to 1996. There is also a personal/biographical series of records which detail the events of Rush’s life. Other textual series in this fonds contain drafts of Rush’s writings and public speeches, his correspondence, his reports and speeches to party conventions, and his published materials.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Ryland, Herman W. (Herman Witsius), 1760-1838
Herman Ryland fonds. - 1812-1831.
45 items.

H.W. Ryland, clerk of the Executive Council of Lower Canada (1793-1838), was born in Northampton, England in 1760. He also served as treasurer for the Office for the Management of the Jesuits' Estates.

The fonds consists of letters (primarily incoming), documents and financial records relating to the Jesuits' Estates (1812-1831). The fonds reveals much about the operation of the Office for the Management of the Jesuits' Estates, but yield little about Ryland himself.


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