Honorary Degree Books 2013
Dr Margaret-Ann Armour
Margaret-Ann Armour—engaging chemistry professor and alumna—has created and nurtured a range of initiatives through Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology (WISEST) to encourage girls and young women to consider careers in the sciences and engineering. She has also developed and implemented Project Catalyst to increase the percentage of women in faculty positions. In 2006, Armour was named to the Order of Canada.
Curzon, Sarah Anne. Laura Secord, the Heroine of 1812, a Drama, and Other Poems. Toronto: C. Blackett Robinson, 1887.
Laura Secord, the Heroine of 1812
This charming first edition contains two dramas of enduring interest. “Laura Secord, the Heroine of 1812” is a historical drama that was first published in this 1887 collection. Popular and influential in its time, the drama did exactly what it set out to do, and that was “to rescue from oblivion the name of a brave woman, and set it in its proper place among the heroes of Canadian history.” Of perhaps even greater interest is a short comedy entitled “The Sweet Girl Graduate.” First published in a periodical in 1882, this popular comedy was a key component in the high-profile campaign that resulted in women being admitted to the University of Toronto for the first time in 1883. “The Sweet Girl Graduate” is a lighthearted story about a witty young woman who dresses in “mannish garb” (127) and adopts a male persona in order to overcome the restrictions that then prevented women from attending university, revealing her true identity only after earning a degree with highest honours. [PS 8455 U83 L3 1887]
James Balog
James Balog has brought into the public eye dramatic evidence of change to the ice sheets and glaciers of the Northern Hemisphere using complex time-lapse photography. His Extreme Ice Survey, which documents dozens of glaciers around the world hourly, is considered the most wide-ranging glacier study ever conducted using ground-based, real-time photography. Balog’s honours include North American Nature Photography Association’s Outstanding Photographer for 2008 and PhotoMedia’s Person of the Year for 2011.
Collins, Joan M. Rivers of Ice.
Vancouver: Joan M. Collins, 2000.
Rivers of Ice
This deluxe artist's book is a visual journal comprising 14 paintings of glaciers and accompanying text created by the artist when she was an “artist in residence” at the Columbia Icefield in the Canadian Rockies. The paintings and writing were made with graphite and watercolour inks on delicate loose sheets of translucent Mylar, which are interleaved with gorgeous hand-made tissue guards. The artwork is housed in a lovely clamshell box, constructed by Claudia Wober, with Japanese silk weave binding cloth and the title engraved on a silver plaque on the cover. In her prologue, the artist reflects on what it was like to be inspired by glaciers in the Rocky Mountains: “The rewards for working in such a landscape are immense—instant rainbows after thundershowers, fields carpeted with wild flowers, the constant and ever changing micro-climate of the glaciers, the tiniest of life forms surviving in the most barren of locations. It is this vista and the enigma of my memories that intrigue and call me to seek new expressive forms through which these mysteries can be shared with the unknown viewer.” Only one copy of this magnificent book was made. [N 7433.4 C6 A6 R622 2000 folio]
Sharon Butala
Sharon Butala has shared her insight into the Canadian prairies in works that emphasize the value and glory of rural life. She is the author of 16 books—including bestsellers The Perfection of the Morning (1994), Coyote’s Morning Cry (1995), Wild Stone Heart (2000), and Lilac Moon: Dreaming of the Real West (2005)—dozens of articles and essays, and five produced plays. In 2002, Butala was named an officer of the Order of Canada.
Yeigh, Frank. Through the Heart of Canada.
Toronto: Henry Frowde, 1910.
Through the Heart of Canada
From the dust jacket the reader learns that this book “may be described as a series of pen-pictures of Canada and its people.” Frank Yeigh (1860–1935) was a Canadian civil servant, world traveler, lecturer, and statistical authority on all things Canadian, a reputation he cemented with the publication of his popular booklet, 5000 Facts about Canada (1915). The author begins his travelogue in Nova Scotia and crosses the country to the southern coast of British Columbia. The chapter entitled “The Land of the Rancher” is especially evocative of the sights and sounds of Alberta, “the great ranching province of Canada.” The description includes rich detail about the life of the rancher: “An Alberta round-up forms a most interesting prairie picture. Dozens of ranching helpers are present, each booted and spurred, and wearing the inevitable slouch hat, and a serviceable suit of clothes. ... For the first few nights after the cattle are corralled, and especially after the calves are weaned, it is said that no one is able to sleep within a hundred miles of the spot, with both mothers and calves bellowing mightily and incessantly” (221). This first edition copy features nearly forty photographs of Canada’s natural splendours and national life. [FC 74 Y43 1910]
Dr Lincoln Chen
Lincoln Chen has dedicated his skills as a doctor, an academic, and a policy advisor to fostering collaboration and building health capacities around the world. As professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, he founded the Harvard Global Equity Initiative and has co-chaired the Joint Learning Initiative on Human Resources for Health. Chen sits on numerous boards and has served as an advisor for the World Bank and World Health Organization.
Reece, Richard. The Medical Guide, for the Use of the Clergy, Heads of Families, and Practitioners in Medicine and Surgery. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1820.
The Medical Guide
This practical medical guide is a treatise on the symptoms, causes, prevention, and cure of the diseases known to afflict the human condition. Richard Reece (1775–1831) was a British physician who developed a sizable practice in London and researched the medicinal properties of plants. Reece wrote several books on medical topics, and in 1799 the Royal Humane Society awarded him with its silver medal for his exceptional medical services. This copy is handsomely bound in a crimson morocco presentation binding with elaborate gilt decorations on the boards and spine. [RC 81 R44 1820]
The Honourable Catherine Fraser
Justice Catherine Fraser, chief justice of both Alberta and the Northwest Territories, graduated from the U of A in 1970 and embarked on a pioneering career in law. She transformed the judiciary by becoming an early female appointee to the Bench, culminating in her appointment as the first woman chief justice of a province in Canada. Adding to her list of firsts, in 1999 Fraser accepted the role as the first chief justice of the Nunavut Court of Appeal.
The Kings Maiesties Declaration to His Subiects, Concerning Lawfull Sports to Bee Used. London: Robert Baker, 1633.
The Kings Maiesties Declaration
This declaration, first issued by King James I in 1617, was reissued by King Charles I in 1633 with a new introduction and conclusion. A product of complex struggles among religious and legislative authorities, the declaration condemns Puritan principles and condones particular recreations “upon Sundayes after Evening Prayers ended, and upon Holy dayes” on the grounds that such recreations would help to avoid discontentment and drunkenness among the common people and “make their bodies more able for Warre.” Curiously, lawful recreations listed for men include dancing, archery, leaping, and vaulting, while lawful recreations for women include dancing and decorating the church with rushes. All such recreations are specifically prohibited for those who are unworthy because they “abstaine from comming to Church.” Also prohibited by law, “at all times in the meaner sort of people,” is bowling. [BV 109 G7 1633]
Donald Ross Getty
After winding up a decade-long CFL career as quarterback of the Edmonton Eskimos, Don Getty began a career in Alberta’s oil sector that saw him become the youngest-ever independent oil company president when he formed Baldonnel Oil and Gas Ltd. in 1964. Later, he would become the minister of energy and natural resources, a role in which he established Alberta’s constitutional right to ownership of its natural resources, extolled the virtues of economic diversification, and helped negotiate the first oil sands project. In 1998 he was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada.
Evening Journal [Edmonton] 2 Sept. 1905: 1-8.
"Alberta, a Province"
On 2 September 1905, a banner headline on the front page of Edmonton's Evening Journal announced "Alberta, a Province," and described the events of the previous day in a story entitled, "History in the Making in Alberta's New Capital." The province of Alberta had been officially inaugurated in a formal ceremony attended by Canada's Prime Minister, Sir Wilfred Laurier, the Governor General Albert Henry George (Earl Grey), Edmonton Mayor Kenneth W. MacKenzie, and "thousands of strong-armed, loyal and true-hearted citizens of the new province." George Hedley Vicars Bulyea took an oath of office as the first Lieutenant-Governor of the province, and at twelve noon the King's formal proclamation was read. This newspaper records an important moment in our shared history and offers a glimpse of life in Alberta's earliest days. [AN 5 A3 E2 E3 1905: Sept. 2]
Charles Hantho
Charles Hantho, a U of A chemical engineering alumnus (1953), has had a long and successful career in Canadian manufacturing industries. A highlight of his career, as CEO of Canadian Industries Ltd. (CIL), was the role he played in developing and implementing an industry wide "Responsible Care" initiative for the safe handling of chemicals from "cradle to grave." The "Responsible Care" approach was quickly emulated in the US and worldwide. Hantho was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1997.
Braccesco, Giovanni. De alchemia dialogi duo quorum, prior, genuinam librorum Gebri sententiam, de industria ab autore celatum, & figurato sermone involutam retegit, & certis argumentis probat. Lugduni: Godefricus & Marcellus, 1548.
De alchemia dialogi duo quorum, prior, genuinam librorum Gebri sententiam, de industria ab autore celatum, & figurato sermone involutam retegit, & certis argumentis probat
Rare and early editions of alchemical books are highly collectible and sought after by research libraries and book collectors alike. This particular book is a fine example of early modern alchemical literature. Attributed to sixteenth-century alchemist Giovanni Braccesco, this treatise was written in the form of a dialogue; it presents esoteric theories for transmuting common substances into medicines with restorative and healing power. This is one of only a small number of copies available in world libraries, and it is an especially handsome copy with its full calf binding, gilt decorated spine, and engraved head- and tail-pieces. [QD 25 B79 1548]
Dr Jacob Masliyah
Jacob Masliyah has made groundbreaking contributions to creating operations and processes that are more energy- and water-efficient, thereby making extraction from the Alberta oilsands more commercially viable and environmentally sound. A professor emeritus in the U of A’s Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, he has played a pivotal role in the emergence of a world-leading centre of research. In 2008, Masliyah was named an officer of the Order of Canada.
Henry, J.T. The Early and Later History of Petroleum. Philadelphia: Jas B. Rodgers, 1873.
The Early and Later History of Petroleum
This is the first edition of a comprehensive history of the earliest phases of the petroleum industry in North America. In addition to an early and authoritative account of the pioneering drill operations in the Drake well in Titusville, Pennsylvania, the book includes detailed information about several early producing properties and individual oil men. The frontispiece is a photograph that offers an expansive view of operations at the Phillips and Waterford Wells in 1861. Penned by a Titusville journalist based on his interviews with founding industry leaders, the text is peppered with photographs of oil men, tabulated data, and detailed statistics. The only reference to the Canadian oil industry is a brief and humorous account of the rags to riches to rags story of Hugh Nixon Shaw and the first Canadian gusher in Enniskillen, Ontario, in 1862. [TN 870 H52 1873]
Sarah McLachlan
Halifax, Nova Scotia-born artist Sarah McLachlan won Grammy Awards for her hits Building a Mystery (1997) and I Will Remember You (1999). She is the founder of Lilith Fair, the historic all-women concert tour that raised more than $10 million for national and local women’s organizations and elevated the profile of many female artists, and the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, a free afterschool music education program for underserved and at-risk youth in her long-time home of Vancouver. McLachlan was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1999.
Martin, Caroline. Lap Games and Other Songs for Children. Andoversford, Glouscestershire: The Whittington Press, 1989.
Lap Games and Other Songs for Children
This delightful little book displays beautifully with its floral-patterned cloth binding, hand-coloured illustrations, mould-made paper, and matching cloth-covered box. The twenty linocuts by Judith Verity depict lively scenes of mothers playing lap games with their children, singing songs, and having fun. Carolin Martin explains in her introduction, "Lap games, knee rides and simple songs for all nursery situations have for centuries been part of British folk tradition. The cuddling, talking and laughing together that is the essence of these games in an indispensable part of mothering, and of being a child." The first 20 copies of this limited edition were signed by the artist and hand-coloured in crayon. [ML 54.3 L299 1989]
Deepa Mehta
The Indian-born Deepa Mehta has been described as Canada’s most internationally renowned female filmmaker. Her films set in Canada—Sam and Me (1991), Camilla (1994), and Bollywood-Hollywood (2002)—have been acclaimed as sharply observed and gently comic dramas. Her film trilogy set in India—Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and the Oscar-nominated Water (2005)—has distinguished her as one of the leading Canadian filmmakers of her generation.
Dutt, G.S. A Woman of India: Being the Life of Saroj Nalini (Founder of the Women’s Institute Movement in India). London: Hogarth Press, 1929.
A Woman of India: Being the Life of Saroj Nalini
This charming book makes a wonderful addition to the library’s collection of books published by Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, and it is a fitting tribute to a woman whose life and work were an inspiration to so many. In his introduction to the book, C.F. Andrews notes that the “real greatness of Saroj Nalini’s influence consisted in this, that while fully appreciating the necessity of the change which had to be made in woman’s life in Bengal, she understood at the same time the unique value of the old social life of the past, which had a singular beauty of its own.... The understanding of both East and West came naturally to her. She had not to force herself either one way or the other. For in her own nature she possessed the active temperament of the West side by side with the more meditative temperament of the East.” In a touching foreword to the Bengali edition of this book, Nobel prize-winning poet Rabindranath Tagore speaks movingly of the “treasures of the storehouses of memory,” which now reside in books such as this one. [DS 481 S244 D979 1929]
Louise Annette Miller
Louise Miller, a U of A alumna, co-founded the Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre Society in Edmonton and has served as a leader with the City of Edmonton’s Custom Transportation Services, the Canadian Paraplegic Association (Edmonton), the Alberta Paraplegic Foundation, and the City of Edmonton Task Force on Persons with Physical Disabilities. In 2000, Miller was appointed as a member of the Order of Canada. In 2008, she received the Canadian Medical Association Medal of Honour.
Wascher-James, Sande. In Your Hands. Whidbey Island, WA: Washer-James, 2010.
In Your Hands
A limited edition artists' book in which hand-shaped floral fabric pages, made of Lutradur (also called “rainbow spun”), are digitally printed and hand painted. The artist uses words and images to celebrate exceptional women throughout history who have taken matters into their own hands and changed the world for the better. The text is taken from a speech, entitled “In Your Hands,” which Eleanor Roosevelt delivered at the United Nations on 27 March 1958 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In addition to Roosevelt, the images in this book honour a remarkable group of women, including Ida B. Wells, Susan B. Anthony, Helen Keller, and Anne Sullivan. The book is housed in a custom-made box of hand-made paper over boards. Signed and numbered by the artist, this copy is #7 in an edition of 18 copies. [N 7433.4 W29 A6 I5 2010]
The Honourable Jim Prentice
Jim Prentice, a University of Alberta alumnus, was elected to the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre North in 2004 and was re-elected in 2006 and 2008. He was appointed to the Privy Council in 2006 and represented Canada in the climate change negotiations that culminated in the Copenhagen Accord of 2009. He also harmonized carbon emission policies for the Canadian and American transportation network and established the national policy to phase out dated coal-burning plants in Canada.
Merchants’ and Manufacturers’ Record: Calgary, Sunny Alberta, the Industrial Prodigy of the Great West. Calgary: Jennings Publishing Company, 1911.
The Industrial Prodigy of the Great West
This splendid souvenir book has more than 100 black-and-white captioned photographs of Calgary in the early days of the twentieth century. Many familiar landmarks and locations are depicted, including the Hudson’s Bay Company’s downtown store, the Lougheed Building, and the Grain Exchange. Additional photographs of important architectural landmarks and street scenes show Calgary bustling with people and activity. These early photographs are an impressive pictorial record of the many diverse businesses that accounted for Calgary’s rapid growth and affluence. [FC 3697.22 J54 1911]
Edward Michael Stelmach
A lifelong farmer, former Alberta premier Ed Stelmach began his run in politics in 1986 as a municipal councillor for Lamont County before being named reeve a year later. He entered provincial politics in 1993 when he was elected as a member of the legislative assembly for the riding of Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville and became premier after winning his party’s leadership race in 2006. As premier, Stelmach supported efforts to end homelessness and create affordable housing.
Canadian Pacific Railway. Farming and Ranching in the Canadian North-West. Canadian Pacific, 1889.
Farming and Ranching in the Canadian North-West
This charming booklet offers “a general account of Manitoba and the Northwest Territories” and strongly asserts that the region offers “superior advantages for agricultural settlers.” It covers a range of practical topics from climate and health to fuel sources and farming practices, all in a way that is designed to promote settlement in the “unrivalled ranching districts” of the Canadian North-West. Included are numerous personal statements from “actual settlers” addressed either to the prospective settler or to Land Commissioner L.A. Hamilton, in Winnipeg, offering a range of information and a great deal of enthusiasm. For example, H.C. Gilmour of Moose Jaw writes that “a man with energy, some knowledge of farming, and a little means to start with, can scarcely fail to do well out here” (71). While we may be amused at this type of boosterism today, this booklet offers us a glimpse of life in the Canadian west late in the nineteenth century. Special design elements – the unusual cover design, the full-page photographs of ranches and other western scenes, and the two pullout maps – give this particular Canadian Pacific publication a character all its own. [FC 3217.4 F23 1889]
Dr Ian Grote Stirling
Ian Stirling was a research scientist with the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment Canada, between 1970 and 2007, studying Arctic marine mammals. Since 1979, he has been an adjunct professor in the U of A’s Department of Biological Sciences. His advocacy for the North and dedication ecosystems conservation has made him a champion of the Canadian Arctic. An elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Stirling was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 2000.
Kjelgaard, Jim. Kalak of the Ice.
New York: Holiday House, 1949.
Kalak of the Ice
This delightful book chronicles the life of a female polar bear named Kalak and her many adventures raising her cubs and showing them how to fend for themselves in the far north. Jim Kjelgaard (1910–1959) was an American author who wrote more than forty novels and numerous short stories; he became famous with his story of a boy and his Irish setter in Big Red (1945), which was made into a Walt Disney film in 1962. This edition of Kalak of the Ice has many fine black-and-white illustrations of polar bears by renowned wildlife painter Bob Kuhn (1920–2007), but the colourful dust jacket scene of Kalak leading her cubs across the ice is especially attractive. This highly collectible book is difficult to find with the dust jacket in such fine condition. [PZ 7 K62 Kal 1949]