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Archival description
McGill University Archives Series
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Research/ Reading Notes

This series documents Trigger’s scholarly research activities, primarily from his years as a professor in McGill’s Department of Anthropology; as well, some scrapbooks, photos, and slides record his archaeological fieldwork in Northern Ontario when he was a student during the 1950s, as well as his time in Egypt and the Sudan as a professional archaeologist during the early 1960s.

Textual records include research notebooks from Trigger’s student days (Container 14, Files 589-590) and his research material for his biography of Gordon Childe, 1936-1993 (Container 8, Files 425-427). Trigger’s office library in McGill’s Leacock building contained reading notes, correspondence with author’s from books and journals housed in Trigger’s library, and clippings that were interfiled within the publications in the library, 1972-2006 (Container 10, Files 485-508). These files are arranged alphabetically by author or by publication. Further evidence of Trigger’s research activities and approaches to organizing research materials is found in a card catalogue tray that is alphabetically arranged by author. Additionally, reading notes that were organized by country/ geographical area of interest reveal the breadth and scope of Trigger’s research interests (Container 13, Files 565-572; Container 14, Files 591-594).

Scrapbooks containing photos, news articles, correspondence, and archaeological plans document Trigger’s time as a field work archaeologist. More specifically, a Sheek Island Scrapbook, Molson Fieldnotes, in 2 volumes, and hand drawn maps and notes of Nubia capture the essence of archaeological methodology, as well as the excitement involved in archaeological fieldwork, 1957 1985 (Container 19, Files 742-745). A file entitled Sheek Island papers, contains additional photos and newsclippings on this early excavation where Trigger participated as a student, 1957 (Container 4, File 208).

Personal

This series consists of personal materials ranging from biographical information to records documenting Trigger’s student life to honours and awards. This series also contains newspaper clippings on Trigger, as well as personal correspondence files.

Biographical information consists of correspondence with biographical information sources such as Who’s Who, as well as a curriculum vitae and official documents such as an expired passport, 1984-2005, 1961, 2006 (Container 8, Files 405, 406; Container 6, File 323). Textual records include newspaper clippings and articles on Trigger, including Boyce Richardson’ article in Saturday Night, 1958-1996 (Container 15, File 581; Container 4, File 207; Container 6, File 326), which celebrates Trigger’s intellectual
contributions to society. Also included in this series are files entitled “Lubicon Business”, 1987-1988 (Container 5, 281-284), which provide a thorough overview of Trigger’s resignation from the board of the McCord Museum when members refused to join a First
Nations’ organized boycott of an exhibition of native artifacts at the Calgary Olympics, as well as a subject file entitled “Native Issues”, 1978-1991 (Container 6, File 327) which reveals his interest in First Nations’ issues. Trigger’s lengthy involvement with the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul in Montreal, including his participation in the Presbyterian College Continuing Education Program, is also documented here, 1992, 1998-2005 (Container 7, File 362; Container 16, File 640). Agendas from Trigger’s office record his daily appointments and deadlines, 1984-2005 (Container 16, Files 627-633).

Trigger’s activities as a student are documented by old high school and university yearbooks, 1953-1979 (Container 8, File 416; Container 10, Files 417-418); his Sigma Xi initiation and certificate, 1963 (Container 8, File 411; Container 21, File 2); as well as his university degrees, 1959-1964 (Container 21, Files 6-7) and University of Toronto class graduation photos, 1959 (Container 21, File 20 and unnumbered). A selection of Trigger’s student papers reveals Trigger’s early scholarly potential, 1958-1959 (Container 12, Files 539-540; Container 14, Files 584-585; Container 16, File 637). A play manuscript entitled Ikhnaton: A Verse Play in Five Acts demonstrates Trigger’s effort at creative writing (Container 8, File 414). These records reveal how Trigger carefully documented his past, commencing in his teenage years, as well as his level of involvement in both scholastic and extracurricular activities. Additional correspondence files include early job offers from several universities, 1959-1961 (Container 4, File 279; Container 5, File 289).

Nominations of friends and colleagues for diverse awards, his own awards and accompanying letters and speeches, as well as memberships in honourary societies, 1983 (Container 8, File 412) reveal the extent of Trigger’s social network and his prominence in his field. In particular, Trigger’s nomination of Jerome Rousseau, a colleague and friend in McGill’s Department of Anthropology, for the Royal Society of Canada, demonstrates Trigger’s regard for others, 1999 (Container 12, Files 563). Another example of this includes Trigger’s convocation speech for the awarding of Dr. Marc-Adélard Tremblay’s honourary degree, 1998 (Container 5, File 287). This series also contains correspondence files, certificates, convocation programs, and convocation speeches from Trigger’s own honourary degrees which he received from McMaster University, 1999 (Container 5, File 286); the University of Waterloo, 1990, 1987-1990 (Container 5, File 288; Container 8, File 410); the University of New Brunswick, 1987- 1990 (Container 14, File 583; Container 8, File 410); the University of Western Ontario, 1987-1995 (Container 17, File 660; Container 8, File 410; Container 21, File 13); the University of Toronto, 2002-2003 (Container 6, File 297; Container 21, File 13; Container 16, File 643); and the University of Waterloo, 1990-1993 (Container 7, File 350).

Trigger earned such distinctions as the Order of Canada (Container 6, File 310, 328); the Innis Guérin Medal (Container 8, File 407); the Corn Planter medal (Container 8, File 408); the Ordre du Quebec, 2001 (Container 12, File 541); and the Prix du Quebec, 1991-2001 (Container 12, File 543). Associated artifacts, certificates, plaques, medals, and memorabilia are also found here, 1955-2006 (Container 21, Files 1, 2-5, 8-12, 14- 18, 26). Additional speech notes, news clippings, and correspondence files accompany Trigger’s many honours, 1958-2006 (Container 6, File 321; Container 10, File 518; Container 15, File 611; Container 16, File 639; Container 8, File 409).

The impact of Trigger’s fifty year distinguished career as an archaeologist is best exemplified in Retrospection: The Archaeology of Bruce Trigger, in which 22 of his colleagues and friends reflect on his significant contributions to the discipline of archaeology, 2003-2006 (Container 6, File 318). Trigger, himself, reflects on his own career in an interview by Eldon entitled “Understanding Antiquity- Bruce Trigger on his life’s work in archaeology”, 2005-2006 (Container 6, File 319; Container 15, File 609). Correspondence files, conference programs, and drafts for Trigger’s festschrift and symposium demonstrate the stature he attained as a scholar, 2003 2006 (Container 15, Files 612-613).

Trigger’s declining health is documented by get well cards and correspondence from friends, students, and close colleagues, and letters of condolence to his family in the aftermath of Trigger’s death, 2006 (Container 6, Files 324, 322; Container 21, Files 23- 25). Trigger’s obituary, eulogy, and funeral program are also found in this series, 1954- 2006, 1985-2006 (Container 6, Files 329-334; Container 8, File 415, 428-429; Container 10, Files 519-523).

Slides

Series consists of slides documenting Trigger’s research and teaching activities including his fieldwork in Egypt, Nubia, and the Sudan during the early 1960s (Container 20).

Also included in the series are pamphlets entitled “Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt”, which correspond with slides Sets 1-9 and Egypt and Nubia Slide Brochures, 1980-1992 (Container 14, File 601; Container 15, File 602). These pamphlets provide context for the slides.

Conference papers and lectures

The largest and most comprehensive series is conference papers and lectures with most of the presentations taking place in Canada, Australia and the United States, many with separate speech and shorter slide summaries. The subjects covered include AIDS, medical ethics, and euthanasia, and reflect the range of Somerville’s interest in ethical issues.

Scrapbooks, journals and address books

This series contains journals, scrapbooks and numerous agendas and address books belonging to both J.W. McConnell and his wife Lily. This series also includes an agenda used by Kathleen McConnell Laing. The material in this series dates between 1887 and 1960.

The journals written by J.W. McConnell and his wife were almost all started before a major trip (e.g. the Coronation trip taken in 1952) but do not contain detailed narratives and were never continued for any lengthy period. The notes and entries that were recorded discuss both business and personal/family observations. The many scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings and letters concerning J.W. McConnell’s business interests, accomplishments, the Montreal Star and family members. The McConnells also kept many articles and ephemera related to British Royal Family members and the McConnells’ involvement in Montreal society and fundraising efforts. There also exists a significant scrapbook compiled after J.W. McConnell’s death containing obituaries from Canadian and international newspapers.

Philanthropy

This series contains records of J.W. McConnell, and in some instances additional members of his immediate family, documenting their involvement in numerous fundraising and philanthropic works.

The records were divided into specific subseries (Hospitals and Health Care; Higher Education; War Efforts) to reflect the work of McConnell to meet the different needs of Montreal and communities abroad. The records consist of fundraising correspondence and requests from McConnell, photographs, artefacts, financial reports and statements from the McGill campaign and ephemera related to fundraising including a set of index cards that McConnell used to organize the McGill fundraising campaign. Specific fundraising inititatives include: McGill $5,000,000 Campaign, 1943/1944; Montreal Joint Hospital Campaign, 1927; Victoria Order of Nurses Pension Fund, 1944/1945; Victory Loan Campaign, 1917-1918; ‘Wings for Britain’ Campaign; and McConnell’s personal donation of $1,000,000 to create the McConnell Squadron of Royal Air Force Spitfires, 1941-1946.

Conference Papers/Publications

This series documents Trigger’s scholarly contributions, in the form of conference papers, publications, reviews, and editorial work for peer-reviewed publications, mainly from his years at McGill University’s Department of Anthropology, 1963-2006. Professional correspondence is also found within these files, which are arranged by date of conference or publication date. These files demonstrate Trigger’s prolific publication output, his correspondence with an extensive network of colleagues in the international
research community, as well as the diversity of his research interests, ranging from indigenous cultures to ancient civilizations.

Files relating to conferences and symposia, as well as reviews, articles, and books provide insight into Trigger’s approaches to organizing his research, some of the major contributions he made to the field, as well as his role as a much sought after lecturer. Record types include correspondence, conference proceedings, manuscripts, articles, reprints, editorial guidelines, drafts, and lecture notes, 1949-2006 (Container 1, Files 1- 43; 44-134; Container 3, Files 135-206; Container 4, Files 209-278; Container 6, Files
290-296; 298-308; 311-312, 316, 320, 335-336; Container 7, Files 337-349, 351-361, 363-404; Container 8, Files 420, 422-424; Container 9, Files 430-484; Container 11, Files 524-537; Container 12, Files 561-564; Container 14, Files 573-578, 580, 586-588, 599; Container 15, Files 602-604, 619-620; Container 16, Files 641-642, 645-646; Container 17, Files 647-659, 661, 664-674, 676-723). These files document Trigger’s passion for archaeology, his efforts to stay current in terms of the literature in the field, and his respected position in the international arena. For example, Trigger was the editor of Volume I of the prestigious Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas. Artwork for this volume, as well as book reviews, reveal Trigger’s level of involvement with the project, 2003 (Container 14, File 598). Conferences of note include the Seagram Lectures I and II at the University of Toronto (1986) where Trigger delivered a paper entitled “The Historian’s Indian: Native Americans in Canadian Historical Writing from Charlevoix to the Present”, 1989-1997, 1985-1986 (Container 1, Files 41, 42), and the Fourth Gordon Childe Memorial Lecture at the Institute of Archaeology, the University of London (1982). Trigger’s lecture, entitled “If Childe were Alive Today”, 1981-1983 (Container 3, File 175) is a fine example of his long standing research interest in V. Gordon Childe and Childe’s contributions to archaeological theory and his relationship to Soviet/ Marxist archaeology, 1977-1986 (Container 3, Files 142-143, 174-175.

Materials relating to Trigger’s books include drafts of published and unpublished manuscripts, research notes, reviews, and correspondence with colleagues and publishers, as well as translations of these works into numerous languages, 1990-2004 (Container 1, Files 19, 20; Container 3, File 192; Container 6, Files 294, 311; Container 15, File 621-622; Container 7, File 372; Container 9, Files 482-483). Records pertaining to Trigger’s seminal texts contain complete drafts, manuscript notes, correspondence, and publication information. For example, The Children of Aataentsic, 1975-2002 (Container 2, Files 95-96; Container 3, File 196; Container 7, File 342 ; Container 9, File 434, Container 14, File 579; Container 17, File 662, 663, 675, 710, 718 ); Understanding Early Civilizations, 1995-2005 (Container 6, File 295; Container 11, Files 525-537; 6 Container 15, File 618), and A History of Archaeological Thought, 1989-2004 (Container 6, File 301; Container 7, File 340, 371; Container 9, File 460) are comprehensive in this regard. In particular, A History of Archaeological Thought, which also includes notes for the revised edition, 1991-2002 (Container 11, Files 524), as well as correspondence with Cambridge University Press regarding the index for the book, demonstrate the writing, editorial, and publication processes from the perspective of an academic in a comprehensive manner, 1989-2004 (Container 15, Files 614-1-617, 623-626).

A comprehensive list of Trigger’s publications is available in the accession file.

Photographs

This series is mainly composed of photographs relating to Jasper’s professional life, including portraits, group portraits with colleagues, and scenes from symposia, conferences, and award ceremonies. Some personal photographs, including portraits of family members, and scenes from ski outings and travel, are included as well (Container 10).

Committee memberships

The committee memberships series includes minutes, protocols and reports reflecting Somerville’s work as a an expert in ethics on the Law Reform Commission of Canada, the Royal Victoria Hospital’s Research Ethics committee, Expert Advisory Committee to the Canadian Red Cross on Stored Serum Samples, the National Research Council Human Subject Research Ethics Committee, the World Health Organization, the World Jurist Association, UNESCO, the McGill Aids Centre, the Beatty Memorial Lecture, the NWMO, the OACG, the CCES, and the Colloquium on Transdisciplinarity.

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