Looking northeast at the Observatory; students sitting on grass and walking on pathway in foreground.

Bio/Historical Note: The Observatory was designed by Gentil J.K. Verbeke and constructed in two phases using local limestone from 1928-1930 for about $23,000. The R. J. Arrand Contracting Co. was contracted to build the Observatory Tower in 1928 for a cost of $6625. The firm completed the tower $353 under budget on 14 April 1929, for $6,272. On 20 June 1929 R. J. Arrand was again awarded a contract by the University, this time to build the small classroom wing of the Observatory for $15,640. Work on the classroom wing was completed on 23 January 1930 for $15,034.50. University funding for the construction of the building was supplemented by private donations. Along with the Field Husbandry Building, the Observatory would be among the last free-standing buildings constructed on campus until after World War II. A plaque with the names of many donors still hangs inside the dome of the observatory. Saskatoon residents will find many of the names highly recognizable even today. A sundial was added to the exterior of the Observatory during the 1940s. It reads:
I am a Shadow
So art thou
The observatory facilities are available for use by both university students and visitors to the campus. The telescopes and other scientific equipment are used by students during the laboratory component of their courses. University personnel regularly offer tours of the observatory to elementary and high school classes, youth groups and other community associations. The Observatory is staffed year-round on Saturday nights so that any visitor may view celestial objects through the telescope.

Posed indoor image of Huskiettes player Marilyn Truscott wearing her volleyball uniform.

Bio/Historical Note: Marilyn Ruth (Truscott) Walter, a graduate of Aden Bowman Collegiate in Saskatoon, enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan (BEd 1974; BSPE 1976) in 1971. She led the Huskiettes volleyball team to several firsts, including a Canada West championship and its first appearance at the CIAU championship where Saskatchewan won silver; four successive provincial senior championships and two bronze medal finishes at the Canadian Open. In 1973 Walter was the first Saskatchewan athlete invited to a national volleyball team tryout. She attended a camp to select Canada's team for the 1973 World Student Games in Moscow. Walter was awarded the Bob Stayner Trophy as female athlete of the year in a tournament sport at the U of S in 1975-76. Walter was a teacher with the Saskatoon Public School Division for 36 years. She taught physical education, humanities and social sciences, along with coaching a variety of sports including volleyball, basketball and badminton. Walter died on 10 November 2020 in Saskatoon.

Head and shoulders image of Oliver Symes, professor, Agricultural Engineering.

Bio/Historical Note: Oliver Symes, born at Pense, Saskatchewan, 1913, was raised on his family’s farm. He attended public and high schools at Pense and went on to Teachers’ College in Regina in 1931-1932. He taught in several Saskatchewan schools before enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941. Following the war he enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan, earning a BA iin 1948 and a BEng (agricultural engineering) in 1949. He was hired by the Ford Motor Company in Regina as tractor and implement sales representative for Saskatchewan. He left Ford in 1950 to become acting head of the department of agricultural engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. He became full department head in 1953 and served in that capacity until 1955 when Ford Motor Company hired him back, giving him world-wide responsibility for tractors and implements. Two years later he returned to the agricultural engineering department as a professor. In 1981 he was once again department head. In 1985 he established a research and development section which added an important dimension to his department. Symes died in 1986.

Otto Lang, Federal Minister of Transport, speaking.at a reception marking the POS Pilot Plant ground-breaking.

Bio/Historical Note: The POS (Protein, Oil and Starch) Pilot Plant is a research organization that specializes in extraction, fractionation, purification, and modification of biologically derived materials. The company, which was founded in July 1977, is located in the Innovation Place Research Park on the University of Saskatchewan campus. POS Pilot Plant, the largest pilot plant operation of its kind in North America, has grown from eighteen employees in 1977 to over ninety employees in 2003. The company employs people from a wide range of disciplines: scientists, engineers, technicians, operators, tradespeople, logistics and information researchers, and administrative personnel. POS Pilot Plant is dedicated to finding personalized solutions for clients' bioprocessing needs. Services provided include: process and product development, optimization and scale-up; hazard analysis and critical control points; protocols and good manufacturing practice plans; and ingredient sourcing, shelf-life testing and analytical development. There are also consulting services, and support services concerning materials management, maintenance, and information. The Plant serves bioprocessing industries including nutraceuticals and functional foods; cosmetics and fragrances; fats, oils and lipids; food and ingredients; animal feeds; and Biotechnology and agricultural biotechnology. In 2019 the plant was rebranded KeyLeaf Life Sciences.