A firefighter on a ladder battling the fire on the roof of the Faculty Club; three firefighters watch from the ground.

Bio/Historical Note: The Dean of Agriculture’s residence was among the first buildings on campus. Designed by Brown & Vallance of Montreal, the original plan called for a wood-clad structure but this was abandoned when the Board of Governors decided in May 1911 to use local greystone. Unlike several of the larger buildings, the Dean’s residence was built by university employees with the assistance of day labourers. Construction took less than a year and costs ran to nearly $25,000. Sometimes known as the “Grey Gables,” the building’s first resident was W.J. Rutherford, first Dean of Agriculture. The location of the house, on the campus close to the University Farm, reflected the unique relationship of the Agricultural College with the University. In addition to a family residence, the adjourning grounds were used on occasion as the site for outdoor receptions and social gatherings. Talk of starting a Faculty Club at the University of Saskatchewan started in 1921, but a club was not established until 1927. The centre for the club was a reading room in the College (Administration) Building; and the club's major purpose became sponsoring a series of lectures by faculty members. Slowly, over the years, the club was also opened to other than faculty members: in 1937, government researchers were allowed to join; as were senior administrative personnel in 1959; and by 1962, a degree was no longer a requirement of membership.
A controversial issue of the 1940s was to admit women members of faculty to the club. At a 19 November 1943 meeting, J.R. Fraser moved, seconded by J.B. Harrington, that women members of staff be admitted to the Faculty Club.” There was an amendment, moved by J.F. Leddy, seconded by A.P. Arnason “That the name of the club be changed to the Men’s Faculty Club.” The amendment carried. So the club was called the Men’s Faculty Club for four years, until 21 March 1947 when on a motion of Ansten Anstenson, seconded by J.B. Harrington “that the name of the club be changed to the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Club and that women members of the faculty be admitted.” Carried. The last Dean to live in the house was V.E. Graham who moved out in 1961 so the building could be converted into a Faculty Club, which opened in 1962. The building underwent two more renovations in 1966 and 1975. The latter was the most extensive, at a cost of $607,961, and established the footprint of the building as it exists today. At 3:00 pm on 19 September 1972, a fire that had been smoldering in the roof insulation for hours became apparent inside the club. The building was evacuated and an alarm called into the City of Saskatoon Fire Department. Six units were eventually dispatched to battle the “stubborn” fire before a crowd of several hundred onlookers. No one was injured and the building was saved from catastrophic damage. By 1974, most administrative officers were permitted to join. The Faculty Club is now known as the University Club (2020).

A firefighter stands at the top of an extension ladder and hosing the fire coming out of the roof of the Faculty Club.

Bio/Historical Note: The Dean of Agriculture’s residence was among the first buildings on campus. Designed by Brown & Vallance of Montreal, the original plan called for a wood-clad structure but this was abandoned when the Board of Governors decided in May 1911 to use local greystone. Unlike several of the larger buildings, the Dean’s residence was built by university employees with the assistance of day labourers. Construction took less than a year and costs ran to nearly $25,000. Sometimes known as the “Grey Gables,” the building’s first resident was W.J. Rutherford, first Dean of Agriculture. The location of the house, on the campus close to the University Farm, reflected the unique relationship of the Agricultural College with the University. In addition to a family residence, the adjourning grounds were used on occasion as the site for outdoor receptions and social gatherings. Talk of starting a Faculty Club at the University of Saskatchewan started in 1921, but a club was not established until 1927. The centre for the club was a reading room in the College (Administration) Building; and the club's major purpose became sponsoring a series of lectures by faculty members. Slowly, over the years, the club was also opened to other than faculty members: in 1937, government researchers were allowed to join; as were senior administrative personnel in 1959; and by 1962, a degree was no longer a requirement of membership.
A controversial issue of the 1940s was to admit women members of faculty to the club. At a 19 November 1943 meeting, J.R. Fraser moved, seconded by J.B. Harrington, that women members of staff be admitted to the Faculty Club.” There was an amendment, moved by J.F. Leddy, seconded by A.P. Arnason “That the name of the club be changed to the Men’s Faculty Club.” The amendment carried. So the club was called the Men’s Faculty Club for four years, until 21 March 1947 when on a motion of Ansten Anstenson, seconded by J.B. Harrington “that the name of the club be changed to the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Club and that women members of the faculty be admitted.” Carried. The last Dean to live in the house was V.E. Graham who moved out in 1961 so the building could be converted into a Faculty Club, which opened in 1962. The building underwent two more renovations in 1966 and 1975. The latter was the most extensive, at a cost of $607,961, and established the footprint of the building as it exists today. At 3:00 pm on 19 September 1972, a fire that had been smoldering in the roof insulation for hours became apparent inside the club. The building was evacuated and an alarm called into the City of Saskatoon Fire Department. Six units were eventually dispatched to battle the “stubborn” fire before a crowd of several hundred onlookers. No one was injured and the building was saved from catastrophic damage. By 1974, most administrative officers were permitted to join. The Faculty Club is now known as the University Club (2020).

Irene Salemka, internationally recognized soprano, receiving an honourary Doctor of Laws degree from J.W.T. Spinks, University President, at Regina fall Convocation ceremony.

Bio/Historical Note: Irene Salemka was born in 1928 at Friedensfeld, Manitoba; the family moved to Weyburn, Saskatchewan, where her father was a Lutheran minister. She studied singing in Weyburn and in Regina, Saskatchewan, and won an award in CBC Radio's Singing Stars of Tomorrow in 1953. In 1952 she appeared at the Montreal Festivals as Juliette in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette; her debut at the Canadian Opera Company was in the title role in Madama Butterfly in 1953. She further studied singing with Hans Löwlein in Germany. From 1956 to 1964 she was a leading soprano with Frankfurt State Opera, where she appeared in operas including Madama Butterfly, Pelléas et Mélisande (as Mélisande), Gianni Schicchi (Lauretta), Der Rosenkavalier (Sophie) and The Magic Flute (Pamina). Salemka appeared with other opera companies: with the Canadian Opera Company in The Marriage of Figaro as Susanna in 1960, and as Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow in 1973; in 1961 she made her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream (as Helena). She also performed in Stuttgart, Vienna, Naples, Milan, Paris, and Basel. In 1977 in Toronto she married James McGillivray; they were at school together in Weyburn, and met again in 1973. From 1991 Salemka lived in Collingwood, Ontario; she died there on 27 August 2017, aged 86.

V. Jendrusha (left), Upjohn representative; presents the Upjohn Scholarship to William J. Ostopovich. G. Bayne and Glen Hartnett, College of Pharmacy, look on.

Head and shoulders image of Roy Cullimore, professor of Biology, Regina Campus.

Bio/Historical Note: Dennis Roy Cullimore, who was born on April 7, 1936, attended St. Andrews Church of England Primary School and Southfield Grammar School in Oxford, England. At the University of Nottingham he earned a B.Sc. (Hons.) in agricultural microbiology in 1959 and a Ph.D. in 1962. In that year he joined the University of Surrey as an Assistant Lecturer in Microbiology and remained there until 1968 when he emigrated to Canada and took up a post as Assistant Professor of Microbiology at the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1969 and to full professor in 1974, in which year he became Director of the Board of the Prairie Institute of Environmental Health. In 1975 Cullimore was appointed director of the Regina Water Research Unit. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles relating to water microbes and bacteria, and he has published a humorous book of captioned cartoons, 'A Survey of the Uses and Abuses of the Prairie Elevator' (Winnipeg: Frye Publishing, 1983). In recent years he has become well-known as a member of the research team studying the wreck of the sunken ship Titanic. He is also a principal in Droycon Bioconcepts Inc., a firm consulting on microbiol/environmental issues and biodetection systems.

Image of Zoe Gropper, hostess, and Diane Hancock, both of the Extension Division, rehearse a segment of the widely viewed program "Consumer Notes" in the studios of Instructional Television, DAVS. Camera operator at left.