CURRICULUM VITAE
R B FLEMING

AWARDS and GRANTS:

A: UNDERGRADUATE:

Thomas H. B. Symons Award, Trent University, 1979, for Best Essay, Fourth Year, Canadian Studies.

B: GRADUATE:

University Fellowship, University of Saskatchewan, 1979.

University Scholarships, University of Saskatchewan, 1980-85.

Travel Grants, J.S. Ewart Memorial Fund, Winnipeg, Manitoba, for research at the National Archives, Ottawa Canada, 1980-85 ($1,500).

Ontario Arts Council, Writers’ Reserve, 1986 ($1,000).

James J Hill Travel Grant for twelve days research at the J J Hill Reference Library, St Paul, Minnesota, 1986 ($1,200).

Ontario Arts Council, Writers’ Reserve, 1988 ($1,500).

Ontario Arts Council, Writers’ Reserve, 1993 ($1,800).

C: POST DOCTORAL:

Canada Council Travel Grants for illustrated readings, Railway King of Canada, 1991 and 1992 ($1,200).

Ontario Historical Society’s Fred Landon Award for the best book 1989-1991 in Ontario regional history (for The Railway King of Canada), 1992.

Canada Council, B Grant, May 1996-April 1997 ($15,000).

MEMBERSHIPS:

Canadian Who’s Who 1995-.

Ontario’s Who’s Who 1995-.

Ontario Historical Society, Toronto ON, 1994-2004.

Arts and Letters Club, Toronto ON, 1993-.

Canadian Historical Association, Ottawa Canada, 1980-.

Writers’ Union of Canada, Toronto ON, 1991-.

Canadian Club, Lindsay Branch, Lindsay ON, 1987-.

Trent Valley Archives Group, Peterborough ON, 1993-.

Victoria County Historical Society, Lindsay ON, 1992-1998.

Beaverton, Thorah & Eldon Historical Society, Beaverton ON, 1976-1979 &1994-.

Bytown Railway Society, Ottawa Canada, 1992-1996.

Midwestern Railway Society, Winnipeg MN, 1992-2000.

British Association for Canadian Studies, Edinburgh Scotland, 1983-.

Peterborough Historical Society, Peterborough ON, 1992-.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Member, Editorial Board, Ontario History, 1992-95.

Member, Organizing Committee, Ontario Historical Society’s Annual Meeting, Peterborough ON, May 1993.

Reader/Reviewer, Journal of Canadian Studies, 1993-94.

Editor, Donna McDonald, Lord Strathcona, A Biography of Donald A Smith (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1997).

Researcher/writer (Dec97/Jan98) of background paper on steamboats on Lake Simcoe, 1830-1930, for an Ontario Heritage Foundation plaque erected 17 Sep 1998 at Barrie ON.

Judge, Mississauga Arts Awards, Mississauga ON, 1999-2001.

Researcher/writer (Jan/Feb2000) of background paper on the first last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway, for an Ontario Heritage Foundation plaque erected in September 2000 near Dryden ON.

Editor, Wally Bebris, Loving Milda (Toronto: privately printed), 2000.

Editor, A A MacKenzie, The Harvest Train (Cape Breton: Breton Books), 2002.

Editor, Ontario History, 2003-2004.

Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Daily Post, Lindsay ON, 2005 - 2007

Vice President, Fund Development, Association of Canadian Clubs, Ottawa ON, 2005 - 2007

APPOINTMENTS:

Teacher, Secondary Level, Scarborough Board of Education, 1967-75.

Teacher, Primary Level, Occasional, Durham Board of Education and Victoria County Board of Education, 1975-78.

Teaching Assistant, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon SK, 1979-83.

Sessional Lecturer, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon SK, 1983-4.

Sessional Lecturer, Sir Sandford Fleming College, Lindsay ON, 1988.

Sessional Lecturer, University of Winnipeg, Peguis Indian Reserve, Hodgson MB, 1988-‘89.

Sessional Lecturer, Canadian Social History, University of Guelph, Guelph ON, Fall 1990.

Visiting Fellow, Centre of Canadian Studies, University of Edinburgh, Spring 1991.

Sessional Lecturer, Canadian History, Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto ON, 1994.

History Tutor, Open College, Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto ON, 1994-1997.

Sessional Lecturer, Durham College, North Campus, Uxbridge ON, Fall 1995.

Research Associate, Leslie Frost Centre for Canadian Heritage and Development, Trent University, Peterborough ON, 1993-.

Census Commissioner, Brock Township, for 2001 Canadian Census, March-June 2001.

Researcher, Interviewer, Statistics Canada, 2002.

PUBLICATIONS:

Eldon Connections, Portraits of a Township (Lindsay: John Deyell Printers), 1975.

Argyle, A Pioneer Village (Woodville: Woodville Legion and Wintario), 1976.

“Sir William Mackenzie” in The Canadian Encyclopedia, 1985 and 1988.

Introduction, Beating the Bounds, A Policeman’s Tale (Stockport Eng: Stockport Historical Society), 1989.

“The Trolley Takes Command” in Urban History Review, February 1991.

The Railway King of Canada, Sir William Mackenzie, 1849-1923 (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1991; paperback 1994 and 2000), (See reviews p 9)

“The Limits of Canadian Multiculturalism” in Canadian Speeches (July/August 1991).

“The Unbearable Lightness of Being Canadian” in Journal of Canadian Studies (Summer 1992).

Boswell’s Children: The Art of the Biographer (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1992. Editor/Contributor).

“Sir William Howland” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Vol. XIII, 1994.

The Lochaber Emigrants to Glengarry (Toronto: Natural Heritage Inc, 1994. Editor).

“Once We Built Railways” in The Literary Review of Canada, Vol. 5, no. 5 (May 1996).

“From Horses to Stage Coaches, Street Cars, Jitneys and Subways: Two Hundred Years of Transportation on the Longest Street in the World” in Wyn Millar, ed, The Life and Times of Yonge Street (Toronto: Ontario Historical Society), 1996.

“Yonge at 200, The Dramatic Story of a Street and a Dream” in The Beaver, August/September 1996.

“Genealogy: The Somewhat Unappreciated Study” in Families (Ontario Genealogical Society), Vol. 36, no. 1 (February 1997).

“Hostess to a Nation” in The Beaver, August/September 1997.

“Steamboat Follies” in The Beaver, June/July 1999 (nominated for a Canadian Magazine Award, humour section, Spring 2000); reprinted in Douglas Hilker and Sue Harper, eds, Elements of English 10 (Toronto: Harcourt Canada, 2000).

“Eye on Canada, The Documentary Photography of Frank Tyrell” in The Beaver, June/July 2001.

“Charles Mitchell, An Obituary” in The Fragment , Spring 2001.

The Royal Tour of Canada, The 1939 Royal Visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (Toronto: Lynx Images), 2002.

“Lives Lived: Marjorie Frost Porter” in The Globe and Mail, 28 June 2002.

“The Golden Age of the General Store” in The Beaver, Aug/Sept 2002.

General Stores of Canada: Merchants and Memories (Toronto: Lynx Images), 2002.

"Islay-born Settlers in Eldon and Thorah Townships: a Search for Patterns" in The Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, August 2005.

The Wartime Letters of Leslie and Cecil Frost 1915-1919, Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2007

BOOK REVIEWS:

"The White Pass Railway" in Northward Journal, 1989.

"Greenbank" in Canadian Journal of Church History, 1989.

"The People’s Railway" in Canadian Historical Review, 1994.

"The Burning Bush and a Few Acres of Snow" in Canadian Journal of Church History, 1995.

"Store Wars" in The Literary Review of Canada, 1997.

"A St. Andrews Look at Methodism to 1925" in Canadian Journal of Church History, 1998.

"Lines of Country" in The Beaver, August/September 1999.

"The Carving of Canada" in Canadian Speeches, January/February 2001

"The Carving of Canada: A Tale of Parliamentary Gothic" in British Journal of Canadian Studies Vol 14, no 2, 1999.

"Massanoga, The Art of Bon Echo" in British Journal of Canadian Studies, Vol 14, no 2, 1999.

"Out of Penumbra, Superb Canadian Histories" in Books in Canada, September 2003".

"Tales of the CPR" in The Beaver, October/November 2003"

"Come Blow Your Horne" in The Beaver, October/November 2004.

"Country Post, Rural Service in Canada, 1880 to 1945" in Ontario History, Spring 2004.

"Destinies, Fifth Edition, Canadian History Since Confederation" in Ontario History, Autumn 2004.

JOURNALISM:

Articles on local history in The Beaverton Express, Beaverton ON, 1974-78.

Editor/contributor “Glimpses of Our Past,” published by the Beaverton, Thorah & Eldon Historical Society, Beaverton ON, 1978.

Bimonthly articles for Village Voice, Beaverton ON, 1994.

Articles on history for The Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, Peterborough, ON, 1999-

LECTURES, CONFERENCES and READINGS:

“Some Ontario Sources for Genealogists in British Columbia,” Vancouver Genealogical Society, Vancouver, May 1980.

“Sir William Mackenzie and Whaling in British Columbia, 1910-1915,” Scottish Heritage Conference, University of Guelph, May 1983.

“Sir William Mackenzie as a Patron of the Arts in Canada, 1910-1915,” Tenth Anniversary Conference, British Association for Canadian Studies, University of Edinburgh, April 1985.

“The Meaning and Uses of Local History,” Lindsay Art Gallery Volunteers, February 1988.

“Sir William Mackenzie’s Vital Lies,” Lorneville-Argyle WI, Beaverton ON, October 1988.

“Impressions of Peguis Reserve,” Canadian Club, Lindsay ON, February 1989.

“The Trolley: Agent of Rapid Change,” Canadian Studies Conference, University of Edinburgh, May 1989.

“Symbols of Empire: Fort Garry Union Station and The Electric Railway Chambers, Winnipeg,” Manitoba Historical Society, Winnipeg MB, February 1990.

“Sir William Mackenzie and the Idea of Loyalism,” United Empire Loyalist Society, Peterborough, ON, April 1990.

“Clio in Exile: ‘Canadiens Errants’: Various exiles from 1837 to This is New York, Honey!,” Canadian Studies Conference, University of Edinburgh, May 1990.

“Biography and History,” Faculty and Graduate Students’ Society, History Department, University of Guelph, November 1990.

“Sir William Mackenzie and Contemporary Canadian Issues,” Canadian Club, Lindsay ON, January 1991.

“The Limits of Multiculturalism in Canada,” Multiculturalism: The Canadian Experience Conference, Birkbeck College, University of London, London England, February 1991.

“Sir William Mackenzie and the ties that bind the English-speaking world,” English-Speaking Union of Edinburgh, March 1991.

“Sir William Mackenzie and the two solitudes of biography and history,” Canadian Studies Conference on Biography and History, University of Edinburgh, May 1991.

“Sir William Mackenzie and Canadian Historiography,” faculty and graduate students, History Department, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB, October 1991.

Illustrated readings from Railway King of Canada, Montréal, Winnipeg, Dauphin, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria, September-October 1991; St Andrews, NB, June 1992; Ottawa, October 1992; Orillia, ON, September 1993; and Toronto, ON, October 1993.

“Mackenzie et Mann selon la presse française de Montréal, 1912-1915,” Congrès de l'Institut d’histoire de l'Amérique française, Montréal, octobre 1992.

“The Role of the General Store in 19^th and 20^th Century Canadian Society,” Cannington Historical Society, Cannington ON, March 1993; and to Victoria County Historical Society Annual Meeting, May 1993.

“The Role of Archives in Researching the Life of Sir William Mackenzie,” Trent Valley Archives, Peterborough ON, May 1994.

“Sir William Mackenzie, A Biographical Sketch,” Fenelon Falls Historical Society, Fenelon Falls ON, September 1994.

“The Uses of Genealogy in History and Biography,”Kawartha Branch of Ontario Genealogical Society, Peterborough, ON, September 1995.

“From Stage Coaches to Subways: Two Hundred Years of Transportation on Yonge Street, 1796-1996,” Ontario Historical Society’s Conference “Yonge Street 1796-1996,” February 1996.

“The Canadian Dilemma: Biography, Mythology and the Referendum of 1995,” Canadian Studies Conference, University of Exeter, April 1996.

“Travelling Across the Country in Search of General Stores: The Perils and Joys of Research,” Retired Teachers of Durham Region ON, November 1996.

“John Cabot and the Imperial Mind in 1897,” John Cabot and North Atlantic Trade Conference, University of West of England, Bristol, May 1997.

“Publishing: 1450 to 2000: A Writer’s Point of View,” Cannington Historical Society, Cannington ON, 13 March 2000.

"Islay-born Settlers in Eldon and Thorah Townships: a Search for Patterns" to Islay Descendants Gathering, Trent University, Peterborough ON, 25 June 2005.

"How Come It Takes You So Long?" to Trent Valley Archive AGM, Peterborough ON, 26 April 2007.

"The Great War and the Frost Brothers" to Barry and Jane Penhale's Retirees, Toronto ON, 22 November 2007.

"General Stores in History" at official opening of an exhibition on general stores, Dufferin County Museum, 6 April 2008.

"The Great War and the Frost Brothers" to The Western Front, Newcastle ON, 12 April 2008.

"The Great War and the Frost Brothers" to the Oshawa Historical Society, Oshawa ON, 15 September 2008.

"The Great War and the Frost Brothers" to the East York Historical Society, Toronto ON, 25 November 2008.

Illustrated talks and readings of one or more of The Railway King of Canada, The Royal Tour of Canada, General Stores of Canada, and The Wartime Letters of Leslie & Cecil Frost to the following groups:

5 October 2002:	Kawartha Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, Lindsay ON
15 October 2002:	Friends of the Lindsay Public Library, Lindsay ON
16 October 2002:	Canadian Club of Lindsay, Lindsay ON
22 October 2002:	Canadian Club des Laurentides, Ste. Agathe QC
23 October 2002:	Canadian Club de l'Estrie, Sherbrooke QC
24 October 2002:	Canadian Club de la Mauricie, Shawinigan, Grand'Mère QC
26 October 2002:	Canadian Club of Halifax NS
5 November 2002:	Monarchist League of Peterborough ON
7 November 2002:	Friends of the Beaverton Public Library, Beaverton ON
12 November 2002:	Fairlawn Neighbourhood Centre, Toronto ON
19 November 2002:	Millbrook-Cavan Historical Society, Millbrook ON
21 November 2002:	Victoria Country Genealogical Group, Lindsay ON
22 November 2002:	Senior Scribes of Uxbridge, Uxbridge ON
28 November 2002:	Friends of Bata Library, Trent University, Peterborough ON.
5 December 2002:	Rotary Club of Fenelon Falls ON,
23 January 2003:	Brock Good Neighbours, Beaverton ON.
19 February 2003:	North Bay & District Canadian Club, North Bay ON.
20 February 2003:	Orillia & District Canadian Club, Orillia ON
25 February 2003:	Walter Auld Fellowship Group, Cambridge United Church, Lindsay ON
18 March 2003:	Canadian Club of Durham Region, Oshawa ON.
21 May 2003:	Canadian Club of Morrisburg, Morrisburg ON,
30 September 2003:	Arts & Letters Club, Toronto ON
16 June 2003:	United Church Women, Beaverton ON
20 October 2003:	Oshawa Historical Society, Oshawa ON
8 April 2004:	Canadian Club of Kingston, Kingston ON
24 November 2004:	Canadian Club of Prince Albert, Prince Albert SK
25 November 2004:	Canadian Club of Saskatoon, Saskatoon SK
26 November 2004:	Canadian Club of Moose Jaw, Moose Jaw SK
17 January 2005:	Canadian Club of Revelstoke BC
19 January 2005:	Canadian Club of Kelowna, Kelowna BC
29 January 2005:	Family Literacy Day Celebration, Peterborough ON
24 February 2005:	Canadian Club of Halton-Peel, Oakville ON
13 February 2006	Canadian Club of Regina, Regina SK
8 March 2006 2006	King Township Historical Society, Schomberg ON
12 September 2006	Canadian Club of Winnipeg, Winnipeg MB.
18 October 2007	Friends of Lindsay Public Library, Lindsay ON
14 November 2007	Canadian Club of Orillia ON
9 April 2008	Haliburton Highlands Geneology Group

VOLUNTEER WORK:

Founding member and programme director, Beaverton, Thorah & Eldon Historical Society, Beaverton ON, 1975-1979.

Producer, interviewer, “Local History” Cable 10 TV, Lindsay ON, 1976-1978.

Chair, Unveiling Ontario Heritage Foundation plaque in honour of Sir William Mackenzie, Kirkfield ON, June 1976.

Chair, producer, “Meet the Authors Day,” Victoria County Spring Festival of the Arts, Lindsay ON, featuring Alice Boissonneau, Munroe Scott and Donald Jack, May 1978.

Chairperson, producer, “Meet the Historians Day,” Victoria County Spring Festival of the Arts, Lindsay ON, featuring Elwood Jones, Michael Bliss and Leo Johnson, May 1979.

Co-organizer, chair, Unveiling Ontario Heritage Foundation plaque in honour of George Laidlaw, Balsam Lake Drive ON, August 1979.

Producer University of Saskatchewan’s contribution to Century Saskatoon’s “Remembering Our Past,” Saskatoon SK, May 1982.

Co-ordinator two-day lecture tour Saskatoon by Irving Abella, York University, April 1983.

Advisor World Canada Youth exchange, Ecuador-Canada, Woodville ON, Summer 1989.

Co-author, Memoirs of Dr. Harcourt Brown, Winnipeg MN, 1988-1990.

Member, Committee to restore Old Stone Church, Beaverton ON, 1990-1994.

Member, Committee, Eldon Township display booth, International Ploughing Match, Lindsay ON, Sept 1992.

President, Canadian Club, Lindsay Branch, 1995-96 and Board Member 1994-.

Member, Save-the-Jail Committee, Beaverton, Thorah & Eldon Historical Society, Beaverton ON, 1995-97.

Producer/Director/Participant, “Timothy Findley and Friends,” an evening of readings and music, Beaverton ON, July 1995.

Chair, Speakers’ Committee, Beaverton, Thorah & Eldon Historical Society, Beaverton ON, 1996-.

Interviewer, Cable 10 TV Lindsay ON and COGECO Peterborough ON, re political-economic-heritage questions, 1997-2002.

Interviewer, senior members of Beaverton, Thorah & Eldon Historical Society for a video series, 1998-2002.

Board Member, Trent Valley Archives, Peterborough ON, 2000-2002.

Board Member, Friends of Bata Library, Peterborough ON, 2002-.

Committee Member, Ontario Historical Society, re Constitution Amendments, Jan 2002.

Participant, "Authors' Night", an evening of readings and music, Beaverton ON, 9 July 2005.

Script Writer and Mozart Impersonator for "Mozart 250," Lindsay ON, 28 Jan 2006

Judge, Historica Fairs, Lindsay ON, April and May, 2007 and 2008

© 2002, Updated 2007, Created by

Contact Rae at rbfleming@lindsay.igs.net or 705-439-2337 or R R 6, Woodville ON, K0M 2T0 CANADA