Fonds 409 - Thomas Albert Donnelly fonds

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Title proper

Thomas Albert Donnelly fonds

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  • Graphic material

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Fonds

Repository

Northwest Territories Archives

Reference code

409

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1969-1977 (Creation)
    Creator
    Donnelly, Thomas Albert

Physical description area

Physical description

597 photographs : col. slides

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Name of creator

Donnelly, Thomas Albert

Biographical history

Thomas Albert Donnelly was born May 21, 1921 in Red Deer, Alberta. He grew up on the family farm with his parents, Albert and Mary, and his four brothers - John, Don, Bob and David. He served as a Sgt. Pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War and met his wife, Ida Lucy (Pat) Tofflemire in London during the war.

After the war, Thomas and his wife moved to Teslin, Yukon where he worked as a meteorologist at the airport, which was a part of the Northwest Staging Route. Thomas and his wife Pat had two sons, Tim and Michael, and four daughters, Chris, Eileen, Margaret and Susan. Two of his daughters (Susan and Margaret) were born in Teslin in 1951 and 1953.

He moved to Alberta circa 1955, and lived in Calgary, Suffield and Edmonton. He worked as a meteorologist for the Department of Transport, and later became an Inspector, which required him to travel throughout the Yukon and Northwest Territories. He was an avid photographer, and loved the North. Thomas Donnelly died on October 5, 2005 at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta at the age of 84.

Custodial history

Scope and content

This fonds consists of 597 col. slides. Slides feature Thomas Donnelly's travels throughout the Northwest Territories as a meteorologist. The communities highlighted in these slides include Yellowknife, Fort Smith, Inuvik, Fort Franklin (Délı̨nę), Lac La Martre (Whatı̀), Fort Good Hope, Norman Wells, Colville Lake, Rae (Behchokǫ̀), Cambridge Bay, Coppermine (Kugluktuk), Holman (Ulukhaktok), Hay River, Artic Red River (Tsiigetchic), and Fort Reliance.

The content of the slides features Donnelly's travels throughout the north but heavily favours aerial views of the Mackenzie River and surrounding communities, weather stations, airports, air and float planes, churches and significant events such as the construction of the Dempster Highway and the visit of Governor General Michener to the community of Holman (Ulukhaktok).

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      No access restrictions.

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      Copyright transferred to NWT Archives by donor.

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