Item N-2001-016: CN-106A - Jack Williams

• Sound recording

1 audio cassette (50 min.)

This item consists of two parts. Both are in English. The original source item is side A of a 120 minute audio cassette. The first part is part of Pope John Paul II’s 1984 address after he was prevented from reaching Fort Simpson by poor weather. The Pope expresses his disappointment and shares the message he had planned to deliver there. This part of the recording fades into white noise after about 4 minutes. The second part of the recording is an interview of Jack Williams, likely recorded in mid-1984 in Yellowknife by an unidentified female interviewer (who is a daughter of Catherine Mitchell of Aklavik). Jack is currently a Petroleum Resources Development Officer with the Federal Government, but will soon be starting as the new Executive Director of the Dene-Metis Secretariat. He was previously employed by the Metis Association as a financial officer and Executive Director while on a break during his Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Calgary. Jack was born in Fort Smith and his family moved frequently throughout the territory for his father’s job as a wildlife officer. His mother is Chipewyan. Jack is married and has one son. His hobbies include hunting, trapping, and sports. He also has a small bookkeeping business, JR Enterprises, that he formed in 1978. Jack has future plans to return to school to earn a law degree or MBA, once the Secretariat job ends. The interview discusses why he has taken the Secretariat job, getting an education, job responsibilities, Secretariat communication difficulties, and the current status of land claims. The interviewer also shares some personal details about her life, including that she is from Aklavik, is the daughter of Catherine Mitchell, is married to John Latham, and is working for the Metis Association.