| | LEVEL OF DESCRIPTION: | Fonds | | No.: | PR0245 | | TITLE: | Fred Freeman Parkinson fonds | | CREATOR: | Fred Freeman Parkinson | | DATE RANGE: | 1897-1978, predominant 1907-1978 | | EXTENT: | 0.15 m of textual records and other material
Also includes ca. 350 photographs, 95 transparencies, 25 negatives, 6 postcards and 2 blueprints. | | ADMINISTRATIVE | | HISTORY/BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | Fred Freeman Parkinson was born July 16, 1892 in Manitoba. Parkinson attended the Manitoba Agricultural College and graduated around 1915 or 1916. In 1917 he married Harriette Trenholm Evans and together they moved to Edgerton, Alberta where they ranched until 1929. Between 1929 and 1949, Parkinson worked as an instructor of Agricultural Engineering at the Olds School of Agriculture. During his time at the school Parkinson not only taught his students the skills needed to operate mechanized farms, but also designed a number of farm implements. Parkinson and his colleague Howard J. Armstrong are credited with creating the stook sweep designed to assist harvesting operations during the Second World War. In 1949, Parkinson was transferred to the Field Crops Division of the Department of Agriculture located in Edmonton. During his time with the Department Parkinson assisted the setting up of co-operative seed cleaning plants in Alberta and was involved with the creation of community pastures. Parkinson retired from the Department of Agriculture in 1957. Outside of his work Parkinson assisted farmers by providing them with information and advice through the Extension Division between 1934 and 1949. He also worked with Boys’ and Girls’ farm clubs from 1934 until 1938 and was the Farm Manager of the Olds Demonstration Farm from 1933 until 1944. Among his colleagues and co-workers, Parkinson was commonly known as Fred. To his family, however, he was known as Freeman. Parkinson died December 17, 1979. | | SCOPE AND CONTENT: | Fonds consists of records reflecting Parkinson’s interest and involvement with the agricultural community in Alberta including photographs, negatives, postcards, correspondence, newspaper clippings, blueprints for the stook sweep and reports. | | ASSOCIATED MATERIAL: | Other records pertaining to Fred Parkinson are located at the Glenbow Archives in Calgary, Alberta. | | RELATED FONDS: | PR0245 (Fred Freeman Parkinson fonds)
| | RELATED ITEMS: | A11735 (Girls' Farm Mechanics Class, Olds School of Agriculture.)
A1961 ("Canada Wheatlands" at Suffield, Alberta)
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