McCaffrey Seminar Series
The Bruce McCaffrey Memorial Graduate Seminar Series
The History Department enjoys a vibrant graduate student culture, which has been energized by various students over the years. One important graduate activity is the graduate seminar series, which is organized by, and for, graduate students as a venue for their research and intellectual exchange. In 2002, the graduate students renamed their series in memory of M.A. student Bruce McCaffrey (1938-2002), whose love and enthusiasm for history reverberated throughout the department at Western.
Bruce McCaffrey left politics in 1987 and shortly thereafter relocated to London where he completed his honours upgrade and M.A. degree in History at Western. McCaffrey enjoyed studying the mid-19th century Canadian political era, with a special interest in Sir Francis Hincks (1807-1885). As a member of the history community, McCaffrey was friendly to all, with no pretensions and a great sense of humour. Fellow graduate students loved to hear his many (and sometimes bawdy) stories about the culture of politics.
Bruce McCaffrey died in August 2002 of lung cancer just days after completing his major M.A. research paper and graduated posthumously in October 2002. In memory of his spirit and enthusiasm for history, the seminar series continues to support historical research and graduate interchange.
2023 - 2024 Schedule
October 26 - Embodying Telecommunication Networks: The Work of Telegraph Operators - Michael Feagan
November 16 - The impact of wartime film propaganda on Canada's fledgling film industry - Wesley Bengtson
January 25 - "Broken windows don't mean broken hearts": community newsletters during the London Blitz - Kristen Jeanveau
February 15 - "It is indeed a bedlam": Sound, Sensation and Shellfire in the Canadian Artillery, 1914-1918 - Hazel Scott Pankratz
March 21 - 'In accordance with basic training syllabus for conscientious objectors': The CO Experience in the CAMC, 1943-1945 - Rose Giles
April 4 - On Empire and the 'Pioneer Spirt': Colonizer Discourses in Canada and the United States, 1933-1946 - Mabel Gardner
All workshops will be held on Thursdays at 12:30pm in LWH2270C.
Contact historyrsvp@uwo.ca for more information.
