Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum

Summary

Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum (May 30, 1901 – August 1, 1955) was the second president of Carleton College (later Carleton University) in Ottawa, Ontario. Born in Nova Scotia, MacOdrum got his B.A. from Dalhousie University in 1923, his MA in 1925 from McGill and a PhD in English from the University of Edinburgh. In 1935 he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in Sydney, N.S., where he ministered for four years.[1][2]

Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum
Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum in October 1951
President of Carleton College
In office
1947–1955
Preceded byHenry Marshall Tory
Succeeded byJames Alexander Gibson
Personal details
Born(1901-05-30)May 30, 1901
Marion Bridge, Nova Scotia
DiedAugust 1, 1955(1955-08-01) (aged 54)
Cavendish, Prince Edward Island
Alma materDalhousie University, McGill University, University of Edinburgh

After a stint at the Dominion Coal and Steel Co. in Sydney, MacOdrum came to Ottawa in 1944 to sell war bonds. There he was recruited by Carleton College's founder and president, Henry Marshall Tory, to be his executive assistant and eventual successor. MacOdrum became president upon Tory's death in 1947.

MacOdrum successfully lobbied the Ontario government to give the young but as-yet-unrecognized college a charter and degree-granting powers, which it got in 1952. He also oversaw many of the land deals that would eventually lead to Carleton's move to a new Rideau River campus in 1958, though he died three years before that move actually took place. In his honour, the second building on the new campus was named the Maxwell MacOdrum Library. He died of a heart attack in 1955.[3][4]

Upon his death, MacOdrum was succeeded by acting president James Alexander Gibson.

Further reading edit

  • Blair Neatby and Don McEown, Creating Carleton: The Shaping of a University (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2002).
  • MacOdrum, Murdock Maxwell. Survivals of English and Scottish popular ballads in Nova Scotia : a study of folk song in Canada Montreal : McGill University, 1924. 139 leaves ; 28 cm.

References edit

  1. ^ . September 27, 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070927065314/http://www.esu.ca/esuott0509.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2007. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ "History". March 11, 2007. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007.
  3. ^ https://carleton.ca/records/wp-content/uploads/Carleton-College-BOG-Minutes-1955-08-0491S.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  4. ^ Canada, Institute of Public Administration of (May 3, 1951). "News Bulletin" – via Google Books.

External links edit

  • Maxwell MacOdrum Library, Carleton University.