Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum
Encyclopedia
Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum (b. 1901 — d. 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.
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.
Upon his death, MacOdrum was succeeded by acting president James Alexander Gibson
.
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
) in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Born in Nova Scotia, MacOdrum got his B.A. from Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
in 1923, his MA in 1925 from McGill
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and a PhD in English from the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. In 1935 he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in Sydney, N.S.
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
, where he ministered for four years.
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
Henry Marshall Tory
Henry Marshall Tory was the first president of the University of Alberta , the first president of the Khaki University, the first president of the National Research Council and the first president of Carleton College...
, 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.
Upon his death, MacOdrum was succeeded by acting president James Alexander Gibson
James Alexander Gibson
James Alexander Gibson was a Canadian academic, federal bureaucrat and private secretary to prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King....
.
Further reading
- 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.
External links
- Maxwell MacOdrum Library, Carleton University.