Queen’s University Archives

CA QUA01788
Person
1877-1956

Isabel Skelton, an author based in Kingston, Ontario, was born Isabel Murphy in 1877 in Antrim, Ontario. She entered Queen's University in 1897, where she studied History and English. In 1901, she received a Master of Arts degree from Queen's University. She also won the University Medal in History. After her marriage to Oscar Douglas Skelton in 1904, the couple was closely associated with Queen's, where he was Dean of Arts. In 1925, the Skeltons moved to Ottawa, where he worked with the Department of External Affairs until his death in 1941. After her husband's death, Mrs. Skelton moved to Montreal, where she spent the rest of her life. Mrs. Skelton was the author of The Backswoodswoman; The Chronicle of Pioneer Home Life in Upper and Lower Canada (1924); The Life of Thomas D'Arcy McGee (1925) and William Bell: A Man Austere, Parson and Pioneer (1947). She died in 1956.

Skelton, Douglas Alexander

CA QUA01050
Person
1907-1950

Alex Skelton (1907-1950), Assistant Deputy Minister of Trade and Commerce in Canada, was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Kingston when his father, O.D. Skelton, was Dean of the Faculty of Arts. After obtaining his B.A. degree with honours from Queen's (1927), he attended University College, Oxford, for two years and gained his B.A. in philosophy, politics and economics. When he returned to Canada, he received an appointment as acting professor of political science at the University of Saskatchewan, and in 1931, became economist of the Beauharnois Power Corporation, Montreal. He joined the Bank of Canada in 1935 as chief of the research department, and was made research adviser in 1944. In this capacity, he prepared reports on the financial position of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, and served as secretary of the Rowell-Sirois Commission from 1937-1940. While in Lagos, Nigeria at the request of the British government and through his membership on the Royal Commission, he was drowned in a yachting accident.

Skeleton Park Music Festival

CA QUA02636
Corporate body
n.d.

The Skeleton Park Music Festival is a non-profit music festival, held in Kingston, Ontario. The Festival provides venues for showcasing local musicians, in addition to family activities, artisans, and education on the history of Skeleton Park, (McBurney Park), Kingston.
With an emphasis on music, this event is an opportunity for the Kingston community to become better acquainted with their leading performing artists. Through this interaction, the festival hopes to help create a more supportive environment for the performing arts in the city at large.

Skeith, Elizabeth