Área de título y declaración de responsabilidad
Título apropiado
William (Bill) Walker Hamilton Gunn fonds
Tipo general de material
- Documento textual
- Registro sonoro
Título paralelo
Otra información de título
Título declaración de responsabilidad
Título notas
Nivel de descripción
Fondo
Institución archivística
Área de edición
Declaración de edición
Declaración de responsabilidad de edición
Área de detalles específicos de la clase de material
Mención de la escala (cartográfica)
Mención de proyección (cartográfica)
Mención de coordenadas (cartográfica)
Mención de la escala (arquitectónica)
Jurisdicción de emisión y denominación (filatélico)
Área de fechas de creación
Fecha(s)
-
1856-1984 (Creación)
- Creador
- Gunn, William Walker Hamilton
Área de descripción física
Descripción física
1.2 m of textual records, ca. 1000 photographs, 381 audio reels, 19 film reels, 18 audio discs, 2 videocassettes
Área de series editoriales
Título apropiado de las series del editor
Títulos paralelos de serie editorial
Otra información de título de las series editoriales
Declaración de responsabilidad relativa a las series editoriales
Numeración dentro de la serie editorial
Nota en las series editoriales
Área de descripción del archivo
Nombre del productor
Historia biográfica
William (Bill) Walker Hamilton Gunn was born in Toronto in 1913. Bill graduated with a degree in Business Administration from the University of Toronto in 1934. He worked in accounting and public relations until 1941 when he enlisted in the Army (Ordnance Corps). In 1945 He participated in Operation Muskox, an Arctic research operation, where he represented the Canadian Wildlife Service. Gunn was discharged with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1946.
Returning to school, Gunn completed his Ph.D. in 1951. His research examined the relationship between bird migration and weather patterns. His application of radar data to understanding migratory patterns contributed to migratory bird forecasting still used at airports today. It was during this period that Gunn started to record bird songs. When he joined the then-fledgling Federation of Ontario Naturalists (F.O.N.) as its first executive director (1952-1955) he produced an LP recording of bird songs consisting predominantly of common woodland and garden birds. Based on the great success of the project he went on to record more volumes for the organization. His second record was "A Day in Algonquin Park”, followed by Birds of the Forest, Warblers, Flores Morades, Finches, Prairie Spring, Thrushes, Wrens and Mockingbirds of British North America, and Birds of the African Rain Forests.
His expertise in pioneering bird recording led to his appointment in 1963 as a consultant and recordist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). He regularly worked recording and producing sound for "The Nature of Things". For this series he recorded in Canada, the Galapagos, Sri Lanka, East Africa and Madagascar. He also worked for Untamed World on CTV as well as various other television productions.
Bill Gunn was one of the founders of LGL Limited. He was the firm’s first president from 1970 to 1980 and a chairman from 1980 to 1984. LGL was one of the earliest ecological firms in Canada and still provides biological and environmental research and consulting services to the public and private sectors.
William Walker Hamilton Gunn died of cancer on the 15th of October, 1984, at the age of 71.
Historial de custodia
This material came to the archives with the assistance of Dr. Laura Cameron and Dr. Matt Rogalsky. Their research relationship with Lucie Gunn facilitated the transfer. Some material (SR1235) was deposited by a neighbour who had taken the material out of the house for fear of its condition.
Alcance y contenido
The fonds is comprised predominantly of audio recordings, with a small amount of textual material. The recordings has been grouped along project lines linked mostly by the geography of the recording.