Collection C039 - Velma Weeks Barker collection

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Velma Weeks Barker collection

General material designation

  • Graphic material
  • Textual record

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  • Source of title proper: Title based on the content of the collection

Level of description

Collection

Reference code

C039

Edition area

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Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • [194-]-[199-] (Creation)
    Creator
    Weeks Barker, Velma

Physical description area

Physical description

1 cm of textual records
35 photographs

Publisher's series area

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1925-2016)

Biographical history

Velma Weeks Barker, born Velma Carmen Weeks, was born in Montreal in 1925. She graduated from Westmount High School and later studied at the Canadian Kindergarten Institute, graduating in 1945. In 1949 she graduated from Dr. Eliot's Nursery Training School of Boston, later known as the Eliot Pearson Department of Child Study of Tufts University. When she returned to Montreal she established a preschool program at the YMCA in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

Weeks Barker was Vice-President and Quebec representative to the Canadian Association for Young Children for several years and was a founder and lifetime member of the Nursery School Teachers of Greater Montreal. She is a highly regarded childhood educator and throughout her life, was a leader in the field of Early Childhood Education. In 1983, she received the Bothwell-Smith Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Education. In 1992, she received the Elks of Canada Academic Achievement Award. In 1993, she received an honorary doctorate from Concordia University for her contributions to the field (Doctor of Laws, honoris causa).

Weeks Barker attended the Negro Community Centre in Little Burgundy and Union United Church, where she married her husband Darnley Cecil Barker, with whom she had a son named Spencer. Velma Weeks Barker died in 2016.

Sources:
Clippings. Velma Weeks Barker collection. C039-001, folder 19. Concordia University Special Collections, Montreal, Canada

Jacobs, Ellen. (1993). Honorary degree citation – Velma Weeks Barker. Concordia University. https://www.concordia.ca/offices/archives/honorary-degree-recipients/1993/06/velma-weeks-barker.html

Custodial history

After Velma Weeks Barker’s death in 2016, documents were preserved by Elaine Minsky, friend and executor of the estate of Velma Weeks Barker. Minsky donated the material to Concordia University Library’s Special Collection on July 13, 2023.

Scope and content

The Velma Weeks Barker collection contains materials related to the life and contributions of Velma Weeks Barker.

This collection contains photographs and textual records. The personal photographs that comprise the collection show Weeks Barker and her family and include photographs taken in Little Burgundy and inside community spaces, including Union United Church. Many of the images were also taken in family spaces. The textual records include newspaper clippings referring to activities occurring at the Negro Community Centre and the Negro Theater Guild. This collection also contains materials related to her husband, Darnley Cecil Barker, including information about his participation in the Canadian Army and his immigration from Barbados to Canada to serve.

The Velma Weeks Barker collection includes the following items:

  • 35 photographs
  • 1 honorary degree certificate (Concordia University)
  • 1 marriage certificate (Union United Church)
  • 6 newspaper clippings
  • 1 letter

It also includes the following material, which belonged to her husband Darnley Cecil Barker:

  • 1 army discharge certificate
  • 3 soldier's pay book
  • 1 certificate of Canadian citizenship
  • 1 tradesman qualifications certificate
  • 1 discharge certificate from the Canadian Army

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Materials were donated on July 13, 2023, to Concordia University Library by Elaine Minsky, executor of the estate of Velma Weeks Barker, and arrived at the Library on deposit on May 23, 2023.

Arrangement

Material has been arranged in the order of receipt.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

    Location of originals

    Availability of other formats

    Restrictions on access

    No restrictions.

    Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

    Use of material in publications cannot be done without permission of the copyright holder(s). Reproduction for research or private study may be permitted.

    Finding aids

    Finding-aid and box listing are available

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    Related materials

    Accruals

    No further accruals are expected.

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    Standard number

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    Status

    Final

    Level of detail

    Full

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      Script of description

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        Accession area