The Alpha Delta Club was conceived by a group of student wives in Wolfville. The 1946 Axe yearbook stated that the club “has been organized to enable the wives of students to become better acquainted, and to benefit one another with exchange of ideas and plans useful to young housewives.”
Mrs. F.W. Patterson, wife of the then-President of Acadia University, invited the club to hold their first meeting at her home in October 1945. It was decided during the second meeting in November to adopt the name “Alpha Delta” over the previously proposed “Acadia Dames.” The group elected presidents and officers annually, sometimes twice annually corresponding with the school terms. Mrs. Gordon (president), Mrs. Maitland (vice-president) and Mrs. Macintosh (secretary) were nominated as the first Executive. A number of prominent women were made honorary members, including Mrs. F.W. Patterson, and Mrs. C.P. Wright.
In addition to regular meetings, the group planned husband-wife banquets and dances, as well as an activity day for their children, held on Acadia’s campus. They have also regularly hosted speakers from Acadia’s Home Economics Department and others on a variety of domestic topics.
Outside of social events, the group took on many small causes, and one major project per school year. Nearly all of these have focused on carrying out work for the I.O.D.E. and Children’s Aid Society of Kings County.

The Acadia University Amateur Radio Club existed during the 1978-1979 academic year, before unofficially disbanding in September 1979 due to the graduation of its president. The station call number was VE1 RAU, and it was headquartered in Crowell Tower. This group is not the same as Radio Acadia. This group does not appear in the 1979 Axe Yearbook.

The Associated Alumni of Acadia University was formed in 1859 and incorporated on 12 May 1860. Alumni were considered those who were students of Acadia College (later Acadia University) located in Wolfville, N.S. The Constitution of 1967 states that the object of the Associated Alumni is "to bring about the unity of graduates and former students of Acadia University and to afford them the opportunity to promote the best interests of the University". The Alumni pay dues and contribute gifts to funds set up for the "promotion of Education".

In 1908 the Associated Alumni published Records of Acadia Graduates. In 1912 the Acadia Bulletin was founded. That same year women were admitted to the Alumni Executive for the first time.

The Associated Alumni sponsored many events at Acadia University. In 1913 class reunions were begun and in 1933 Founders Day was observed for the first time. These have continued as annual events.

The Acadia University Athenaeum Society was established in 1860 by a group of students. The founding Chair was Charles E. Harris. At the second meeting of the Society, the following officers were elected: Maynard Parker Freeman (President), Joseph Freeman Kempton (Vice President), Samuel Bradford Kempton (Critic), John. E. P. Hopper (Corresponding Secretary), James Melbourne Parker (Recording Secretary), H. Harding Bligh (Treasurer). As stated in various early copies of the Constitution, “[t]he object of this Society shall be the improvement of its members in public speaking, in social advancement, and in general literature”. By 1895, the Society had added debating to their objective, and was thereafter alternatively known as the Athenaeum Debating Society. The 1935 Calendar states that the Athenaeum Society sponsored all inter-class, intercollegiate and other debates.

In 1874 the Athenaeum Society issued the first issue of the student publication, the Acadia Athenaeum.

The Athenaeum was predeceased by the Lyceum Society which was established in 1858 and dissolved in 1860.

Acadia University’s Department of Geology is first listed as a distinct discipline in the 1892/1893 Calendar, although courses were likely taught before that date under the subject of natural sciences. Geology continues to be taught at Acadia.

In November 1890, a new gymnasium was completed at Acadia College, and the College decided to hire a Director of the Gymnasium to maintain the facility. The first Director of the Gymnasium was H. Y. Corey who was hired in December 1890. As was Corey, many of the succeeding Directors of the Gymnasium were students at Acadia.

The introduction of a required gymnasium course in 1910 necessitated the hiring of a qualified instructor. The title of the position was changed to 'Director of Physical Training‘ to better reflect the added teaching duty of the position. Wallace Welton Clark was hired in 1910 as the first Director of Physical Training. (See Appendix for a list of the Directors of Physical Training).

Between 1911 and 1914 all freshmen were required to take the Physical Training course in order to fulfill the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts program. The course was dropped from the schedule during World War One but returned in 1921 as a requirement for freshmen and sophomores in both the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs.

In the early 1920s, Acadia University created the Department of Physical Education and in 1923 hired William UTerryU Osborne as its first Director. The new department was located within the Faculty of Arts, with a mandate to teach Physical Education to the students and to manage interclass and intercollegiate competitions. The departmental teaching staff was also involved in sports at the high school level, with the goal of teaching sport ethics at an early age.

By the late 1930s, the freshmen and sophomore Physical Education courses were structured in several sections: Activities, Theory, Hygienic Exercises, and Swimming/Diving. Under the category of Activities, students were taught soccer, field hockey, gymnastics, and the girls learned dancing. A swimming course was compulsory for all students. Students going into Education were required to take the Teacher Training Course in addition, and their examination was given by a member of the NS Department of Education. Their grade was determined by the examination result as well as by the recommendation of the Acadia instructor.

Aside from instruction, the Department promoted an active program of competition in many sports, including basketball, hockey, track, tennis, rugby, gymnastics, swimming, football, soccer, and volleyball. Students could opt out of the Physical Training course by joining a team in any sport that competed with other schools. However, once the sport‘s season was over or the student was dropped from the team, he/she had to report back to the class and credit was given for the work done with the team in partial fulfillment of the required work of the course.

During World War Two, Military Training became a compulsory course within the Department. The training and attendance at lectures took so much time that it was found impossible to require Physical Education on the same basis for men of the Freshmen and Sophomore years. However, there were still limited inter-collegiate, inter-class and inter-platoon competitions.

Between the 1949/50 and 1955/56 school years, it was compulsory for freshmen in the Bachelor of Arts program to take Physical Education. This requirement was then dropped until
1965/66 when it again became compulsory and remained so until 1970/71.

Around 1965 the department recognized the interest in competition by the non-varsity students. An Intramural program was designed and remains in place today.

Fred Gerard Kelly had joined the department in 1927 and succeeded Osborne as Director of Physical Education and Athletics in 1940. Kelly remained in this position until his retirement in 1967. William Busching was hired as coach of football and volleyball in 1965 and replaced Kelly upon his retirement. Gilbert Chapman was hired in 1967 as assistant professor and head coach of basketball and soccer. When Busching retired in 1968, Chapman became Head of the Department of Physical Education and Director of Athletics.

The Department of Physical Education changed its name to the Department of Physical Education and Recreation in September 1969. In the 1969/70 school year the Department began to offer a Bachelor of Science in Recreation and Physical Education. This Recreation and Physical Education program at Acadia was one of the first of its kind in the Atlantic Provinces.

The school once again changed its name on 1 June 1974 and became known as the School of Recreation and Physical Education. In 1984 or 1985 the Department split and a separate Department of Athletics controlled intercollegiate competitions, leaving the Department of Physical Education solely in charge of instruction. In 1997, as a result of changing objectives, it became the School of Recreation Management and Kinesiology, which it remains.

The operations of the Department of Physical Education and the Acadia Amateur Athletic Association (AAAA) were closely related so it is undetermined the difference. The AAAA had a Faculty Athletic Committee within the AAAA organization and Osborne served on the committee at one point. AAAA was designed to encourage and develop athletics among the
students and the physical development of its members.

The Acadian Factory was a general wood working business located at Sainte-Anne-du-Ruisseau, Nova Scotia. It specialized in the fabrication of sashes, doors and windows, but also did minor carpentry work. The factory was established by Sylvain Pothier, who also worked as a shoemaker in the area. Locally, the factory was known as "La shop à Sylvain à Michel."

The Nova Scotia Coach Lines bus company was established 1 August 1938 as a division of United Service Corporation of Halifax, N.S. George C. Thompson was appointed general manager. The company's name was soon changed to Acadian Coach Lines and in 1947, it became known as Acadian Lines. On 28 December 1955, Acadian Lines became a wholly-owned company when it was purchased from United Service Corporation by George C. Thompson, (who served as president until 1985), Ralph A. Pepper, and Gordon H. Thompson. The company subsequently purchased the bus operations of Fleetlines Limited of Halifax and Highland Lines of Sydney. Acadian Lines operated regular passenger and parcel express services between communities throughout the province. The company also served as local agent for Gray Line Sight-Seeing Association. Acadian Lines was Nova Scotian-owned until December 1995, when it was acquired by SMT (Eastern) Ltd. of New Brunswick.

Acadian Supply Company was a ship chandler and merchandiser located in Lunenburg, incorporated on January 12, 1920 and operated till 1966. They sold coal, lumber, cement, building and fishing supplies, locks and keys and groceries. On October 28, 1966 Acadian Supply Co. was sold to A.B.C.O. Ltd. of Lunenburg, who kept the name until they closed, the original Acadian Supplies Co. operated under the name Acadian Holdings Limited until 1967 as they finished closing their accounts. R.S. Corkum was managing director until his death in November of 1929. He was replaced by Henry C. Winters on February 28th, 1930. Winters resigned in April of 1940 and replaced by J. Bertram Morash. Other directors over the years included Captain Leo P. Corkum, Captain Will Spindler, Hugh R. Anderson and B.S. Richard.

Acadian Vessel Company was a subsidiary of Acadian Supply Company, it was incorporated on May 5, 1930 and operated till 1964. They owned, bought, sold, and operated ships and vessels. In 1930 they owned the following vessels, Nina M. Conrad, Maria A. Spindler, Grace Buchner, Marshal Frank, Robert Esdale, Elizabeth Warde, Annie B. Gerhardt, M + L Coaster, Jean M. Madelin, Isabel F. Spindler, Leah Beryl and Howard Donald.

Both businesses were subsidiary companies under Adams and Knickle Ltd. (MS-4-27)