Frank Parker Day fonds

Frank Parker Day (1881-1950) was a celebrated Nova Scotia author and educationalist. Born May 9, 1881 to George Frederick and Keziah Day at Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, Day had a distinguished academic career which saw him earn degrees from both Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB (1903) and Oxford University (1907, 1909), where he had gone as a Rhodes Scholar in 1905. Upon completion of his first degree from Oxford and successful seasons on the rowing team, Day decided to spend the next two semesters at the University of Berlin where he worked as an assistant to Prof. Brandel and studied Beowulf. Returning to England in 1908, he taught at the University of Bristol, took classes at Oxford, and engaged (as he had during his undergraduate years) in athletics. This time he distinguished himself in academically by taking a Master of Arts degree and in boxing by winning the Oxford heavy weight championship and later the combined Oxford and Cambridge championship.

In 1909 Day returned to Canada to assume a professorship in the English Department at the University of New Brunswick. On January 1, 1910 he married the artist Mabel Killam of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia whose work has been exhibited at the Philadelphia Academy, Chicago Art Institute, and elsewhere. They moved to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in 1912 so he could take the position of Head of the English Department at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. Day and his wife remained in the the United States until the outbreak of World War I at which time they returned to Canada so Day could enlist in the Canadian Forces. He served first with the 85th Canadian Infantry Battalion and later helped recruit and commanded the 185th Cape Breton Highlanders. He was promoted to Lt.-Col. on the field at the battle of Amiens. During the war, he and his wife had their first and only child whom they named Donald Frank. As Day notes in an autobiographical sketch: "The war time babies of officers in our regiment were all named Donald because our regimental song was 'Donald from Bras d'Or'" (Box 3, Folder 5).

Day returned to the Carnegie Institute of Technology as Director of Academic Studies and Dean of Freshmen after the war and remained there until 1926. After his first novel was accepted for publication, he decided to leave but was persuaded by a former fellow Rhodes Scholar at Swarthmore College to take up a position in their English Department. He left in 1928 when he was appointed President of Union College. His term as president was brought to a premature halt when ill-health compelled him to resign in 1933. He spent his remaining years at Lake Annis and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

Throughout his life, Day had a passion for writing. He produced a plethora of poetry, plays, short stories, and novels. Many of these, in handwritten or typed format, are represented in this collection. He was also a much sought-after speaker and several of his addresses, particularly during his time as President of Union College, are found in his collection.