Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
- Textual record
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
4.5 cm of textual records (7 folders)
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Ralph Sedley Morton was born in 1908 in Bedford, Nova Scotia, to Dr. Angus McDonald and Bessie A. Morton. He was educated at Dalhousie University, where he received his BA (1929) and LLB (1931). Morton was a founding member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity chapter and served as class president, business manager of The Gazette and editor of the yearbook. He was also an active writer, actor and debater.
In 1930 Morton received a one-year scholarship to study journalism at the University of London. His subsequent journalism career took him to Boston, New York and Australia. He became a correspondent for both the Canadian Press and the Associated Press, founded and edited New England’s Canadian News, and established the Dartmouth Free Press, which he operated from 1954-1970s. As its associate editor, he played a pivotal role in the success of Kenneth Leslie’s Protestant Digest. He also authored a number of plays, including My Father was a Doctor, Reunion in Jakarta, and Sam Slick Rides Again, in addition to a book on the Nova Scotia Legislature.
Custodial history
Records were donated to the Archives by Morton in several accessions between 1976-1980.
Scope and content
Fonds consists of Phi Delta Theta records, including programs, budgets, reviews, newspaper clippings and materials related to the fraternity's fiftieth reunion in 1980. There is also Morton's history of the fraternity, miscellaneous correspondence (including some with Kenneth Leslie’s lawyer regarding the Committee on Un-American Activities) and a play written by Morton in the 1930s.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script note
English
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
There are no access restrictions on these materials. All materials are open for research.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Materials do not circulate and must be used in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room. Materials may be under copyright. Contact departmental staff for guidance on reproduction.
Finding aids
Associated materials
See also the Kenneth Leslie fonds (MS-2-232).
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
General note
Preferred citation: [Identification of item], Ralph S. Morton fonds, MS-2-249, Box [box number], Folder [folder number], Dalhousie University Archives, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Phi Delta Theta. (Subject)
Genre access points
Control area
Sources
This fonds description comes from the Dalhousie University Archives Catalog. The complete, original description is available there.