Memorable Manitobans: Gordon George Phillips (1927-1992)

Engineer, historian.

Born at Lauder on 31 January 1927, son of George Phillips, he attended Grand Bend School and Lauder School. After serving in the army near the end of the Second World War, he farmed for a year and worked as an electrician, carpenter, warehouse worker, truck driver, mechanic, and salesman. He taught at Coulter School for a year (1950-1951). In 1955, he enrolled in the University of Manitoba and received a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1959. He moved to Ottawa in 1959 where he worked as an examiner at the Canadian Patent Office. The following year, he transferred to the Research Branch of the Department of National Defense where he helped to design and build the Alouette communication satellites. He returned to the Patent Office in 1965. On 28 November 1952, he married Edythe Ramona Houck (1928-?) of Lauder and they had three children. Through the 1970s, he researched and wrote a series of books on the history of Lauder, entitled The Rise and Fall of a Prairie Town. He returned to Manitoba in 1990 and was active in the operation of the Hart-Cam Museum. He died in 1992 and was buried in the Lauder Cemetery.

Sources:

“Lauder pair are wed at home ceremony,” Winnipeg Free Press, 2 December 1952, page 12.

The Rise and Fall of a Prairie Town by Gordon G. Phillips, pages 246-247.

“Lauder letters lead to column content,” Brandon Sun, 6 November 2008, page 24.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 18 June 2022

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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