Murdoch MacOdrum

March 30, 1901 (age 54)

Nova Scotia

After a stint at the Dominion Coal and Steel Company in Sydney, MacOdrum came to Ottawa in 1944 to sell war bonds. MacOdrum became president upon Tory"s death in 1947. MacOdrum successfully lobbied the Ontario government to give the young but as-yet-unrecognized college a charter and degree-granting powers, which it got in 1952. He also oversaw many of the land deals that would eventually lead to Carleton"s move to a new Rideau River campus in 1958, though he died three years before that move actually took place. In his honour, the second building on the new campus was named the Maxwell MacOdrum Library. He died of a heart attack in 1955. Upon his death, MacOdrum was succeeded by acting president James Alexander Gibson.

Murdoch MacOdrum Edit Profile

president

Education

Born in Nova Scotia, MacOdrum got his Bachelor of Arts from Dalhousie University in 1923, his Master of Arts in 1925 from McGill and a Doctor of Philosophy in English from the University of Edinburgh.

Career

After a stint at the Dominion Coal and Steel Company in Sydney, MacOdrum came to Ottawa in 1944 to sell war bonds. MacOdrum became president upon Tory"s death in 1947. MacOdrum successfully lobbied the Ontario government to give the young but as-yet-unrecognized college a charter and degree-granting powers, which it got in 1952.

He also oversaw many of the land deals that would eventually lead to Carleton"s move to a new Rideau River campus in 1958, though he died three years before that move actually took place.

In his honour, the second building on the new campus was named the Maxwell MacOdrum Library. He died of a heart attack in 1955.

Upon his death, MacOdrum was succeeded by acting president James Alexander Gibson.

Achievements

There he was recruited by Carleton College"s founder and president, Henry Marshall Tory, to be his executive assistant and eventual successor.

Main Photo