Michael A. Gemmell's Personal Home Page

Welcome to my web page!

Bio

I grew up in Nepean, a suburb of Canada's capital, Ottawa. It is a very similar city to my adult home of Stoney Creek, a suburb of Hamilton. Both Nepean and Stoney Creek are suburban centres with distinct independent municipal identities. Both have gradually been absorbed into a larger urban center, oft times kicking and screaming!

I earned a BA in Honours History (with a geography minor) at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. I did my graduate work at the University of Toronto , where I earned a Masters degree in History. I have since completed Certification in Museum Studies through the Ontario Museum Association.

Fresh out of university, I worked at Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario, where I satiated my thirst for military history, adding a brief stint at Statistics Canada in Ottawa, before moving to Stoney Creek, Ontario in 1998 to accept the position of curator at the Erland Lee Museum , 1897 birthplace of the Women's Institute organization. Now I can say I’ve worked at TWO National Historic Sites of Canada and had a taste of federal bureaucracy to boot!

I’m a strong believer in community identity, and work hard to make sure that Stoney Creek maintains its distinct identity in the face of the recent amalgamation into the City of Hamilton. By encouraging people, especially children, to work towards maximizing our community spirit, we can ensure that future generations will understand their neighbourhoods’ roots and maintain connections to our shared identity.

To that end, I’m a member of the Stoney Creek Optimist Club. I’m also involved with the Stoney Creek Historical Society and Stoney Creek Canada Flag Day. Lest anyone think I’m anti-Hamilton, let me dissuade you right now. I’m also an organizer for Doors Open Hamilton and Hamilton Heritage Day. Stoney Creek’s identity is tied to the past, present, and future of Hamilton. The trick is to make sure the latter doesn’t overshadow the former.

As curator of the museum, I have been the primary editor for a database of Stoney Creek history, a small portion of which can be found as a Virtual Museum of Canada website: “From Saltfleet to Stoney Creek” 1780-1970.

If anyone is looking for an Index for “Saltfleet Then and Now”, give me a shout. I indexed the book back in 2002-2003 and copies are available for sale ($7.50) at the Erland Lee Museum. Other writing credits include contributions to “The Hamiltonians: 100 Fascinating Lives” (2004), “Vanished Hamilton” (2005), and editing “Historic Sites of Stoney Creek (2006)”.

After living for a few years on Mountain Ave N. in Stoney Creek, my wife, Cheryl, and I recently purchased a home in East Hamilton; just, I might add, inside the old Saltfleet Township boundary line. So we’re still a part of the heritage of Stoney Creek!

My resume (updated June 1, 2006) is available for viewing.

Problems with the links on this site, or want to get hold of me? Remove the word “SPAM” from SPAMmgemmell@sympatico.ca and email me.

Playing pool at Boilers

(Nov 15, 2006)