The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Office of the Secretary
PATRON: HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN
74 Stanley Avenue
Ottawa 2, Ontario
July 13th, 1966
Dr. Dwight Parkinson
418 Medical Arts Building,
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Dear Dwight,
I have received your letter of June 29th, in which you have enquired regarding the availability of a piece of wood from the Royal College headquarters building which might be used at least in part, in the making of a gavel for presentation to the Rocky Mountain Neurosurgery Society.
You will be receiving a box shortly which will contain some wood from the College building. There will be a few sections of “quarter round” oak and walnut stripping left over from the Board Room and the panelled areas in the main floor of the building (including the Secretary’s office). Also included is a piece of teakwood, the only spare part from the handrail of the ornamental iron stair-rail of the central stairway of the Royal College building. I believe that all of this could likely be utilized satisfactorily in the fabrication of the gavel.
If you are a little puzzled by the shape of the piece of teak-wood, I might tell you the story behind this. This rather excellent piece of wood, as I say, was an odd bit left over from the making of the handrail on the staircase, and rather than throw this out, Ted Giles took it home some five or six years ago. His young son decided to use it for whittling and hence the small model boat. Since his son is now an adult and working for the College, I don’t think there is any objection to donating it to your project.
With best regards,
Yours sincerely,
JAMES H. GRAHAM, B.R.C.P. (C)
Secretary