Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

FROSST PHARMACEUTICALS

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1960

Materials

LEATHERETTE, VELVET, GLASS

No. Pieces

34

Height

4.8

Length

23.0

Width

13.5

Description

DARK BROWN LEATHERETTE CASE WITH DIMPLED SURFACE. THREE SIDES OF CASE HAVE BRASS ZIPPER; ZIPPER PULL IS MADE OF LEATHERETTE. REMAINING SIDE HAS "FROSST" IN GOLD IN AN OVAL. INSIDE OF CASE IS LINED WITH BLACK VELVET. CASE IS MOLDED INSIDE TO HOLD AMPOULES & VIALS. ONE SIDE HOLDS 19 SMALL, 1 MEDIUM, AND 1 LARGE AMPOULES - AMPOULES ARE CLEAR GLASS WITH YELLOW PRINT THAT READS "CHARLES & FROSST & CO. MONTREAL", ALONG WITH SIZE OF AMPOULE AND CONTENTS (AMPOULES ARE EMPTY). A FLAP COVERED IN VELVET COVERS THIS SIDE OF CASE AND IS HELD BY TWO LEATHERETTE STRIPS WITH BRASS BUTTONS. OPPOSITE SIDE OF CASE IS MOLDED TO HOLD 12 VIALS. VIALS ARE YELLOW GLASS, WITH YELLOW PAPER LABELS WITH BROWN PRINT, AND HAVE CORKS HELD ON WITH RED ADHESIVE TAPE. LABELS ON VIALS ALSO READ "CHARLES & FROSST & CO. MONTREAL", ALONG WITH CONTENTS AND AMOUNT (ALL VIALS EMPTY). THERE ARE TWO LEATHERETTE LOOPS ABOVE ROW OF VIALS ON THIS SIDE OF CASE. VELVET IS WORN THIN IN SOME AREAS.

Subjects

MERCHANDISING T&E

Historical Association

RETAIL TRADE

HEALTH SERVICES

History

CAME FROM THE BELONGINGS OF DONOR'S FATHER EVERETT STEWART. BORN IN 1912 TO WILLIAM AND SARAH JANE (CUTT) STEWART IN INDIAN HEAD, SASKATCHEWAN. HIS FAMILY FARMED UNTIL THE 1930S, WHEN THE DROUGHT HIT AND HARD TIMES FORCED THEM TO MOVE. EVERETT STAYED AND ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN AT SASKATOON WHERE HE GRADUATED WITH A DEGREE IN PHARMACY IN 1937. HE THEN WORKED IN PHARMACIES IN INDIAN HEAD AND REGINA. ON JUNE 15, 1939, EVERETT MARRIED MARJORIE BAILEY. HE THEN SIGNED UP WITH THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES AS AN ARTILLERY OFFICER IN WWII. THEIR DAUGHTER MARGARET JEAN (DONOR) WAS BORN ON MAY 31, 1943. AFTER THE WAR, WITH FUNDING GIVEN TO VETERANS, EVERETT OPENED HIS OWN DRUG STORE IN SUTHERLAND, SASKATCHEWAN. HIS WAS THE FIRST DRUG STORE IN SUTHERLAND AND HE STRUGGLED WITH MAKING IT A VIABLE BUSINESS. THEN IN 1949 HE SOLD THE BUSINESS AND TOOK A SALES POSITION WITH CHARLES E. FROSST & COMPANY WHICH WAS THE LAST WHOLLY OWNED CANADIAN DRUG FIRM. HE AND HIS FAMILY WERE MOVED TO BRANDON, MANITOBA (1949 TO 1955). THE FIRM THEN TRANSFERRED EVERETT TO LETHBRIDGE, WHERE HE REMAINED. AFTER HIS WIFE MARJORIE DIED (1905-1967) HE KEPT BUSY WITH HIS VAST COIN COLLECTION THAT WAS HIS PASSION. HE ATTENDED MANY COIN SHOWS THROUGHOUT CANADA AND THE U.S. AND BOUGHT, TRADED, AND SOLD MOSTLY CANADIAN COINS. THEN ON JULY 22, 1974, HE MARRIED IRENE EVANS (1906-2002) FROM BILLINGS MONTANA. IN 1976 FROSST & CO. RETIRED EVERETT. AFTER THAT THEY SPENT 6 MONTHS A YEAR IN LETHBRIDGE AND 6 MONTHS IN MESA, ARIZONA. EVERETT WAS A LONG TIME MEMBER AND PAST PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATED CANADIAN TRAVELERS IN BRANDON, MANITOBA AND LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA; A FOUNDING MEMBER AND THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE LION'S CLUB IN SUTHERLAND, SASKATCHEWAN; A MEMBER OF THE MASONIC LODGE AND THE LETHBRIDGE AL AZHAR SHRINE CLUB. BESIDES HIS EVER-GROWING COIN COLLECTION, HE RESTORED A 1926 MODEL A FORD. EVERETT PASSED AWAY IN HIS HOME FROM CANCER IN 1993. *UPDATE* IN 2018, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PERSONAL ARTIFACTS INCLUDING SOME DONATIONS MADE BY JEAN JOHNSTONE (NEE POTTS). AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ORIGINAL DONOR JEAN JOHNSTONE WAS CONDUCTED. WHEN ASKED IF SHE REMEMBERED THE ARTIFACT SHE STATED, “SO [MY FATHER] WAS A PHARMACIST AND WE MOVED TO SUTHERLAND AND HE OPENED THE FIRST DRUGSTORE IN SUTHERLAND, SASKATCHEWAN WHICH IS PART OF SASKATOON NOW. IT WASN’T THEN IT WAS SORT OF LIKE GOING FROM COALDALE TO LETHBRIDGE, IT WAS THAT SORT OF DISTANCE AND - BUT PEOPLE IT WAS VERY HARD TIMES AND PEOPLE WERE USED TO GOING INTO SASKATOON FOR THEIR THINGS AND HE STRUGGLED IN HIS DRUGSTORE. AND SO IN 1949 HE SOLD IT, AND WE MOVED, HE WENT WITH A DRUG FIRM CALLED FROST AND COMPANY THAT NO LONGER EXISTS AND IT WAS BOUGHT OUT BY MERCK… WHICH IS A PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY IN THE STATES. ANYWAY HE TOOK A JOB WITH THEM AND WE MOVED TO BRANDON, MANITOBA. WE WERE THERE ABOUT SIX YEARS AND THEN WE MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE…” “…HE THOUGHT ABOUT BECOMING A PHARMACIST HERE IN ALBERTA BUT YOU HAD TO GET A SPECIAL LICENSE AND HE WAS GRANDFATHERED IN AND HE DECIDED NOT TO DO IT. HE WAS STILL WITH FROST AND HE KIND OF LIKED HIS JOB SO HE DIDN’T GET HIS LICENSE FOR ALBERTA…BUT HE KNEW PHARMACY INSIDE AND OUT SO HE WAS REALLY GOOD WITH THE DOCTORS AND WITH THE - I BELIEVE, WITH THE DRUGGISTS BECAUSE HE COULD GO INTO THEIR SHELVES AND SAY “WELL YOU NEED SUCH AND SUCH, I’LL ORDER THAT FOR YOU” AND HE WOULD KEEP THEM STOCKED SO HE YOU KNOW WOULD ORDER WHATEVER THEY NEEDED AND THEY TRUSTED HIM… AND HE KNEW THE OWNERS [OF FROST] AND THEY WERE FROM MONTREAL AND IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT SORT OF A FAMILY TO HIM. HE KNEW ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WORKED THERE AND I HAVE PICTURES OF HIM.” “…BECAUSE HE WORKED FOR FROST AND HE WAS ON THE ROAD HE’D SOMETIMES BE GONE TWO WEEKS AT A TIME. WHEN WE MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE HE WAS GONE THREE WEEKS AT A TIME INTO BC… [HIS TERRITORY] WAS TOO BIG HE GOT SICK. IN 1955 HE GOT PNEUMONIA PLEURISY WHILE HE WAS WORKING IN TRAIL, BC AND HE WAS THERE FOR SIX WEEKS AND MY MOTHER DIDN’T DRIVE SO WE NEVER SAW HIM AT ALL UNTIL HE GOT HOME AND HE WAS SORT OF A REDUCED SIZE. BUT HE NEARLY DIED BECAUSE IT WAS FAR TOO MUCH WORK AND SO THEN THEY CUT HIS SIZE OF HIS TERRITORY AFTER THAT - BUT HE WAS STILL GONE FOR TWO WEEKS SOMETIMES. SO I DIDN’T REALLY GET TO SEE HIM ALL THAT MUCH.” “…WHEN HE RETIRED HE WAS ABOUT SIXTY-TWO I THINK AND MERCK, THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY MERCK, HAD TAKEN OVER AND SO THEY HAD A MERCK REPRESENTATIVE AND A FROST REPRESENTATIVE AND THE MERCK GUY WAS MUCH MUCH YOUNGER SO THEY RETIRED MY DAD. …IT WAS REALLY HIS WHOLE LIFE AND HE WAS VERY UPSET WHEN HE WAS RETIRED OUT BECAUSE OF THE YOUNG GUY WHO WAS THE MERCK FELLOW. HE WASN’T REALLY READY TO RETIRE AND HE HAD THIS NEW WIFE AND OH MY WORD YOU KNOW. IT WAS RATHER I THINK A DIFFICULT TIME FOR HIM BUT MEN WHO ARE OF THAT ERA - MY FATHER WAS BORN IN 1912 - HE WAS VERY STOIC AS FAR AS PERSONAL THINGS WERE CONCERNED SO HE DIDN’T TELL ME A GREAT DEAL.” THE INTERVIEW AND A FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW CAN BE FOUND IN PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20000011025

Acquisition Date

2004-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail