Date Range

1934-1978

Creator

John J. P. (Jack) Sexsmith

Physical Description

20 cm of textual records; 1 photograph

History Biographical

John James Parker (Jack) Sexsmith was an agricultural researcher at the Lethbridge Station and an avid philatelist. John James Parker Sexsmith was born in Strathroy, ON., July 19, 1914, but moved with his family to Edmonton in 1920. His father was a farmacist for Hundson Bay Company. After graduating from Garneau High, Jack Sexsmith enrolled in Agriculture at the University of Alberta. In 1937, he received his B.Sc. Agr. and in 1940 - M.Sc. in Genetics and Plant Breeding. In 1935-40, he worked as Plot Foreman and Research Assistant (Forage Crops) at the University of Alberta (seasonal). In April, 1941, Jack Sexsmith began his career with the Experimental Station in Lethbridge as Assistant in Field Husbandry. He worked on control of persistent perennial weeds, and for the first year also looked after off-station fertilizer tests on sugar beets. In 1943, he joined the Canadian Army, spending a year in various training camps and the remaining time on Grosse Isle ("The Rock") in the St. Lawrence River. During his service as Corporal with the Canadian Forces, Jack Sexsmith was involved in research on chemical weapons such as Anthrax. After his discharge in 1945 he returned to Lethbridge to continue his research on weed control. Jack Sexsmith's work focused on testing efficiency of weed control chemicals. That was the period when 2,4-D was introduced as the forerunner of a long line of selective herbicides. He was active in the Western Section of the Canada Weed Committee and the Alberta Advisory Weed Committee; he was a member of the Agricultural Institute of Canada and Alberta Institute of Agrologists. He also worked with historian Alex Johnstone on the history of agriculture in Southern Alberta. In 1947 he married Joyce Clark, who worked for Bill Hay at the Experimental Station. The couple had two sons Jim and George. In his spare time, John Sexsmith was a passinate philatelist. He was one of the founders of the Lethbridge Filatelic Society. His personal collection consisted of dozens of albums. He also enjoyed golf and plant collecting, which resulted in an extensive herbarium collection. John Sexsmith died in 1990. (The biographical sketch is based on Who's Who in the Agricultural Institute of Canada, the biography from the retirement brochure and information provided by his son James R. Sexsmith).

Custodial History

2013.1034/1 Biography, retirement certificates 1975 2013.1034/2 Personal library - photocopies of title pages (the books returned to the donor) 2013.1034/3 Lecture Notes - Botany 3 (Dr. Moss) 1935; Lab Reports - Field Crops 112 (Cytology) 1937-38 2013.1034/4 Correspondence, stamps, envelopes 1954-1968 2013.1034/5 Scholarly papers and articles by John J.P. Sexsmith 1936-1959 2013.1034/6 Scholarly papers and articles by John J.P. Sexsmith 1960-1973 2013.1034/7 Weed Control publications by John J.P. Sexsmith 1959-1973 2013.1034/8 Photograph of scientists: Lambert Erickson, Jesse Hodgson, Bob Higgins, Jack Sexsmith, Dayton Klingman, Devere Jovey. July 28, 1964. Preston, Idaho. 2013.1034/9 Studies Relating to Fertility in Alfalfa. Master Thesis by Joh James Parker Sexsmith, Department of Field Crops, University of Alberta, 1940. 2013.1034/10 Lecture Notes - Botany 53 University of Alberta 1936-37 2013.1034/11 Lecture Notes - Botany 54 University of Alberta 1935-36 2013.1034/12 Lecture Notes - Field Crops 50 University of Alberta 1934-35 2013.1034/13 Publications related to Alberta range pastures; Rangeland Survey of the Glacier Park Co. Ranch 1974-78

Accession No.

20131034

Collection

Archive

Less detail