Paul Armstrong
Board Chair
paul.armstrong@kithobservatory.ca
paul.armstrong@kithobservatory.ca
Trained as an historical sociologist, Paul has held posts in economic development in municipalities in both Nova Scotia and Ontario. He was one of the organizers of the Irish Halifax SSHRC project and did research there on the early Mechanics' Library in Halifax (1831-1864). He recently presented a lecture on the Church Maps to the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society.
He did his doctorate at Dalhousie University with work on the intellectual genealogy of the Antigonish Movement. His present research is focussed on the philosophy of genealogy and historiography. He has considerable experience with non-profits at both the Board and staff level, and currently serves as Office Administrator of the Genealogical Association of N.S.
Jan Fralic-Brown is a retired university library Circulation Supervisor. For 31 years she worked at the NSCAD University library, first managing Interlibrary Loans and then the Circulation area. She developed many wonderful relationships with students and co-workers over the years, and always felt that this was where she was meant to be.
Timothy Gay, now retired,
played key roles in Sales Management positions for more than twenty years with Bell and Telus, developing and managing the Atlantic dealer networks for both organizations. He has an intimate knowledge of product packaging, co-marketing, and sales strategies. Tim later obtained a certificate in genealogy from Boston University and provides research support at the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia (GANS). Born in Halifax, he can claim at least 5 generations of ancestors in Nova Scotia representing some of the earliest immigration periods in the Province.
Pat grew up in Hants County and is the proud descendant of four 84th Regiment of Foot soldiers who settled in Hants County following the Revolutionary War, plus an Ulster-Scot family arriving in Hants County circa 1764. Her current interests focus on her family and encouraging them in their aspirations, researching her paternal genealogy, and learning more about the history of the community she grew up in.
Gary Wright is a land surveyor and worked for many years with Dexter Construction. He has a deep knowledge of GIS systems and map construction.
Ms. Wile worked until her recent retirement with Financial Services at Dalhousie University where she provided systems support. She has had a lifelong interest in genealogy, and is one of the province's specialists in that area. Pamela has been a volunteer at the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) since 2007 and is a former President of the Society.
KITH is working with heritage groups in Antigonish, Hants and Halifax counties to preserve and digitize the A. F. Church maps and match the map information with existing genealogical records. The goal is to improve our understanding of the history and social relations in nineteenth century Nova Scotia, and make this data publicly accessible.
