Fonds - Abram J. Thiessen fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Abram J. Thiessen fonds

General material designation

Parallel title

Other title information

Title statements of responsibility

Title notes

Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1956-1958, 1982 (Creation)

Physical description area

Physical description

2 cm of textual records
2 photographs

Publisher's series area

Title proper of publisher's series

Parallel titles of publisher's series

Other title information of publisher's series

Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

Numbering within publisher's series

Note on publisher's series

Archival description area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Abram J. Thiessen: entrepreneur, churchman, and farmer; born on 12 December 1910 to Abram A. Thiessen (1887-1960) and Susanna (Braun) Thiessen (1882-1945) on a farm south-east of Rosenfeld, Manitoba, Canada. He had two younger brothers. On 28 July 1935 Abram J. Thiessen, frequently referred to as "A. J.", married Lenora Friesen (1914-2007) in the Edenburg Bergthaler Mennonite Church. Together A. J. and Lenora had five children: Ronald, Bernhard, William, Irvin, and Carolyn. Thiessen died in Winnipeg on 2 March 2002.

Even though Thiessen started his career in business in 1931, he became best known for the formation of Thiessen Bus Lines in 1946. It grew to become Grey Goose Bus Lines in 1961 and served western Manitoba and north-western Ontario. Together with partner George Fast, Thiessen also operated a Chrysler car dealership (1936-1957), a farm implement dealer with Massy-Harris (beginning in 1948), a trucking business, and a used clothing and grocery store based in Rosenfeld, Manitoba.

By 1950 Thiessen had five buses operating. The business kept expanding with the purchase of taxi companies, a bus manufacturer, and sanitation companies. In 1970 Grey Goose went public. In 1977 Thiessen gave up the day to day management of Grey Goose but remained chairman of Grey Goose Corporation.

As a member of the Conference of Mennonites in Manitoba Radio Committee, Thiessen conceived the idea of a Mennonite community radio station in 1955. With Thiessen as chair, a wide range of Mennonite leaders were brought together to form a station that would provide good programs and could be a witness to others in the listening area. On 13 March 1957 Radio CFAM in Altona was started. Thiessen resigned and sold his shares in the station in November 1957.

Thiessen served on various church and community committees such as Elim Bible School building committee, Altona and Winkler Senior Citizens' Homes, and the Mennonite Collegiate Institute (MCI), Rosenfeld School Board, the Gnadenfeld School Board. Beginning in 1947 he served in various roles with the Manitoba School Trustees Association and one year as president of the Canadian School Trustees Association. Thiessen also helped found the Mennonite School Trustees Association. Thiessen served on the Province of Manitoba Development Corporation from 1973 to 1976.

The Thiessen family had a long standing association with the Conservative Party. A. J. Thiessen ran in the federal election in the riding of Provencher in 1953 and lost by a wide margin. In 1962 Thiessen ran in the provincial election in the riding of Rhineland against the Social Credit Party incumbent J. M. Froese, and lost by 32 votes.

Custodial history

Scope and content

This fonds contains information on the founding of a radio station in Altona, Manitoba, an autobiography of A.J. Thiessen, a portrait of Thiessen and a photo of his first bus. Much of the material documents Thiessen's community involvements.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

Described by Conrad Stoesz May 3, 2010.

Language of material

Script of material

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

None to access

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Finding aids

Inventory file list

Online version of finding aid available at: http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/programs/archives/holdings/papers/Thiessen,%20A.J.%20fonds.htm

Associated materials

Related materials

Accruals

Alternative identifier(s)

Standard number area

Standard number

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Control area

Description record identifier

Institution identifier

Rules or conventions

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Language of description

  • English

Script of description

Sources

Accession area

Related subjects

Related people and organizations

Related places

Related genres

physical storage

  • Box: Volume 5414:17-18
  • Folder: Photograph Collection 672