November 20: George McPhillips; Bryson hangs; U of M's first president.

November 20, 1936 - Ian Murray Bryson is hanged at Headingley Jail for killing Winnipeg Police Constable Charles Gillis.

In January 1936 Bryson held up a gas station at Donald Street and St. Mary Avenue demanding the proceeds from a thirty-cent sale. Gillis and his partner responded and were chasing the robber on foot when he turned and shot Gillis. The 24-year veteran policeman died three weeks later in hospital. 

For more about Constable Gillis. (Source of Gillis photo: Winnipeg Police Museum.  Source of Bryson photo: Winnipeg Free Press, June 10, 1936.)

November 20, 1969 - The Fort Rouge Transit Yards on Osborne Street opens. 

November 20, 1913 – The U of M’s first president Dr. James Alexander Maclean is installed at a special convocation ceremony. 

The Mayfair, Ontario native was president until 1934 which meant that he oversaw much of the university's initial growth. That included the start of the gradual transfer of the campus from Broadway to Fort Garry.

November 20, 1913 - George McPhillips dies at his Kennedy Street home. A land surveyor, he was tasked with creating the first official map of the City of Winnipeg. McPhillips Street is named after him. (Also see Remembering George McPhillips.)