History and the Morgans
The expansion of the Labour Studies Program to include the major would not have been possible without Margaret Morgan's generous gift in 2011. An alumnus herself, Margaret wanted to enable the university to be a place where working people could educate and empower themselves. The Morgans were veterans of labour activism, and founding members of BC Civil Liberties Association and the NDP. In the mid-1960s Lefty fought and won a wrongful termination lawsuit against the PGE Railway after he was dismissed for demanding unpaid wages (Morgan, Editors Pool and Young, 1994). Margaret and Lefty were lifetime learners, educators and activists, and are fondly remembered in the labour movement.
More about the Morgans
Lefty Morgan: Deep Cove's Radical Man
By Crawford Kilian, North Shore News, March 14, 2018
Lefty's Legacy, Margaret's Hope
By Ron Verzuh, AQ Magazine, November 2011
When Lefty Met Margaret
Tom Sandborn, The Tyee, May 16 2011
Margaret Morgan's Obituary
Tom Sandborn, The Tyee, July 28 2011
Workers' Control on the Railroad: A Practical Example "Right Under Your Nose"
Lefty Morgan, 1994, Edited by G.R. Pool and D.J. Young
Biography of Richard E. (Lefty) Morgan. Pool, G. R. (1991). (Lefty Morgan) Informal Participation Patterns in the Railroad Running Trades. Labour / Le Travail, 27, 215-247.
Timeline of major program
1974 - Labour Studies program began servicing the unions with weekend schools, workshops and conferences.
1999 - Academic courses in Labour Studies began being offered at SFU.
2010 - Donations enabled the program to expand, and a growing body of students and declared minors in Labour Studies.
2011 - Margaret Morgan's donation to SFU.
2012 - Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences began developing and expanding the program using a $120,000 annual advance based on the Morgan donation.
2015 - The Ministry of Advanced Education granted curriculum approval.
2018 - The major program launches in September.