Arthur Williams McGurdy

Arthur McCurdy was born to a prominent Nova Scotian family. A life-changing event occurred when he met Alexander Graham Bell  to Baddeck, N.S. in the late summer of 1885. Family lore has it that Arthur was having difficulty with the store phone one day when a stranger walked over and repaired it. “How did you know how to fix that?” asked McCurdy. “My name is Alexander Graham Bell,” replied the visitor.

In 1899 McCurdy’s love of photography led to the development a small portable tank for developing film in daytime. He sold the patent to the Eastman Kodak Co. Soon after he moved his family to British Columbia and set up a laboratory at his country home outside Victoria. He continued to photograph and was active in community affairs. His introduction of Plaskett to the Premier was a pivotal moment in the development of the Observatory.