September 8, 2006 Source: :
http://www.unb.ca/news/view.cgi?id=1085 UNBF OFFICIALLY UNVEILS GREGG CENTRE FOR STUDY OF WAR AND SOCIETY September 8, 2006
UNB Fredericton News Release: D699
Brad Janes, Public Relations Officer (506) 458-7969 Historical relevance with an eye on the present and future come together when two forces unite at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. Combining those new capabilities and initiatives while honouring the past, UNBF will officially unveil the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society. The unveiling ceremony will take place Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 3 p.m. at the J. Harper Kent Auditorium at the Wu Conference Centre on the UNBF campus. A reception hosted by the Dean of Arts James Murray will follow. The centre is named in honour of Brig. Milton F. Gregg VC, a former UNB president (1994 to 1947) who was decorated for courage and leadership under fire during the first world war. He received the Military Cross and Bar while serving with the Royal Canadian Regiment. In the midst of fierce fighting in the Marcoing Line on Sept. 28, 1918, then Lieutenant Gregg won the Victoria Cross, the nation’s highest award for valour. He returned to active service in 1939, where his abilities were applied by training infantry officers for combat duty in the Second World War. "Brig. Milton Gregg personifies the goals of UNB’s Centre for the Study of War and Society," said Marc Milner, chair of UNBF’s department of history and director of the Gregg Centre. "The naming is the culmination of 35 years of excellence in the study of modern conflict. The Gregg Centre continues UNB’s mandate since 1971 to educate Canadians about the nature of war, its causes, conduct and consequences." The Gregg Centre assumes two new roles. The first is to focus on Canada’s Army, its history, place in society, operations and ongoing transformation in today’s complex international environment. The other is to foster public awareness of the unique military heritage of New Brunswick and of the province’s continuing contribution to the defence of Canada. The event also marks the establishment of the Gregg Centre National Council, chaired by UNB graduate (1963) Lt.–Gen. (Ret.) David O’Blenis, a native of Salisbury and former Deputy Commander of NORAD and current president of Raytheon Canada. Dr. Milner will continue the celebration with a public lecture entitled In Search of the Lost Battalion: The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, from D-Day to Carpiquet. The open lecture is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Wu Centre. Dr. Milner is known for his work on the Canadian navy and on the Battle of the Atlantic. He joined the history department at UNB in 1986 and was director of UNB’s Military and Strategic Studies program. His current research projects focus on the Normandy campaign of 1944 and includes a volume for the N.B. Military Heritage Project Series titled From D-Day to Carpiquet: The North Shore (NB) Regiment and the Liberation of Europe, June-July 1944. For further information or to confirm attendance, contact Deborah Stapleford at 506-453-4587 or dstaplef@unb.ca. - 30 -
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