The files of this series consist of textual records and photographs relating to the education, early career and personal life of Richard J. Joy. The material is organized into four blocks: education, early engineering projects, clubs and general; the education files constituting the largest of the four blocks. The files of this block consist primarily of information about Joy's education at McGill University and at the Harvard Business School. Of interest are the drafts, correspondence and final reports relating to third and fourth year engineering projects of 1943 and 1944. In the summer of 1943, Richard Joy was hired by Canadian National Railways to survey the Gaspé region of Quebec. The survey resulted in a detailed project paper entitled "Gaspésie: land of promise" - an appraisal of the economic potential of the region. Joy spent the following summer studying the Shawinigan Water and Power Company. The Harvard Business School files consist mainly of correspondence regarding Joy's application to the school, letters of reference and Joy's work as business manager of the "Harbus News". Study material for university courses taken after Joy's retirement from the Civil Service are also included in this first block of files.
The second block of files document the early engineering career of Richard Joy, in particular his development of and applications for patent inventions under the auspices of his own company called "Better Mouse Traps UNC." Joy was awarded US patents for an indexing table (1954) and a mono-rail conveyor with disengageable drive (1956). Following a trip to Switzerland in the early 1950s, Joy became fascinated by the potential and feasibility of using a European developed "Gondolbahn" system in the Canadian Rockies. The Wallmannsberger system in which Joy took particular interest was later adopted for use at Sulphur Mountain, Banff. During the contract tender period for the Sulphur Mountain project, Joy offered his services as a Canadian liaison to the Swiss firm involved in the process.
The third block of files relate to Joy's membership in and work for various social clubs including the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, the Federated Newman Clubs of Canada, the McGill Liberal Club and the Tea and Conversation Club (McGill). The general block of files includes documents which relate to Joy's career in the Federal Public Service, medical information and cottage lots owned by the Joy family.
The files in each block are arranged in chronological order.