We have organized the champions, commemorated or nominated for commemoration in sculptural “Fields of Fame“. Our “Champions” are important Calgary historical figures, and important Alberta historical figures.
We feature figures that were important to business history, political history, early settlement and exploration, community development, the First Nations, and to women in Calgary. These were important to the growth of Calgary as a city, Alberta as a province, and contributed significantly to Canada as a country.
Contact us if you wish to recommend another addition to our list of Alberta Champions ( it must be a posthumous nomination, and please, do tell us why they should be considered).
Champions, Alphabetically by Last Name
Virnetta Anderson (1920-2006)
Virnetta was born Virnetta Nelson in Monticello, Arkansas in 1920. Her schooling was in Arkansas and California. Virnetta was a woman of action - known for committing time and providing…
The Right Honourable Richard Bedford (R.B.) Bennett (1870-1925)
Drive and determination are just two of the words used to describe the first Canadian Prime Minister from Alberta. At a young age, Bennett created lofty goals for himself: to…
David (Dave) E. Black (1880 -1972)
David (Dave) Ernest Black was born in 1880 in Westport, Ontario, where he attended school and subsequently studied watch making. He moved to Calgary, Alberta in 1903, on board the…
Narcisse Blood “Tatsikiistamik” (1954-2015)
(to be recognized collaboratively with Michael Green) Narcisse Blood (Tatsikiistamik) was a Blackfoot/Niitsitapi Traditional Spiritual Elder who was passionate about preserving and sharing traditional Blackfoot spiritual ways and cultural heritage.…
Senator Patrick Burns (1856-1937)
Patrick Burns was born in Oshawa, Ontario as the fourth of eleven children, where he grew up with little education in humble conditions. Pat Burns headed out west with his…
Wilf Carter (1904-1996)
Wilfred Arthur Charles "Wilf" Carter was born in Port Hilford, Nova Scotia in 1904, one of nine children. After seeing a traveling show named "The Yodelling Fool" as a youth,…
Dr. Clara Christie Might (1895 to 1987)
Clara Christie was born in Winchester, Ontario, in 1895 and her family moved to Calgary in 1903. After a four month course at Calgary Normal School at age 20, Clara…
Martha Cohen (1920-2015)
“Martha Cohen, a warm Chinook wind who blazed bright crimson smiles across the clear Alberta Sky.” Martha Cohen was a tireless builder in Calgary’s cultural community. Born in Calgary, the…
Chief David Crowchild (1899-1982)
David Crowchild was born to Mark Crowchild and Sarah Big Plume on the Tsuut'ina Reserve, where he had a significant influence. He loved horses, and in his younger years, he…
Chief Crowfoot (1830 to 1890)
Crowfoot was a chief of theSiksika First Nation. His parents, Istowun-eh'pata (Packs a Knife) and Axkahp-say-pi (Attacked Towards Home), were Kainai. He was only five when his father was killed…
Gwen DAVIES 1941-2020
Growing up in the small-town of Faulconbridge, New South Wales, just west of Sydney, Australia, Gwen Davies would spend many of her early childhood days in and out of hospital…
Haider Dhanani (1939-1990)
Haider Dhanani lived a life of service. With a profound dedication to bridging cultural differences and to the well-being, settlement and upward mobility of newly arrived immigrants to Canada,…
Mary Dover (1905 to 1994)
Mary Dover was a dynamic and distinguished Calgarian, particularly known for her work with the military during World War II. Born the same day Alberta joined Confederation in 1905, Mary…
Bob Edwards (1860 to 1922)
Robert Chambers Edwards was born on February 17, 1861 into a family of privilege in Scotland but was orphaned as a youth. He was raised by two aunts, and although…
Annie Rolinson Gale (1876 to 1970)
Annie Gale was a British immigrant to Calgary in the early twentieth century who dove straight into community politics in order to make her city a better place to live,…
Ruth Gorman (1914-2002)
Ruth Gorman was born in Calgary, Alberta on February 14, 1914 to Colonel Mark Bennett and Fleda Pattyson Peacock. Ruth, like her father became a lawyer, and was one of…
Michael Green “Pona Kotaksi/Elk Shadow” (1957-2015)
(to be recognized collaboratively with Narcisse Blood) Michael Green was the Co-Artistic Director and a founding member of Calgary’s One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre and the Creator/Curator of the High Performance Rodeo. …
Eric Lafferty Harvie (1892 to 1975)
Eric Lafferty Harvie was born in Orillia, Ontario, but moved to Alberta as a youth. He was called to Alberta's legal bar in 1915. His legal career was interrupted when…
The Honourable Harry Hays (1909 to 1982)
Born near Carstairs, Alberta, Harry was one of 8 children. With his brothers Tom and Jack he carried on his father's work with purebred Holsteins. Better quality and more milk…
Harley Hotchkiss, CC, AOE (1927 to 2011)
Harley Hotchkiss was born in Tillsonburg, Ontario in 1927. A graduate of Michigan State University in 1951 and a geologist by trade, Hotchkiss moved to Calgary in 1951. He married…
William Roper Hull (1856 to 1925)
William Roper Hull was born in England. He grew up in Dorset, but after his mother died, he moved to Canada in 1873 (at 17 years old) with his brother…
Alice Jane Jukes Jamieson (1860 to 1949)
Alice Jamieson was born on July 14, 1860 in New York City to James Jukes and Isabel Duxbury, who were both born in England, and emigrated to the United States…
Dr. Dennis KADATZ – 1938-2019
Dennis Kadatz was born to second- generation homesteaders in the Ellerslie area of South Edmonton, AB. He grew up as a farm kid, learning to drive a tractor and riding…
Sydney Kahanoff (1922 to 1980)
Sydney Kahanoff was born in Manitoba in 1922 and grew up in Saskatchewan. After graduating from high school in 1939, he joined the RCAF serving in the Aleutian Islands for…
Frank KING, P. Eng., OC, LL.D. (Hon) 1936 – 2018
Frank King was born in Redcliff, Alberta in 1936. He graduated from the University of Alberta in Chemical Engineering and spent most of his life living in Calgary where he was a…
Norman (Normie) KWONG (Kwong Lim Yew), CM, AOE 1929-2016
Norman L. Kwong was a former professional football player, sport executive, commercial real estate executive and entrepreneurial businessman. He was a first-generation Chinese-Canadian, grew up in Calgary and graduated from…
Father Albert Lacombe, OMI (1827 to 1916)
Father Albert Lacombe was a very dedicated missionary with a great sense of adventure who brought the Christian message to Western Canada for over 65 years. Albert Lacombe was born…
Sam Livingston (1831 to 1897)
Samuel Henry Harkwood Livingston was born in Ireland in 1831. As a young man he came to seek his fortune in America. After trying his luck at prospecting during the…
The Honourable E. Peter Lougheed (1928 to 2012)
Edgar Peter Lougheed was born on July 26, 1928, at Calgary, Alberta, grandson of Alberta pioneer Sir James A. Lougheed. He was educated in Calgary public and secondary schools before…
Senator Sir James Alexander Lougheed (1854 to 1925)
James Lougheed was born in Brampton, Ontario to Irish Protestant parents. He grew up there, and went to school at the University of Toronto, obtaining a law degree in 1881.…
The Honourable Grant MacEwan, OC, AOE (1902 to 2000)
John Walter Grant MacEwan was born in Brandon, Manitoba, where he lived until he was thirteen when he moved with his family to a farm near Melfort, Saskatchewan. There,…
James F. Macleod (1836 to 1894)
James Macleod was born in Scotland, and emigrated to Canada in 1845. He received his BA from Queen's in Ontario, and he began to practice law. However, his passion was…
Roderick (Roddy) Mah (1929-2007)
At a very young age, Roderick was sent to China to learn the Chinese language and culture. Unable to return to Canada because of World War II, he spent his…
The Honourable Ernest C. Manning (1908 to 1996)
Ernest Charles Manning, PC, COC, AOE, was the eighth Premier of Alberta. A co-founder of the province's Social Credit party, he served between 1943 and 1968, longer than any premier…
Frederick C Mannix (1913 to 1995)
Frederick Charles Mannix was born on October 21, 1913 in Edmonton, Alberta. His father was a construction pioneer from Manitoba who moved his contracting business to Edmonton in 1905 to…
Charles (Chuck) Mawer (1917-2006)
Charles (Chuck) Mawer was born in 1917 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and grew up with his 3 siblings in Edmonton, Vancouver, and Calgary. In 1936 Chuck started his business career as…
John Robert (Bud) McCaig (1929-2005)
Beloved husband, father, grandfather, friend, entrepreneur and philanthropist, J.R. (Bud) McCaig, died peacefully while at his vacation home in Barbados on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 at the age of 75…
Nellie McClung (1873 to 1951)
Nellie McClung is one of the most famous women's rights activists in Canadian history. Known for her dynamic and engaging public speeches and numerous books, she disarmed most audiences with…
Bessie (Betty) Mitchell (1896 to 1976)
Bessie (Betty) Mitchell was born in Ohio, USA, in 1896, moving to Alberta with her family in 1912. She completed high school by correspondence, attended the Normal School in Calgary…
Doug MITCHELL, CM AOE 1939-2022
Doug was born in Calgary, Alberta and raised in the city’s Crescent Heights neighbourhood. After high school, he attended Colorado College on a hockey scholarship and completed a Bachelor of…
W.O. Mitchell (1914 to 1998)
W.O., the only Canadian writer known by his initials alone, was one of Canada's best loved story tellers. Who Has Seen the Wind has become the classic Canadian prairie novel…
Bob NIVEN 1942 -2023
Bob was born in England to Andrea and WC (DFC) Robert H. Niven. His father, a Canadian pilot serving with the RAF, was killed in action three months before Bob…
Peter Anthony Prince (1836-1925)
Peter Anthony Prince was born June 29, 1836 to an English speaking family, near Trois-Rivières Quebec. He was educated near Lindsay Ontario, and built his own hotel and lumber mill…
Maude Riley (1882 to 1962)
Maude (Keen) Riley grew up in Perth County, Ontario and became a teacher through the Ontario Normal School. Upon gaining her certification, she accepted a position to teach at Nose…
Arthur Ryan Smith (1919 to 2008)
Arthur Smith, O.C., A.O.E, D.F.C, Order of Merit (Hungary), LLD (Hon.) was born and raised in Calgary, and moved to Turner Valley when he was sixteen to work in the…
Joan Colleen SNYDER, CM, LL.D., 1932-2022
(Photos Courtesy of University of Calgary) Joan Snyder was born in Eatonia, Saskatchewan, on February 20, 1932, to parents Calvin Snyder and Phoebe Wilson Snyder. Joan’s father endured hard times…
Ronald D. Southern (1930 – 2016)
Ronald Donald Southern C.C., C.B.E., A.O.E., B. Sc., LL. D was born on July 25, 1930 in Calgary, Alberta. He was a proud Canadian who loved his Alberta roots. A…
Chief Walking Buffalo (1871 to 1967)
"To the missionary who adopted him, he was George McLean; in Stoney language, he was known as Tatanga Mani; to the world he was Walking Buffalo." (Whyte Museum Blogspot 2011)…
Henry Wise Wood (1860 to 1941)
Henry Wise Wood was born in Missouri in 1860 and in 1905 like many Americans moved to Alberta because of the availability of cheap land in Canada. He bought a wheat…
Gus Yaki (1932-2020)
Gus Yaki, the renowned Calgary birder and naturalist, passed away in August 2020. Gus was an avid birder as a young man and he continued his self-education as a naturalist.…
Alberta Champions, explained by Era of History
Timeline in Alberta History:
| early settlement | CPR | Pincher Ck | Leduc | Post-74 | 2000
|
We have organized these Alberta Champions by timeline, and color-coded the periods of Alberta history as follows:
Brown: The early settlement era, from before 1800 until just after Canada’s Confederation in 1867, when the lands of the Hudson’s Bay Company were ceded to Canada.
Orange: The coming of the railroad in 1885 accelerated settlement and the rise of farming and resource exploitation (including coal at Canmore and natural gas at Medicine Hat) in the West
Red: The discovery of oil near Pincher Creek (1902) led to Calgary’s growth as a center of trade and finance, and by World War One led to the the construction of the sandstone buildings [still standing] along Stephen Avenue. After the War, many Europeans moved to Canada, settling the wide open prairies.
Purple: The Second World War let to the construction of the Alaska Highway, making Alberta the hub for transportation into the North. The discovery of oil at Leduc (1948) just after the Second World War started Alberta’s second resource boom
Blue: the Post-1974 era, which started with the Arab Oil Boycott and the sudden spike in oil prices led to vigorous exploration of Alberta’s oil potential, and a boom in population, as well as in the office towers that make up Calgary’s and Edmonton’s downtowns.
Green: The new century marks two apparently contradictory trends: the greening of Alberta with new Provincial parks, and expansion of wind energy turbines in the province’s southwest corner, and the expansion and commencement of commercial production in the Fort McMurray oil sands.
The commemorative structures are (and will be) located throughout the City of Calgary in federal, provincial and municipal sites as well as major shopping centres, businesses, and attractions, where there is high traffic and interest.
Fields of Fame Locations
Field of Fame #1: Jamieson Place, Plus 15 level of 308 – 4th Avenue SW, Calgary
Field of Fame #2: Harley Hotchkiss Park, at the Court of Queen’s Bench Parkade beside the 3rd Street LRT Platform, Calgary
Field of Fame #3: Centrium Place, 332 – 6th Avenue SW, Calgary
Field of Fame #4: McDougall Centre, at the corner of 5th Avenue and 7th Street SW, Calgary
Field of Fame #5: Heritage Park, 1900 Heritage Dr SW, Calgary
Field of Fame #6: Spruce Meadows, 18011 Spruce Meadows Way SW, Calgary
Field of Fame #7: Bow Valley Ranch, Fish Creek Provincial Park, Calgary