Putting a Face on Calgary’s Past
May 8, 2010 by Susan McLennan
Filed under Babble Blog, Clients and Causes
Alberta Champions Society unveils first “Field of Fame”
Calgary, AB – On May 20th, the Alberta Champions Society unveiled six monuments to pay posthumous tribute to some of the greatest Albertans who ever lived, five prominent men and one woman, who helped shape our city, our province and our nation. The unveiling is set for 1:30 p.m. and Honorable Lindsay Blackett, Minister of Culture and Community Spirit, will assist with the unveiling. He will be joined at the podium by Gordon Hoffman, President and Founder of Alberta Champions.
This first “Field of Fame,” created by Alberta Champions Society, is located in the Winter Garden on the Plus 15 level of the Jamieson Building, 308-4 Ave. SW, which is named for Alice Jamieson, one of the honorees. The other honorees include:
R.B. Bennett, Senator Patrick Burns, Chief David Crowchild, Eric Harvie, and Colonel James Macleod.
The Field of Fame is a group of monuments created from structural steel, designed by local architect Michael Shugarman of Templar Architecture and Design. Each Field of Fame features six steel “stalks of wheat”, thirteen feet high, symbolic of the prairies and the farm and ranching culture that formed the early backbone of the Calgary area. Each stalk features a photo, biography and signature of one of the six individuals.
In all, there will be 50 Fields of Fame rolled out over the next 10 years, located throughout Calgary and southern Alberta. The groups to be honoured in each Field of Fame will be selected by a nominating committee of community leaders working closely with local historians.
“We believe no one can build a better future without first understanding and honouring the past,” said Mr. Hoffman. “We also believe it is critical to engage our youth in learning about these important Albertans.”
At the event, the winners of the recent city-wide contest for junior high students were announced. Students were challenged to write an essay or create a multimedia presentation related to one of the individuals in the first Field of Fame. The grand prize winner of the contest will be flown to our nation’s capital with a guardian for a tour of the parliament building and a variety of activities, including a visit with the Kratt Brothers of PBS’s Emmy Award-winning Zoboomafoo. Other prizes include a Net book computer, iPod and digital camera.
The contest is sponsored by Alberta Champions Society, TELUS, Prime Funds, The Calgary Herald, Unicom Graphics and WestJet.
Sponsors for the Field of Fame included: Alberta Lotteries, ARC Energy Trust, Hoffman Dorchik Barristers and Solicitors, as well as members of the families of the individuals being recognized.
ABOUT THE ALBERTA CHAMPIONS SOCIETY:
Alberta Champions Society in Recognition of Community Enrichment was founded in 2003 by Mr. Gordon Hoffman, QC to posthumously commemorate, recognize and honour those individuals who have made a significant contribution to the city of Calgary and area. This is achieved by placing pieces of public art designed from structural steel in Fields of Fame to provide recognition as well as inspiring today’s citizens to make their own worthy contributions to our community.
For more information about the Society and to view a model Field of Fame, please visit our website at www.AlbertaChampions.org
MEDIA CONTACTS
Pat Christie,Executive Administrator Tel: Email: Pat.Christie@telus.net Website: www.AlbertaChampions.org
Susan Costello Coordinator Community Partnerships Tel: 403-251-4917 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 403-251-4917 end_of_the_skype_highlighting Email: Susan.Costello@shaw.ca
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