Notable People

"The Cremation of Sam McGee" There are strange things done in the midnight sun, by the men who moil for gold; The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold; The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, But the queerest they ever did see Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge I cremated Sam McGee.

Bob Edwards was a Canadian newsman, humorist, editorialist, entrepreneur, and provincial politician. He is best known, as the writer and publisher of the early 1900s weekly newspaper, the Calgary Eye Opener. Bob was noted for poking fun at any politician or pompous person with a twist of wit. He also was elected to the Alberta Legislation.

Fred McCall was Canada's fourth-ranking WW One flying ace credited with having shot down 37 enemy planes. One of Fred’s most famous flights took place at the 1919 Calgary Stampede. He had just taken off with two young passengers, the sons of Calgary Exhibition manager E.L. Richardson, when his Curtiss JN-4D lost power. Unable to land on the infield because of an auto race, and seeking to avoid the Stampede crowds, he pancaked the plane on top of a carousel. It was a masterful landing — no one was hurt. The plane was taken down, put in a tent, and pieces of it sold as souvenirs. “I think he almost made enough to buy a new plane,” said his son, Fred Jr.

William Henry Cushing came to Calgary from Ontario in 1883. He opened a sash and door factory which develop0ed into one of the leading businesses in the province. He served six terms as alderman, beginning in 1890, and was mayor from 1899 to 1900. When Alberta became a province in 1905, Cushing was elected to the legislature as a Liberal member and appointed Minister of Public Works. He resigned that post in 1910 and became the first chairman of Mount Royal College's Board of Governors, a post which he retained until 1926 when he became honourary chairman. When Cushing died, his political, educational and philanthropic endeavours were remembered for Calgarian, as flags throughout the city flew at half-mast for a day.

James "Cappy" Smart was a Calgary pioneer, one of Calgary's most colourful historical figures, a firefighter and later became the fire chief. Smart joined the fire department in 1885 and was elected chief in 1898. He served as chief for 25 years, retiring in 1933. He was a very civic-minded man and was president of numerous city associations as well as provincial, national and international firemen's associations. His lively personality and sense of humour were well known to both Calgarians and other from far afield. He was one of the first fire chiefs in Canada to motorize his fire brigade. That, and his efforts to educate the public about fire prevention, were perhaps his greatest contributions.