THIRD AVENUE METHODIST CHURCH QUILT

A CANADIAN RED CROSS QUILT

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NOTABLE PEOPLE NAMED ON THE QUILT

There are many names on the quilt of people who have left their mark on Saskatoon and indeed on Saskatchewan and Canada as a whole. The following notes give only a brief overview of their lives; click their names to read more of their histories.

  1. Neda Rebecca Bowman b. 1915 was the daughter of Aden Michael Bowman and Lillie Bigham. Both her parents served on the City Council for many years. The Aden Bowman Collegiate Institute is named in honour of her father.
  2. Dora May Clinkskill b. 1885 d. 1979 was the daughter of James Clinkskill the first mayor of Saskatoon. She married Wyndham Winkler Ashley, renowned for his tree planting enthusiasm; WW Ashley Park is named after him.
  3. Spencer Abner Early b. 1886 d. 1962, son of Thomas Early and Margaret Wilson, in 1907 founded SA Early & Co, a small feed and grain business on Wall St. The business has moved and been renamed over the years. Currently descendants of Spencer Early own Early’s Farm and Garden Center on Lorne St which continues to be a major presence in Saskatoon.
  4. Arthur Wellesley Campbell Henry b. 1896 d. 1988, a plant pathologist, demonstrated the benefits of mixtures of fungicides in controlling disease in seeds. He was a professor of plant pathology from 1922 to 1962 in the Department of Field Crops (later Plant Science), University of Alberta.
  5. Alfred Leonard Hillyard b.1891 d. 1975 took his first photography job in 1909, working for George Trott in a studio set up in a shack tent. In 1910 he worked for the William Findley studio and then for Ralph Dill, the first resident Saskatoon photographer, in 1911. In 1912, seeing an opportunity in specializing in industrial photography, he left the Dill studio to set up his own photographic business. His photo archive is with the Saskatoon Public Library Local History Room.
  6. Sidney Walter (Sid) Johns b.1877 d. 1943 was the secretary/treasurer and then manager of the Saskatoon Industrial Exhibition from 1923 until shortly before his death. His contribution to the reputation of Saskatoon and the Exhibition in particular was recognised across Canada and the northern United States.
  7. Lawrence Eldred Kirk b. 1886 d. 1969, agriculturist, in 1932 made his most significant contribution breeding and introducing Fairway, the first variety of crested wheat grass, to the great plains of Canada. The use of this grass was a contributing factor in bringing the "dust bowl" of the 1930s under control. Fairway crested wheat grass is still the main grass used to reseed rangeland. Kirk taught at the University of Saskatchewan and Moose Jaw Collegiate Institute before joining the Experimental Farms Service as Dominion Agrostologist in Ottawa. He then became Dean of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan before moving to Rome as head of the plant-industry branch in the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, a position he held until retirement in 1954.
  8. Victor Ernest Kleven b. 1894 d. 1956 was a Rhodes Scholar, lawyer and educator. After the death of his first wife, Marion Florence Jones (1906-1940), Victor emigrated to New Mexico where he met and married Concha Ortiz Y Pino one of the most interesting women in New Mexico history.
  9. Arthur Leon Koyl b. 1888 d. 1973 was an innovator in real estate and developed the Westmount sub-division, Willington Place, Victoria Gardens and South Side Park. He was also instrumental in organizing the building of some Saskatoon’s sport facilities.
  10. Andrew Leslie b. 1888 d. 1949 was City Commissioner from 1921 to 1948. His financial acumen enabled him to steer the city from a small community through to a thriving prairie metropolis.
  11. Frank Roland MacMillan b. 1881 d. 1948 was proprietor of MacMillan & Co departmental store which he later sold to T Eatons. Frank was mayor of Saskatoon in 1919 and a member of the Canadian Legislature from 1930-1935.
  12. Edith Ellen Wilson McNab (née Todd) b. 1871 d. 1967 married Archibald Peter McNab who went on to become the Minister of Public Works for the Provincial Government in 1912. He helped acquire the University of Saskatchewan for Saskatoon and went on to become Lieutenant Governor in 1936.
  13. Lillian Ann Powe (née Barr) b. 1881 d. 1972 married Wilbur William Powe. Their adopted son, Bruce Allen Powe, is a journalist, broadcaster and the author of the novels, Killing Ground, The Aberhart Summer and The Ice Eaters.
  14. Norman Keith Thomson b. 1889 d. 1960 was a jeweller, watchmaker and issuer of marriage licences. His grandson is Keith Thomson founder of Thomson Jaspar Chartered Accountants, Saskatoon and is a supporter of the Saskatoon Community Foundation.
  15. Christopher James Yorath b. 1879 d. 1932 was the civil engineer who developed plans for the city layout in 1913. Yorath Island and Yorath Avenue are named after him.
  16. Alexander MacGillivray Young, MD b. 1878 d. 1939 was mayor of Saskatoon at the time the quilt was made. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a Member of the Liberal Party for the riding of Saskatoon in 1925, re-elected in 1926 and defeated in 1930. He was re-elected in 1935 to the riding of Saskatoon City.
  17. Robert Adams Bridgman b 1886 d.1959 was a traveller for International Harvester
    Edgar William Riddle b. 1880 was a traveller for Prairie Oil
    Albert Holland b 1888 d1956 was a traveller for Brown-Biglow
    Edward Franklin Lavender McGarvey b.1882 was a traveller for John Deere Plow

    These four men signed the quilt as members of the UCT Quartet. EFL McGarvey was a music tutor and this may have been a ‘barber-shop’ quartet. UCT is the United Commercial Travelers of America.