Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"I'M A VOLUNTEER"

Date

1985

Materials

TIN, PAPER, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

1

Width

0.8

Diameter

6.4

Description

CIRCULAR WHITE BUTTON WITH BLACK TEXT AND LOGO. TEXT READS, “I’M A VOLUNTEER, MANUFACTURED BY THE REHAB WORKSHOP 1610 – 29TH ST NORTH LETHBRIDGE ALBERTA, PHONE 329-3911.” LOGO HAS BRIDGE AND UNIVERSITY WITH NUMBERS, “1885-1985” AND FAMILY INSIDE HEXAGON SHAPE. REVERSE OF PIN HAS FOLDING PIN AND CATCH CLOSURE.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

COMMEMORATIVE

History

ACCORDING TO DONOR JEAN JOHNSTONE IN JUNE 2012, “WELL, [PLANS FOR THE 1985 LETHBRIDGE CENTENNIAL] WERE RUN OUT OF THE CITY CLERK’S OFFICE. THERE WAS A COMMITTEE WHEN IT FIRST STARTED AND THEY WERE GOING TO CELEBRATE THE 1985 CENTENNIAL. IT CAME THROUGH THE CITY CLERK’S OFFICE AND WE HAD THIS COMMITTEE CHAIRED BY JUDGE JACOBSON. I THINK I WAS... ASSISTANT CITY CLERK AT THAT POINT, SO I SAT WITH THEM, AND THEY GRADUALLY DIDN’T NEED THE CITY CLERK’S OFFICE IN THAT THEY GREW QUITE LARGE AND WE COULDN’T ACCOMMODATE THEM AND THEY GOT THEIR OWN OFFICE, AND MOVED OFF. I WAS SORT OF A VOLUNTEER IN THAT I WAS IN THEIR MIDST AND I WAS THEIR CONTACT WITH THE CITY ONCE THEY MOVED AWAY FROM OUR OFFICES AND HAD THEIR OWN, THEN I WAS THE CONTACT THAT THEY USED. I DID A FEW THINGS, BUT I DIDN’T HAVE A COMMITTEE. I SAT ON ONE COMMITTEE THAT I WAS QUITE INTERESTED IN, AND I CAN’T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS, BUT, IT’S QUITE A LONG TIME AGO. THAT PIN, IT WAS JUST TO IDENTIFY PEOPLE THAT WERE WORKING DURING THE CELEBRATIONS. THIS IS THE LITTLE LOGO THAT THEY HAD AND I HAVE MANY PINS THAT I PURCHASED. THEY WENT THROUGH THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PINS THAT THEY GAVE OUT THAT YEAR. SO THEY’RE LITTLE METAL PINS THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY IN THE COLLECTION, BUT THEY WERE HOT COMMODITIES AND PEOPLE WERE COLLECTING PINS AND THIS WAS LIKE UNIQUE AND 1885 TO 1985, WOW – BUT THEY ALL WANTED THESE PINS, AND THIS ONE WAS JUST FOR VOLUNTEERS. IN 1985, THE CITY WAS INVOLVED MORE AND GAVE FUNDING, AND THERE WERE EVENTS PLANNED, AND HUGE EVENTS. BUT WHEN WE GOT TO 2005, CITY COUNCIL LEFT IT TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE THEIR OWN CELEBRATIONS. THERE WAS NOTHING CENTRAL; THERE WAS NO COORDINATED EFFORT. IT WAS ALL SORT OF ALL OVER THE PLACE. BUT THERE WAS NOT ONE PLACE WHERE IT WAS ALL GATHERED TOGETHER. AND THIS WAS VERY AMBITIOUS IN 1985. AND IT WAS AMBITIOUS IN 1935 WHEN THEY CELEBRATED 50 YEARS. AND IT WASN’T – THEY SET THE PRECEDENT IN 1935. IT WAS ONLY 50 YEARS, BUT IT WAS 50 YEARS FROM THE TIME THEY MOVED UP TO THE TOP OF THE BENCH HERE, ON TOP OF THE COULEES. IT WASN’T BECAUSE WE WERE FORMED AS A TOWN. WE DIDN’T FORM AS A TOWN UNTIL 1890 AND SO IT REALLY SHOULD HAVE GONE FROM 1890. PEOPLE USED TO GET CONFUSED AS TO WHY WE WERE CELEBRATING. WELL, IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE 1935 CELEBRATION THAT WE DID THE 1985 CELEBRATION.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT WHO WAS LEADING THE EFFORTS FOR THE CENTENNIAL PLANS, JOHNSTONE RESPONDED BY SAYING, “ALEX [JOHNSTON] WAS VERY INVOLVED AT THAT POINT. HE DIDN’T WANT TO CHAIR THE EVENT, AND SO HE GOT JUDGE JACOBSON TO CHAIR THE COMMITTEE THAT STARTED IT, AND HE WAS RIGHT THROUGH. HE REMAINED THE HISTORIAN THROUGHOUT ALL OF IT, BUT JUDGE RON JACOBSON WAS THE CHAIRMAN OR THE PRESIDENT – I THINK CHAIRMAN WAS WHAT HE CALLED HIMSELF – WHEN THEY FORMED A SOCIETY HE MAY HAVE BECOME THE PRESIDENT, BUT I’M NOT SURE. THEY DID FORM A SOCIETY SO THEY COULD GET GRANTS AND DON DALKE ENDED UP – THERE WERE SOME OTHER PEOPLE BEFORE HIM, BUT HE ENDED UP BEING THE MAN IN THE OFFICE WHO REALLY RAN THINGS, WHO RAN IT LIKE HE WAS RUNNING THE ARMY BECAUSE HE WAS, HE KNEW HOW TO DO THAT AND PEOPLE ‘HOPPED TO’, AND HE HAD BIG COMMITTEE CHAIRS FOR ALL AREAS AND THEY COORDINATED UNDERNEATH HIM. SO IT WAS A BIG WEB OF ORGANIZATION, WHICH CERTAINLY DIDN’T HAPPEN IN 2005 AT ALL. AND IT INVOLVED OUR OFFICE QUITE A LOT. IN MY OPINION, PEOPLE USED TO HAVE MORE CIVIC AWARENESS AND PRIDE THAT THEY DO NOW. EVERYBODY IS SO BUSY IN THEIR OWN LIVES THAT THEY DON’T REALLY WANT TO VOLUNTEER. YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD TO GET VOLUNTEERS, AND IT WASN’T LIKE THAT THEN. PEOPLE WANTED TO; THEY WERE INVOLVED, AND THEY WANTED TO BE PART OF THE ACTION. BUT NOW, MAYBE CITY COUNCIL PERCEIVED THAT IN 2005 AND JUST DIDN’T GO THAT WAY, BUT IT CERTAINLY DIDN’T - I CAN’T REMEMBER THAT MUCH ABOUT 2005. CAN YOU? NOT REALLY.” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING DONOR INTERVIEW, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20120018006

Acquisition Date

2012-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail