Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

BOY SCOUTS, “THANKS BADGE” “S.M. CHAPMAN”

Date

1963

Materials

ACRYLITE, GLASS, SILVER

No. Pieces

1

Height

6

Length

8.5

Width

2.5

Description

RECTANGULAR PIECE OF CLEAR ACRYLITE WITH HOURGLASS AND STERLING SILVER BADGE EMBEDDED INSIDE. BADGE FEATURES FLEUR DE LIS SYMBOL AND TEXT READING “THANKS BADGE”. GOLD PLAQUE ALONG TOP EDGE HAS ENGRAVED TEXT READING “S.M. CHAPMAN – S.A.R.C. – 1963”. VERY GOOD CONDITION OVERALL.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

History

THIS HOURGLASS DESK ORNAMENT BELONGED TO STUART MCLEOD CHAPMAN, THE FATHER OF THE DONOR, DON CHAPMAN. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ON THE CHAPMAN FAMILY WAS PROVIDED BY THE DONOR AT THE TIME OF DONATION. THE CHAPMANS RESIDED IN LETHBRIDGE FROM 1958 TO 1963. THEY MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE FROM LACOMBE, ALBERTA, AFTER STUART ACCEPTED THE POSITION OF ADMINISTRATOR OF THE GALT REHABILITATION CENTRE, LOCATED IN THE OLD GALT HOSPITAL BUILDING. IN 1963 THE FAMILY MOVED TO LANGLEY, B.C. WHERE STUART BECAME THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE LANGLEY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. WHILE IN LETHBRIDGE, STUART WAS ACTIVE IN SUPPORTING SCOUTING ON THE SOUTHERN ALBERTA REGIONAL COUNCIL. HE WAS ALSO INVOLVED IN THE LIONS CLUB, AS HE HAD BEEN IN LACOMBE AND CONTINUED TO BE IN LANGLEY, AND ALONG WITH HIS WIFE, BETTE, WAS AMONG THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF MCKILLOP UNITED CHURCH. STEWART CHAPMAN DIED IN BURNABY, B.C. IN 2001. ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2014, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED DON CHAPMAN ABOUT HIS FAMILY’S TIME IN LETHBRIDGE AND MEMORIES RELATED TO THE SPECIFIC DONATED OBJECTS. CHAPMAN SAID: “I WAS BORN IN 1947 AND WE CAME [TO LETHBRIDGE] BECAUSE MY FATHER GOT A JOB HERE… IT WAS EXCITING. WE HAD NO IDEA WHERE LETHBRIDGE WAS… IT WAS KIND OF LIKE, FINALLY THE FAMILY IS GETTING A FINANCIAL FOOTING AND THERE WAS A CAREER PATH AHEAD… THE MOVE TO LETHBRIDGE WAS KIND OF LIKE A NEW START… CERTAINLY FOR ME, LETHBRIDGE WAS FORMATIVE YEARS… [MY FATHER] WAS INVOLVED IN [LIONS CLUB] FOR YEARS, AND IN THOSE DAYS, MY SENSE IS THAT SERVICE CLUBS WERE VERY SIGNIFICANT BOTH IN NETWORKING AND IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT… WHEN HE CAME TO LETHBRIDGE WITH NO PARTICULAR CONNECTIONS… THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A WAY TO INTEGRATE HIMSELF… [AND] HE WOULD HAVE BEEN EMBRACED AND BECOME A SIGNIFICANT PART OF IT QUITE QUICKLY… I SUSPECT THAT LIONS CLUB TO HIM AS AN ADULT WAS WHAT SCOUTING TO ME WAS AS A YOUTH… DAD WAS VERY WELL-LIKED HERE IN THE COMMUNITY AND HE BELIEVED IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT… DAD WAS MORE OF A RACONTEUR THAN I AM, SO HE WOULD’VE JUST KEPT [THE OBJECTS] AS A MOMENTO OR TOTEM OF THE FACT THAT HE WAS HERE.” OF THIS SPECIFIC ARTIFACT, CHAPMAN SAID: “BECAUSE [MY FATHER] WAS THE SECRETARY-TREASURER OF THE SOUTHERN ALBERTA REGION OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF CANADA… IN THE SCOUTING COMMUNITY AT THE TIME IT WAS QUITE AN HONOUR TO GET A ‘THANKS’ BADGE… THERE USED TO BE A CATALOGUE… THE SCOUTING GROUPS COULD [ORDER] A THANKS BADGE TO GIVE TO SOMEONE, SO THE SOUTHERN ALBERTA REGION GAVE THAT TO HIM FOR HIS CONTRIBUTION DURING HIS TIME IN LETHBRIDGE.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPIES OF FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT.

Catalogue Number

P20140034015

Acquisition Date

2014-09

Collection

Museum

Less detail