Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

P19870034001-023-GA

Date

1978

Materials

CARDBOARD, PLASTIC, BRONZE

No. Pieces

3

Length

14.4

Width

8.6

Description

CASE DIMENSIONS ABOVE. ROYAL BLUE CARDBOARD CARD ENCLOSED IN A CLEAR PLASTIC ENVELOPE. ONE SIDE HAS THE OUTLINE OF THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, WITH VARIOUS LOCATIONS MARKED, SUCH AS SYNCRUDE. ABOVE IS A BRONZE OVAL MEDALLION MARKED "OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE SYNCRUDE PROJECT FORT MCMURRAY ALBERTA SEPTEMBER 15TH 1978." ON THE REVERSE SIDE OF THE MEDALLION IS THE IMAGE OF AN OVERBURDEN SHOVEL, WITH "SYNCRUDE" EMBOSSED BELOW IT. IN GOLD TEXT ON THE CARD IS A SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT, AND PETER LOUGHEED'S ENDORSMENT.

Subjects

DOCUMENTARY ARTIFACT

Historical Association

COMMEMORATIVE

History

SEE P19870034001-GA. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON COMPILED THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ABOUT A. C. ANDERSON FROM GALT ARCHIVES RECORD 20061053009: "ANDREW CHARLES (ANDY) ANDERSON WAS BORN IN 1909 IN SHABBONA, ILLINOIS, THE ELDEST OF SIX CHILDREN OF CHARLES ERIC AND BERTHA ANDERSON (NEE OSTERVIG). THE ANDERSON FAMILY MOVED TO CHAMPION, ALBERTA IN 1912. ANDY ANDERSON WORKED ON THE FAMILY FARM UNTIL 1930, A YEAR AFTER HIS FATHER’S DEATH. HE THEN DECIDED TO LEAVE THE FARM AND ENTER THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA. IN 1934 MR. ANDERSON GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA WITH A PHM.C. (PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMIST) DEGREE. HE APPRENTICED WITH J.D. HENDERSON IN CHAMPION, AND THEN MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE WHERE HE WAS EMPLOYED BY THE R.J. KITSON PHARMACY FOR 14 YEARS. IN 1948 MR. ANDERSON ESTABLISHED ANDERSON’S MEDICAL DENTAL PHARAMCY. THE PHARMACY STILL OPERATES UNDER THE OWNERSHIP OF MR. ANDERSON’S SON MURRAY. ANDY ANDERSON MARRIED HIS WIFE RHETA IN 1938 IN CHAMPION. AS WELL AS THEIR SON MURRAY, THE ANDERSONS HAD A DAUGHTER MARILYN (MARRIED LEW HUTCHISON). ANDY ANDERSON ENTERED PUBLIC LIFE IN 1950 WHEN HE WAS ELECTED TO THE LETHBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD (LPSB). HE SERVED ON THE LPSB FOR 14 YEARS AND WAS ITS CHAIRMAN IN 1954, 1958 AND 1962. IN 1964, ANDY ANDERSON WAS ELECTED TO LETHBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL AND SERVED AS AN ALDERMAN UNTIL 1968. IN MARCH 1968 MR. ANDERSON BECAME THE MAYOR OF LETHBRIDGE WHEN HE CHOSEN FOR THE POSITION BY THE OTHER MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL FOLLOWING MAYOR FRANK SHERRING’S RESIGNATION ON 5 MARCH 1968. ANDY ANDERSON BECAME THE LONGEST SERVING MAYOR IN LETHBRIDGE HISTORY, RETIRING FROM OFFICE IN 1986. HE WON FOUR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS, AND WAS ACCLAIMED MAYOR TWICE AS WELL. AS WELL AS HIS POLITICAL CAREER AND PHARMACY BUSINESS, MR. ANDERSON WAS INVOLVED WITH A WIDE RANGE OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL. AMONG THEM ARE THE LETHBRIDGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, ST. MICHAEL’S HOSPITAL ADVISORY BOARD, UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE SENATE AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS, LETHBRIDGE RECREATION COMMISSION, THE COMMUNITY CHEST, SOUTHMINSTER UNITED CHURCH, ROYAL CANADIAN SEA CADET CORPS, CANADIAN WESTERN NATURAL GAS, MASONIC LODGE NO. 39, THE KINSMEN CLUB, THE ROTARY CLUB, INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS (IOOF), CHINOOK CLUB AND THE BENEVOLENT AND PROTECTIVE ORDER OF ELKS (BPOE). HE WAS ALSO AN HONOURARY MEMBER OF THE LETHBRIDGE AND DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, GENERAL STEWART BRANCH NO. 4 ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION, AND THE POLISH COMBATANTS ASSOCIATION. ANDY ANDERSON ALSO SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF THE CANADIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THE PROVINCIAL MUNICIPAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THE EXECUTIVE OF THE CANADIAN FEDERATION OF MAYORS AND MUNICIPALITIES, THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AUTHORITY COMMITTEE, HONOURARY PRESIDENT OF ST. JOHN AMBULANCE, AND AS THE HONOURARY COLONEL OF THE 20TH INDEPENDENT FIELD BATTERY RCA. AMONG THE AWARDS AND HONOURS ANDY ANDERSON RECEIVED DURING HIS LIFE WERE A PAUL HARRIS FELLOWSHIP FROM ROTARY INTERNATIONAL; CERTIFICATE OF MERIT FROM THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION; GOOD CITIZENSHIP AWARD FROM THE IOOF; CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARD FROM THE JAYCEES (1985); AWARD OF EXCELLENCE FROM THE ALBERTA URBAN MUNICIPALITIES ASSOCIATION (1983); MERITORIUS SERVICE AWARD FROM THE CANADIAN PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION (1977); ROBINS COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD (1963); THE QUEEN’S MEDAL (1977); BROTHER OF THE ORDER OF ST. JOHN (1983), LATER PROMOTED TO OFFICER; HONOURARY DOCTOR OF LAWS DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE (1985); AND A MEMBER OF THE ORDER OF CANADA (1985). ANDREW CHARLES ANDERSON DIED ON 23 APRIL 1996 AND IS BURIED IN MOUNTAIN VIEW CEMETERY, LETHBRIDGE. HIS WIFE RHETA DIED IN 2011 AND IS BURIED IN MOUNTAIN VIEW CEMETERY AS WELL. [SOURCE: ARCHIVES VERTICAL FILE, "PEOPLE, IDENTIFIED - A"] SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR MORE INFORMATION. *UPDATE (2023)* IN 2019, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A COLLECTIONS AUDIT, WHICH INCLUDED ARTIFACTS DONATED BY RHETA ANDERSON, MAYOR A.C. ANDERSON’S WIFE. THE SON OF ANDREW AND RHETA ANDERSON, MURRAY ANDERSON, WAS INTERVIEWED BY PUNDYK ON FEBRUARY 2, 2019 TO ADD FURTHER CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE ARTIFACTS. NO SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THIS ITEM WAS PRESENTED. MURRAY, DISCUSSING OIL SAMPLES IN THE SAME DONATION, “THIS FROM THE TAR SANDS, WELL, THE CANADIAN OIL SANDS. IT WAS A DONATION, OR A COMMEMORATIVE – I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE CONNECTION TO THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE WOULD BE OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT – UNLESS THEY WENT UP THERE AS A DELEGATION SOME TIME OR – I DON’T THINK MY DAD WENT UP THERE BUT … I CAN’T REMEMBER.” ON HIS FATHER’S OFFICE, MURRAY STATED, “I WENT TO HIS OFFICE A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME WHEN IT WAS IN THE OLD CITY HALL. BUT, NOT AS MUCH IN THE NEW CITY HALL. …[HE HAD A LOT OF THINGS ON DISPLAY IN HIS OFFICE] , ESPECIALLY IN HIS OFFICE IN THE OLD CITY HALL… I THOUGHT THIS WAS REALLY, REALLY NEAT WHEN I WAS GROWING UP.” IN A LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLE ON OCTOBER 19, 1985, DISCUSSING MAYOR ANDERSONS UPCOMING RETIREMENT, THEY DESCRIBE HIS OFFICE; “THE 76-YEAR OLD MAYOR’S OFFICE IS FULL OF MEMORABILIA, RANGING FROM AN ORIGINAL CPR CLOCK TO A HOCKEY PUCK PRESENTED AT A MINOR TOURNAMENT.” REMEMBERING HIS FATHER AS THE MAYOR, “HE COULD NOT WALK DOWN THE STREET WITHOUT STOPPING AND SAYING, ‘HELLO’ TO SOMEONE. OR, SOMEONE COMING UP TO HIM AND WANTING TO SAY ‘HELLO’ AND TALK AND STUFF LIKE THAT. I REMEMBER LOTS OF TIMES HE WOULD GET PHONE CALLS WHEN HE WAS MAYOR, SAYING, 'YOU KNOW, THEY CLOSED MY BACK LANE OUT AND I CAN’T GET OUT TO GO TO CHURCH. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?' YOU KNOW, THOSE TYPE OF THINGS? … HE WAS ALWAYS POLITE TO THEM AND USUALLY DIRECTED THEM TO SOME PLACE IN THE CITY WHERE THEY COULD GET THEIR ANSWERS. SO, YEAH, WELL-LIKED, YOU KNOW.” PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE P19970018000 FOR FULL INTERVIEW AND FURTHER INFORMATION, INCLUDING ARCHIVAL RESEARCH FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD.

Catalogue Number

P19870034013

Acquisition Date

1987-11

Collection

Museum

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