Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1980

Date Range To

1990

Materials

BRASS, NYLON, VINYL

No. Pieces

2

Height

0.2

Length

40.9

Diameter

3.2

Description

CIRCULAR GOLD MEDALLION WITH 2 PURPLE RIBBONS LOOPED THROUGH SPLIT BAR AT TOP. FACE OF MEDALLION HAS GOLD, RED, GREEN, AND BLACK ENAMELED IMAGE. QUESTION MARK AT CENTRE IN CREST, WITH ANCHOR BELOW. LETTERS "R O J" AROUND CIRCUMFERENCE. "42" STAMPED AT BOTTOM. REVERSE OF MEDALLION IDENTICAL. TWO PURPLE RIBBONS ARE 0.8CM WIDE. INCLUDES BLACK VINYL (LEATHERETTE) POUCH WITH FLAP AT TOP, FASTENED BY SNAP. "R.O.J." STAMPED IN GOLD IN BOTTOM LEFT CORNER. UNKNOWN RESIDUE ON BACK OF CASE.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

History

DONOR'S HUSBAND, ANDY ANDERSON, WAS A MEMBER OF THE ODDFELLOWS BEFORE HIS MARRIAGE (BEGINNING IN THE 1930S). ANDERSON WAS LETHBRIDGE'S LONGEST-SERVING MAYOR; SEE PREVIOUS DONATIONS FOR MORE HISTORY. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MILITARY OBJECTS, INCLUDING SOME ORIGINAL OWNED BY A. C. ANDERSON. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ABOUT A. C. ANDERSON WAS RETREIVED 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"] *UPDATE 2023* IN 2019, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A COLLECTIONS AUDIT, WHICH INCLUDED ARTIFACTS DONATED BY "ANDERSON, RITA." IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE CORRECT SPELLING OF THE DONOR'S FIRST NAME IS "RHETA" AND THE DONOR FIELD HAS BEEN AMENDED TO REFLECT THE CORRECT SPELLING. 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. ON THE ARTIFACT MURRAY STATED, “OH, IT’S AN ODD FELLOWS, THAT’S WHAT THAT IS. HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE ODD FELLOWS HERE IN LETHBRIDGE, SO I WOULD SUSPECT THAT’S A PIN THAT THEY WORE. … WE’LL CALL IT A SERVICE CLUB, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD. ONE OF THE MANY THAT HE BELONGED TO. … HE WAS INVOLVED IN LOTS AND LOTS OF ORGANIZATIONS. LOTS AND LOTS. I REMEMBER MY MOM ALWAYS SAYING, 'GEEZ, I GOT ANOTHER DINNER TO GO TO.' AND SHE – TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, SHE GOT RATHER TIRED OF THAT. SHE SAID, 'YOU KNOW, I MEAN, HOW MANY ROAST BEEF DINNERS CAN YOU GO TO IN A YEAR?'” PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE P19970018000 FOR FULL INTERVIEW AND FURTHER INFORMATION, INCLUDING ARCHIVAL RESEARCH FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD.

Catalogue Number

P19980028002

Acquisition Date

1998-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail