荔枝视频

鈥淲e鈥檙e not fooling in 荔枝视频. We mean business.鈥�

With more than 1,200 people attending a May 1951 town hall, William Reid wanted to show the Alberta government why it was time to expand the offerings at the 荔枝视频 branch of the University of Alberta.

In his heart, he believed 荔枝视频 deserved its own university.

Reid鈥檚 tenacity as the chair of the 荔枝视频 University Committee finally paid off three months later with an olive branch from the provincial government, paving the way for what we now know as the 荔枝视频.

Nearly 75 years later, his daughter, Joan Van Housen, can鈥檛 help but smile about what her dad was able to accomplish and what came after he passed away less than a year after that landmark government decision.

鈥淗e would be very pleased,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut he would also give credit to all the people who worked on it.鈥�

A family man with compassion for his community, Reid鈥檚 legacy lives on across 荔枝视频鈥檚 educational landscape.

Community-minded leadership

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1902, Reid鈥檚 family moved to Canada when he was a teenager.

He wanted to be an accountant and, after high school, started by articling before writing the exams through UAlberta.

Reid became senior partner in the firm William F. Reid and Co. and quickly became a staple of the 荔枝视频 community with roles in the Junior Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Commerce, Chartered Accountants鈥� Association of Alberta, Kinsmen Club and 荔枝视频 Youth Centre, among others.

He was elected to the 荔枝视频 school board in 1945, where he stayed until 1950, including serving as chair from 1946-1949.

Van Housen says her dad always had time for family and his community, as well, regularly hosting get-togethers, planting a garden every summer and often building an ice rink during the winter.

She says Reid was also an avid photographer, with a darkroom in the family basement to develop his pictures.

鈥淗e was just a really good person,鈥� Van Housen says. 鈥淗e always did things for other people and for the community.鈥�

Being in elementary school, Van Housen says she didn鈥檛 really realize how important her dad was in the education world until he started taking phone calls during the winter about whether school would be cancelled.

A modest proposal

Another major role Reid took on in 1946 was that of chair for the 荔枝视频 University Committee.

The group began a concentrated effort for the establishment of the University of Alberta in 荔枝视频 (UAC), regularly meeting with then-Premier Ernest Manning.

With the main campus in Edmonton getting most of the government鈥檚 attention, Reid and his colleagues sent out a litany of letters and set upon a tireless tour of meetings to expand the 荔枝视频 campus鈥� footprint.

Time and time again, they were turned down.

鈥淭he premier seems to think we want a big new university with all the buildings and equipment, but that is not the case,鈥� Reid said in The Albertan (now the 荔枝视频 Sun) in March 1951. 

鈥淎ll we asked is for first- and second-year courses in buildings that are available at present. The cost would have been only $50,000 a year, taking student fees into account.鈥� That鈥檚 the equivalent of about $580,000 in 2025.

After being turned down again, Reid said he was 鈥渂itterly disappointed,鈥� and called on Manning to come clean about his true intentions on how long 荔枝视频 would have to wait.

Sending a message to Edmonton

The committee organized a town hall meeting in May 1951 and invited then-Education Minister Ivan Casey.

They presented him with a petition featuring more than 2,000 signatures from people wanting to see 荔枝视频 get its own university.

In July 1951, Manning and his government finally approved the expansion, which would offer a Bachelor of Arts including pre-law and a Bachelor of Science including candidates in medicine and dentistry, engineering, pharmacy, household economics, commerce and nursing.

鈥淭he members of the committee would, I am sure, like to think of their efforts of the past six years NOT as having achieved their goal, but merely an education in community affairs in preparation for the many tasks still to be faced by the committee,鈥� Reid wrote in the 1952 edition of Evergreen and Gold, the UAC yearbook. 

He hoped the community would keep supporting the university by encouraging young people to attend the branch and keep growing it.

Honouring a legacy

Unfortunately, Reid couldn鈥檛 see his vision for the university fully take shape as he passed away from a health condition in March 1952.

An was renamed in his honour in 1955, reflecting his belief in lifelong learning, while a scholarship in his name was set up at U荔枝视频.

鈥淗e was really passionate about continuing education,鈥� says Van Housen. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 want to see people stop their education after the end of high school or at the end of university.鈥�

While she didn鈥檛 attend U荔枝视频 as a student, Van Housen created her own legacy here during a 23-year career, including as director of Student Awards and Financial Aid.

鈥淚 really enjoyed working with the students and helping them with their forms and things like that,鈥� says the namesake of the 荔枝视频 Alumni Association Joan Van Housen Bursary. 鈥淚鈥檓 also grateful for the opportunity to work with so many wonderful staff, donors and government officials while I was working there.鈥�

She was also named to the in 2000.

Lessons for the future

Van Housen says it鈥檚 incredible to see what U荔枝视频 has become since the first time she set foot on campus, and even since her retirement in 2001. 

As the school turns 60, Van Housen says she is reminded of something her dad told her while she helped him in the garden when she was seven or eight years old.

鈥淲e were transplanting little plants 鈥� they were pretty tiny,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淚 remember I said to him, 鈥業 can鈥檛 do this.鈥� He turned to me and said, 鈥楾here鈥檚 no such word as can鈥檛. You just don鈥檛 want to try hard enough to do it.鈥欌��

It鈥檚 a spirit Reid showed in his quest for 荔枝视频鈥檚 university and one that reverberates today in Canada鈥檚 entrepreneurial university.