Calgary & Southern Alberta

Dr. Grant MacEwan: Courtesy of GMCC

Born in 1902 to pioneer parents who farmed near Brandon, Manitoba, and later, Melfort, Saskatchewan, Grant MacEwan attended the Ontario Agricultural College, graduating in 1926. He did post-graduate work in agricultural science at Iowa State University. While serving senior positions at the Universities of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, MacEwan became widely known throughout the West through public service, radio talks, and lectures. After twenty-three years he retired to Calgary to write. He quickly became involved in politics, serving as a city alderman from 1953 to 1955.

Grant MacEwan Community College, Edmonton Campus

He was then elected as a Liberal MLA in the Alberta Legislature. He served as the city’s mayor from 1963 until 1965. MacEwan, however, is best known for his local histories of western Canada and Calgary: Eye Opener Bob, John Ware’s Cow Country, Fifty Might Men, and Blazing Old Cattle Trails. MacEwan was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Alberta in 1965 and held that position for approximately eight years