James McCaig is the first Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools. McCaig served from July 20, 1906 to October 31, 1913. Ten permanent schools were built during the seven years that he served and five more were nearing completion at the time of his resignation. Superintendent McCaig was a progressive thinker in terms of educational philosophy. He stated that “The ultimate end of school work is character building”. He proposed expanded household science, music, and physical education classes in the belief that a richer curriculum would help keep pupils in school.

W.L. Richardson was the acting Superintendent for Edmonton Public Schools from November to December 1913.

William G. Carpenter is the second Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools. Carpenter served in this role from 1914 to 1923. At the time of his appointment, Carpenter was principal of Victoria High School. One of his first tasks as superintendent was to introduce a night school program for new Canadians. Throughout the First World War, Carpenter kept in close personal contact with most of the staff members who served in the military overseas.

Unlike his predecessor, James McCaig who used a horse-drawn rig for transport, Superintendent Carpenter used his automobile, which he purchased in 1919, when making school visits. In 1921, he applied to the Board to cover the cost of new tires, explaining that he had already spent $143.10 on tire repairs and that he used the car almost entirely for work. His request was denied; however his travel allowance was increased to $35/month.

Mr. Carpenter left his position as Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools to become principal of the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary. He later became Alberta’s Provincial Director of Technical Education.

George McKee is the third Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools. McKee was appointed in 1924. He remained in this capacity for 17 years until his retirement in 1940. Periods of stability, depression and financial cutbacks were experienced during his tenure.

In his first year as Superintendent, McKee participated in opening ceremonies for three new schools: Garneau, Riverdale and Frank Scott (later renamed Eastwood). McKee was well liked by the teachers and remarkably few teachers resigned or left the Division during his time as Superintendent.

Ross Sheppard is the fourth Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools. During the Sheppard years, the number of permanent schools increased from 30 to 63, student enrolment increased by almost 1,000 students per year, and permanent staff doubled. Teachers' salaries almost doubled from an average annual salary of $2088 in 1940 to $3896 in 1955. Per pupil costs of education increased from $89.19 to $238.25 during the same period.

Ross Sheppard is remembered as a man who tried to maintain close contact with the staff, even to the point of handing out cheques to all the teachers on the last day of June. Sheppard graciously thanked each teacher for his or her efforts during the year and took pride in calling each teacher by name, seldom making a mistake in doing so.

Ross Sheppard High School, built in 1957, was named in Sheppard's honour.

William P. Wagner is the fifth Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools.

Dr. Peter F. Bargen was the sixth Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools.

Tom Baker was the acting Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools from July 1967 to June 1968.

Dr. Roland W. Jones was the seventh Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools.

Michael A. Strembitsky was the eighth Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools.

Angus McBeath was the tenth Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools.

Emery Dosdall was the ninth Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools.

Edgar Schmidt is the twelfth Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools.

Lyall Thomson was the eleventh Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools.

Darrel Robertson was the thirteenth Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools.

Abbie Scott was a member of the Edmonton Grad basketball team of 1923-1924, which won the world basketball championships held in Edmonton in 1923. The team traveled to Europe in 1924. The team disbanded in 1940. Scott was a member of the Edmonton Grads Club, an alumni association, and took part in the ceremony inducting the team into Edmonton Hall of Fame in 1973.

Sarah Wilson was acting Secretary-Treasurer from October 1921 to October 1922. Wilson was Secretary-Treasurer from October 1922 to September 1925.

John Cameron was the Secretary-Treasurer for the Edmonton Public School Board of Trustees from 1886 to 1896.

St. George Jellett was the Secretary-Treasurer for the Edmonton Public School Board of Trustees from 1893 to 1908.

W. Bradey was the Secretary-Treasurer for the Edmonton Public School Board of Trustees from April 1908 to October 1921.

Tom Meen was the Secretary-Treasurer for the Edmonton Public School Board of Trustees from January 1956 to January 1974.

Ray A. Jones was the Board Secretary for the Edmonton Public School Board of Trustees from 1979 to 1990.

Vernon was a pioneer, in spirit and deed, in the early days of instrumental music education in schools with several trailblazing ideas and inaugural events upon which others would build.

Artist.

William Walter Butchart, born in England in 1906, but educated in Vulcan, Alberta, was appointed Architect and Superintendent of Plant by the Edmonton Public School Board in November 1946. Butchart attended the Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary, worked with F.H. MacDonald, and then with the Architectural Branch, Alberta Department of Public Works, before assuming that position, and had applied for membership in the AAA in February 1944 and May 1945. Butchart produced many standard school plans and special school plans for the Alberta Department of Education, and during the Second World War, designed plans such as that for the Infirmary at the Red Deer Training School. He left an extensive imprint on the public school system during a period of rapid suburban growth during the fifteen years following the Second World War. W.W. Butchart was responsible for over forty Edmonton Public Schools.

Reverend David George McQueen was First Presbyterian Church's second - and most significant - minister. His ministerial tenure of forty-three years, one of the longest recorded in Alberta, helped to establish the Presbyterian presence in Alberta. McQueen came to Edmonton shortly after graduating from Knox College, Toronto. He followed Reverent James Robertson’s call to the West, arriving in Edmonton in the summer of 1887.

Once in Edmonton, he served briefly with Dr. Andrew Baird, who began the work of organizing congregations in the area in 1881. He quickly built upon this foundation and throughout Edmonton and the surrounding area, new congregations were formed under his guidance. During McQueen’s service as minister of First Presbyterian Church, he helped build, strengthen and maintain a Presbyterian presence in the West. He was elected as Moderator of the General Assembly in 1912 and as Interim Moderator of the General Assembly of the continuing Presbyterian Church in 1925 during the turbulent time of church union. McQueen passed away in 1930.

There is a series of five photographs, The Cottingley Fairies, taken by Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths, two young cousins who lived in Cottingley, near Bradford in England. In 1917, when the first two photographs were taken, Elsie was 16 years old and Frances was 9. The pictures came to the attention of writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who used them to illustrate an article on fairies he had been commissioned to write for the Christmas 1920 edition of The Strand Magazine. Doyle was enthusiastic about the photographs and interpreted them as clear and visible evidence of supernatural phenomena. Public reaction was mixed; some accepted the images as genuine, others believed that they had been faked.

Marla Wilson traces her love of nature to her childhood in Mountain Park, Alberta. A well-educated artist, Marla began taking art classes at the age of six. Marla continued her formal art education with sculpture & advanced drawing classes at the University of Alberta. Marla paints with dedication and commitment to authenticity. She loves her subject and has diligently studied animal anatomy, plant life and landscape. She has worked in various media, but has found that acrylics and oils best suit her subject and technique. The results are much sought after by public galleries and private collectors. Marla Wilson's work has received worldwide recognition. Her work is found in private & corporate collections in Japan, Peru, Bahrain, England, Wales, Chile, the United States and Canada. Her image "Western Prairie" was awarded "Jurors' Choice for Best New Artist" at the 2003 Calgary Stampede Western Art Auction. While wildlife has traditionally comprised a large portion of Marla's works, she has recently been creating several paintings of Western Canada landscapes. These dynamic images are proving to be very popular amongst collectors of both originals and limited edition works.

Watercolour artist and art educator, Murray MacDonald, was born June 18, 1898, in Nova Scotia. MacDonald started sketching at the age of six. At this time, he focused primarily on delineating the sinking of the Titanic. On his 18th birthday, MacDonald enlisted in the army and was posted in Siberia. While on tour, he sketched frequently; unfortunately, he left his sketchbook in Siberia. After returning home, MacDonald taught at several rural schools. He eventually moved to Edmonton, where his career as an art educator flourished. He taught Applied Design at a technical high school, instructed at a division of the University of Alberta, and eventually became the Supervisor of Art for the Edmonton School Board. MacDonald also took time to instruct at The Banff School of Fine Arts (today The Banff Centre). It is here that MacDonald met A.Y. Jackson. MacDonald also taught classes at the University of Washington, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, and at the Edmonton Art Gallery. In 1960, MacDonald retired; however, he was quickly asked to become a visiting professor in Art Education for the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta. MacDonald worked primarily in the realm of watercolour painting; however, he occasionally experimented with oil and acrylic as well. His subject matter was primarily landscapes; however, his painting style ranged from abstract to realism. For his exceptional contributions to art education, he received the Government Achievement Award for Excellence in 1979, and a honourary degree from the University of Alberta.

Teacher at Alex Taylor School.

An artist who gifted oil paintings to Sherbrooke School in 1963.

A former teacher at Sherbrooke School from 1958-1960 donated an oil painting of Mount Edith, in Banff, Alberta, to Sherbrooke School.

Born in Gloucester in 1893, Dorothy was the first woman to be appointed as the Official Royal Photographer (for the 1937 coronation). She built an illustrious career as a society and royal photographer.

Artist.

Thelma Manarey was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. As a young girl, Manarey received tutelage from Florence Mortimer, a well-known painter and teacher located in Edmonton. From 1939-1943, Manarey studied at the Institute of Technology and Art (today the Alberta College of Art & Design). At the Institute, Manarey had the opportunity to study with the famous landscape painter, H.G. Glyde. Although Manarey is generally known for her small etchings, she explored many different types of mediums and artistic styles. Manarey tried her hand at: impressionism, realism, cubism, and abstract impressionism. In the late 40’s, she learned the art of the serigraph. Later, during the 1950’s and 1960’s, she studied etching with Harry Savage as well as stone lithography in Toronto, Ontario.

Manarey, like so many other notable Albertan artists, was a great admirer of the Alberta Landscape and the natural and man-made icons of the province. These objects, such as trees and elevators, often became the subject matter of her etchings and paintings. In 1973, Manarey received the Performing and Creative Arts Award from the City of Edmonton. Additionally, the Alberta Society of Artists honoured Manarey with the gift of a Lifetime Membership. Today, Manarey’s works reside primarily at the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Nickle Arts Museum in Calgary, and the University of Calgary.

Artist.

John Gordon Sinclair was born in Komoka, Ontario, in 1889. After attending Normal School in London, Ontario, he taught school for several years in Ontario before moving to Edmonton, Alberta, in 1912. He had originally intended to take a job in Saskatchewan, but when that position fell through, he carried on to Edmonton. There, he found employment at the Edmond Technical School, where he taught art and design for 25 years. He was later the principal at McKay Avenue School, from which he retired in 1955. Sinclair was also known for his landscape and portrait painting.

Rose was born on April 14, 1916, on a homestead north of St. Paul, Alberta. As an artist, she was known professionally as Rose Leonard, portraying floral arrangements, scenery and wildlife with exceptional realism in all media. For her work, she had many awards and prizes from venues across Canada. She was most pleased with two local recognitions: One was a "Performing and Creative Arts Award" from the City of Edmonton; the other was a Y.W.C.A. "Tribute to Women Award".

Photographer.

A. Y. Jackson, CC, CMG, was a Canadian painter and a founding member of the Group of Seven. Jackson made a significant contribution to the development of art in Canada and was successful in bringing together the artists of Montreal and Toronto. He exhibited with the Group of Seven from 1920. In addition to his work with the Group of Seven, his long career included serving as a war artist during World War I (1917–19) and teaching at the Banff School of Fine Arts from 1943 to 1949. In his later years, he was artist-in-residence at the McMichael Gallery in Kleinberg, Ontario.