Distinguished Citizens

Doug Elliott’s commitment to learning has played a key role in Lakeland College’s success.

From 2005 to 2011, Doug served as the chair of the Lakeland College Board of Governors. He oversaw progressive changes at Lakeland while always stressing the importance of financial stability, program quality and excellent student service. Lakeland’s programming increased, student enrolment grew and facilities and land base expanded during Doug’s tenure as chair.

The former schoolteacher and lifelong farmer also served as a program advisory committee member for the crop technology program and was a panel member on producer forums organized by students.

“Education is absolutely critical because it’s the first step in a lifelong journey of learning. The best thing that any student can learn is how to learn and how much there is to learn,” says Doug. “The purpose of Lakeland College is to give our students an opportunity to reach their potential, achieve their goals and get a great start on life.”

A longstanding supporter of Lakeland, Doug purchased a lifetime alumni membership and established the Joan Elliott Memorial Scholarship in memory of his late wife.

Doug’s volunteerism goes beyond Lakeland. Over the years, he’s served as a board chair or director of several cooperatives and industry organizations, including the Eastalta Co-op, Vermilion Seed Cleaning Co-op Association, Alberta Canola Producers Commission and the Canola Council of Canada. For his significant contributions and achievements, Doug was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

“The highlight of my work has been the people. I feel very fortunate to have been surrounded by good people and they deserve so much credit.”

An act of kindness is never wasted, according to Mary Holtby, whose accomplishments have significantly influenced her family and community.

While Mary and her husband, Harold, were building their multi-generation, mixed farm operation near Marshall, Sask., they were also building their community. Together, they helped with several initiatives including the Marshall Three Links Community Centre and the first covered ice-skating rink.

With the Odd Fellows and Rebekah Lodges, Mary spearheaded the Marshall School breakfast program. The surrounding community also benefitted from their community spirit. They contributed to the development of Lloydminster’s Junior A hockey team and projects such as the indoor swimming pool and the Vic Juba Community Theatre.

For over 55 years, Mary has been a proud member of the Marshall Golden Jubilee Rebekah Lodge #133 and served as noble grand (president) several times. She also served at the provincial and international levels. Mary was awarded the Decoration of Chivalry for outstanding service to the Rebekahs and community.

Mary served on the Lloydminster and District Co-op Board of Directors and as a Lakeland College Advocacy Committee chair. She was also a member of the Lakeland College Board of Governors and supported the Bill Kondro Wing addition.

“It was important to us to be involved in the community and help build it to be a great place to live and raise our family. A leader works hard, tells the truth and always strives to do the right thing. They help where and when they can, and they never stop learning."

Judy Woyewitka was never one to sit back and wait for life to happen. When she decided something is worth doing it’s done and done well. Whether as the first female mayor of Vermilion or Lakeland College’s first registrar, that’s an approach that guided her in many different roles.

Since 1969, Judy has championed the Town of Vermilion and Lakeland College.

At Lakeland, Judy was an accounts clerk, switchboard operator, Continuing Education secretary, registrar, academic advisor, and Marketing and Communications manager. She was also a member of Academic Council and Lakeland’s Board of Governors.

For Vermilion, she was a town councillor and then mayor. She was a member of several committees and organization including the Vermilion Heritage Park Committee, Vermilion Seniors’ Centre executive, and a trustee at Faith Lutheran Church.

She also spearheaded the Vermilion Regional Centre development, assisted in the Vermilion Senior Citizen’s Centre upgrade, and was integral to various infrastructure projects. She received numerous accolades such as Vermilion’s Woman of the Year, the Alberta Centennial Medal, Staff Appreciation Award from Lakeland students, and Outstanding Student Service Award from the Colleges and Universities of Alberta.

Judy always said: “To be a leader you have to have a vision, put it into practice and, most importantly, you have to get people to follow your vision. If no one thinks your vision is worthy then you're not a leader, you're taking a walk.

Starting in oilfield service work with one pumper truck, oilfield pioneer 

Born and raised in Lashburn, Sask., Richard planned to take over his family’s grain farm. However a few years into the oilfield sector proved successful for Richard. It didn’t take long for Richard to go on his own and start Kilinger’s in 1976.

Richard grew Klinger’s into a major company with operations in Lloydminster, Bonnyville, Vermilion, Edmonton, Lashburn, Macklin and the Northwest Territories. Under Richard’s leadership, Klinger’s pioneered many innovations such as a ‘stinging’ process for removal of sand from cold heavy oil production tanks, a dry sand transport vehicle and master driver certification program.

The company also held alliances with Imperial Oil’s Cold Lake operation and Husky Energy’s Lloydminster operation. The company held those contracts long after Richard sold Klinger’s to Flint Energy Services in 2001, the same year the Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce recognized Klinger’s as the Business of the Year. When Klinger’s was sold, the company was operating with more than 300 employees and 150 service trucks.

Richard remains active in the community. He’s the past president of the local Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative Constituency Association, a major donor and supporter of the Lashburn Community Hall, and the founding and major donor to Project Sunrise through the Lloydminster Region Health Foundation.

However, there are few people with a longer history of community service and support than John.

After attending the University of Alberta and then the University of Montana where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1957, John worked for Hudson’s Bay Company in Edmonton.

In 1959, John returned to his hometown of Vermilion and joined Craig Brothers Ltd. He quickly immersed himself in the business and the community.

John was involved in numerous organizations including the Vermilion Agricultural Society, Vermilion and District Chamber of Commerce, and Kinsmen Club of Vermilion.

Under his leadership, Craig’s supported many youth teams and organizations including 4-H. For 49 years, the business hosted a luncheon for the Vermilion District 4-H Interclub Beef Show's buyers, leaders and guests.

Craig’s was the longest consecutive donor to Lakeland’s awards program, providing student awards since 1927.

John and his wife Sally, who passed away in 2015, also funded an on-campus gallery to showcase the work of interior design technology students.

For his years of service, John received a lifetime membership in the Association of Kinsmen Clubs of Canada in 1977, the Melvin Jones Fellow award from the Lions Clubs International Foundation in 1990, and an Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005. The County of Vermilion River presented Craig’s with the Agribusiness of the Year award in 2011.

What started as 13-year-old Ken Kay’s summer job at a John Deere dealership turned into a life-long career in agriculture.

Born in Sudbury, Ont., in 1937, Ken and his family moved to a farm near Unity, Sask., in 1939 and then to Blackfoot, Alta. in 1948. When Ken was 13-years-old, he worked at the John Deere dealership in St. Walburg, setting up binders as his summer job. The next year he started working at John Tingley’s farm and going to school from there.

To get a high school education, Ken enrolled in boarding school in Kitscoty, Alta. While there he took construction, mechanics and welding at the Vermilion School of Agriculture.

John Tingley bought the John Deere dealership in Lloydminster in 1957 and Ken started working at the business. Within a few years he became partner. He credits Agland’s amazing staff for helping build a successful dealership. In turn, Agland has given back to the community, supporting health foundations, arenas, halls and other initiatives in the region.

In addition to family and work, community service is very important to Ken. He is a 30 year member of the Lloydminster Rotary Club, and a 50 year member of the Elks Club. In 2010 he was named Lloydminster Lions Club’s Citizen of the Year. Ken was also instrumental in the modernization and expansion of the Grace United Church in Lloydminster.

Of all his accomplishments, Ken is most proud of his family: his children, their spouses, his grandchildren, and his 59-year marriage to Jean who passed away in 2015.

Well-thumbed, shared by friends and family, and even soiled by recipe ingredients, Company’s Coming cookbooks are fixtures in kitchens throughout Canada and around the world, thanks to Jean Paré.

Born in Irma, Alta., Jean’s career in the kitchen began in the mid-1960s when she opened a café in her home town of Vermilion, Alta. She moved on to run a home-based catering service for more than 18 years. Her first catering job was in 1963 for 1,000 guests at the 50th anniversary of the Vermilion School of Agriculture, now Lakeland College. 

In 1981, Jean wrote and published her first cookbook – 150 Delicious Squares – focusing on popular treats from her catering events. The first printing of 15,000 copies sold out in under six weeks. That proved to be the first of many cookbooks in the Company’s Coming series that Jean authored.

Jean’s easy-to-follow recipes using readily available ingredients led to sales of more than 30 million Company’s Coming cookbooks before her retirement in 2010. As one of the top-selling cookbook authors in the world, Jean’s name appears on more than 200 cookbooks.

Jean’s culinary passion led her to amass more than 6,000 cookbooks – an impressive collection that she donated to the Culinary Collections at the University of Guelph in 2011. 

In 2003, Jean was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal, and in 2004 she was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

For nearly four decades Ross Ulmer has excelled in the business community – a feat he attributes to his family’s philosophy of giving back.

Growing up in North Battleford, Sask., Ross watched his father Joe work his way from the parts department to dealer at Boyd Brothers, a Chevrolet dealership. His community involvement was an inspiration to Ross.

Before working in automotives, Ross studied music professionally obtaining a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Following two years with the RCMP Band in Ottawa, Ross joined the family business.

After working as a service manager at Ulmer Chev, Ross became a partner with his brother Doug and father in 1984. By the time they expanded their business to Lloydminster in 1987, they had three dealerships. The Ulmer Auto Group currently numbers 12 automotive dealerships and one RV business. 

An ardent commitment to customer service and community has garnered Ulmer Auto Group a number of accolades including a CADA Laureate Award, Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year, Mayor’s Award for Sustained Support of the Arts, Motor Dealer Association of Alberta – Rural Dealer of the Year, and four-time winner of the GM Triple Crown award.

However, the accomplishments that are most meaningful to Ross include his marriage of close to 40 years and his three incredible daughters, current and former business partners, and his community contributions.
 
Known for his community involvement, Ross has been an instrumental supporter of numerous organizations including the Lloydminster Regional Theatre Foundation, local Rotary Clubs, Lloydminster Region Health Foundation, Lakeland College and First Baptist Church, among many others.

Highly successful entrepreneur and dedicated community builder are just a few of the ways one could describe Bill Musgrave.

In 1978 Bill Musgrave arrived in Lloydminster, ready to plant roots in the community and continue his real estate and land development business. As owner of Musgrave Agencies – a family run and operated business – Bill Musgrave’s corporate philosophy is one of building and investing in neighbourhoods, not projects. “You don’t want to just design an area for housing, you want to design a neighbourhood that is going to accommodate families for quite a long time,” he says.

For more than 37 years, Musgrave Agencies has demonstrated innovation and leadership in the development of large-scale residential neighbourhoods, multi-family dwellings, adult communities and commercial developments.

Giving back to the community he has been instrumental in building continues to be a top priority for Bill Musgrave. From Habitat for Humanity Lloydminster to the Vic Juba Community Theatre, Streetscapes and the Twinkle Tour, a long list of organizations and events have benefited from the support of Bill Musgrave and Musgrave Agencies.

For their achievements and commitment to community, Musgrave Agencies received the Business of the Year award from the Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce in 2006 and was honoured with the Donna Moore Community Spirit award in 2012. In 2013, the Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce recognized Bill Musgrave for his work in the community with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Community is just terribly important,” says Musgrave. “Park developments and neighbourhoods for families to grow in are so important for our city. We do what we can to make Lloydminster a happy place to live.”

How will this affect students?

That’s a question Glenn Charlesworth, Lakeland College’s seventh president and chief executive officer, asked himself and challenged others to consider when making decisions.

When he became president in 2006, he said his fundamental goal was to make Lakeland College a student-focused organization. He also stressed the importance of fiscal sustainability and the need to secure funding for capital projects.

By December 2013, at the end of his seven year tenure as president, he had achieved many of those objectives. Focus on students and their Lakeland College experience helped increase enrolment and retention. Construction of the Bill Kondro Wing and a new Student Centre, modernization of the Applied Engineering Building, and extensive renovations to student residences were completed.

And strong fiscal management enabled the college to direct funds to high priority areas including purchasing 580 hectares of agricultural land and a yard that borders the Vermilion campus. That yard is now home to the Lakeland College Research Centre.

Glenn Charlesworth’s career with Lakeland College began in 1982 as an instructor in the business department. He taught business courses for 21 years. Well-liked by students, he received the Staff Appreciation Award in 1995. Before becoming president, he served as the vice president of finance and operations at Lakeland College for three years.

He was often heard saying, “Lakeland College is not a good college. Lakeland College is a great college.” This statement rings true today in large part because of his outstanding leadership.

His high school yearbook predicted Ed Stelmach’s political success, naming him a future prime minister of Canada. Rather than the national stage, he focused on Alberta politics. First elected in 1986 as a municipal councilor in Lamont County, he was elected to the Alberta Legislature in 1993. Ed Stelmach eventually became Alberta’s 13th premier serving between 2006 and 2011.

Like Lakeland College, Ed Stelmach’s roots are agricultural. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, he was born and raised on the family farm near Lamont. A life-long farmer, he originally intended to become a lawyer before family circumstances brought him back to the farm.

Agriculture, Food and Rural Development was one of four portfolios he held as a cabinet minister. Although never in the advanced education portfolio, Ed Stelmach was a supporter of post-secondary institutions. Under his leadership Alberta’s advanced education system enjoyed fiscal stability. Lakeland College, in particular, was able to finalize building and capital renovation projects and re-start applied research.

Integrity and transparency were hallmarks of Ed Stelmach’s time as premier. It even provided him with the nickname of Honest Eddie.

While Vic Juba’s career in the oil industry was a long and successful one, he is likely best known for his deep commitment to the community of Lloydminster.

This man of action has contributed countless hours to a wide array of local committees, projects and non-profit organizations including Rotary, Lions Club, Lloydminster Exhibition Association, OTS Heavy Oil Interpretive Centre, Lloydminster Leisure Centre and numerous summer and winter games committees.

He was instrumental in the development of a community theatre at Lakeland College’s Lloydminster Campus. In recognition of his work on the project, the theatre was subsequently named the Vic Juba Community Theatre.

As for his career, Vic Juba worked for Husky Oil for almost 40 years. When he started in 1953, one of his first jobs was to test product from the Borradaile Refinery east of Vermilion. His position was then transferred to the refinery in Lloydminster.

After a successful career with Husky, concluding with four years as communications coordinator at the Bi-Provincial Upgrader project, Vic Juba retired in 1993. Since then he’s been a full-time volunteer and Lloydminster has reaped the benefits of his service.

Raised in Vermilion, Alberta, three-time Olympian Beckie Scott retired in 2006, capping nearly two decades of competitive cross-country ski racing as Canada’s most successful cross-country skier and one of the world’s best all-around cross-country ski racers.

During her 11-year career, she rewrote the Canadian record books winning two Olympic medals - a gold medal in the five-kilometre pursuit race at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games and a silver medal with teammate Sara Renner in the team sprint event at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games.

Beckie Scott is a tireless advocate for drug-free sport. Her pursuit of justice related to her 2002 Olympic gold medal was a triumph for athletes’ rights and fair play.

She finished the five-kilometre pursuit in third place, 1/100th of a second before the woman in fourth. Later Scott was awarded the silver medal and then the gold medal because the two women who finished ahead of her were caught for using performance enhancing drugs.

Among the many organizations that she is involved with are IOC Athletes’ Commission, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, UNICEF, Right To Play, and the Trans-Canada Trail.

In all she’s done, Beckie Scott has upheld the highest standards of integrity and excellence and used her voice to make a contribution for the better.

Don Mazankowski has been described as an ardent Canadian who has played an important role in shaping Canada’s history. Although his career has taken him around the world and into the highest levels of politics and government, he remains committed to his prairie roots and thankful to be a citizen of a country where anyone can get involved and make a difference.

Born and raised in Viking, Alberta, Don Mazankowski’s early years as a young farmer and businessman instilled a deep understanding of the economic and political challenges facing Western Canada.

He became the Member of Parliament for Vegreville in 1968 and successfully contested seven general elections, serving his constituency for 25 years. In 1979, he was appointed Minister of Transport and in 1986 he became the Deputy Prime Minister.

He left politics in 1993 with a reputation as a fair and respected leader who patiently heard all sides of an issue.

Don Mazankowski is well remembered in the Lloydminster community for his central role in bringing the Husky Lloydminster Upgrader to reality. His role in bringing partners together also contributed to the continued existence of Lakeland College.

His commitment to post-secondary education led to the establishment of the Don Mazankowski Scholarship Foundation, which has enabled hundreds of students from across Canada, including many at Lakeland College, to pursue a post-secondary education.

Don Mazankowski was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000 and awarded the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2003.

Since 2001, Lakeland has collaborated with a consortium of oil and gas companies led by Keyera to deliver one of the largest petroleum industry certification programs in Canada.

Owen Baker, the chief inspector and manager of integrity and capability development at Keyera, played an integral role in the program. He helped create and implement Keyera’s Competency Management Development System (CMDS), a training and education program designed for people working in either oil and gas field collection or plant processing capacities.

As of 2011, Lakeland had awarded more than 1,800 petroleum industry certificates since the collaboration began

Baker (right) was presented with an honorary Bachelor of Applied Business degree by Lakeland president Glenn Charlesworth (left).

Lakeland College conferred its first honorary degree  in 2006 recognizing former board chair and 2006 convocation speaker Bill Kondro with a bachelor of community economic development.

Kondro, who spoke at the Strathcona County convocation in April, the Lloydminster campus convocation in May and the two Vermilion campus ceremonies on June 3, told the graduates they had a passport to the world with their education from Lakeland College.

The 2006 Vermilion graduating class were the first to get to their feet when Kondro was presented the honorary degree by board chair Doug Elliott (left) and president Dr. Brian Larson (right).

At that time Kondro chaired the Lloydminster campus capital campaign that raised funds for a new academic wing in Lloydminster. The wing, officially opened in 2008, bears Kondro's name.

“Bill Kondro is a great friend of Lakeland College and it was our privilege to honour him in this way,” said Dr. Larson.