Jasper resident Bob Dowling鈥檚 community contributions have been recognized with a University of Alberta Alumni Honour Award.
Dowling accepts the prestige with humility and said he shares the honour with a special someone.
鈥淭o be recognized by your compatriots is very special, having said that, I think they should be giving the award to my wife, Olga, because without her I think none of this would have happened.鈥�
Bob and Olga celebrate their 61st anniversary on Sept. 6 and 鈥渆verything we鈥檝e done, we鈥檝e done together,鈥� he said.
The U of A Alumni Honour Award recognizes those who have made significant contributions to their communities, and Dowling has made plenty.
Before graduating with a pharmacy degree from U of A in 1955, he served as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1942鈥�45. After obtaining his degree he worked as a drugstore clerk.
Following three years in Sexsmith, Bob and Olga, a nurse, settled in Jasper in 1958, and at one time owned three stores, Cavell Drugs, Tekarra Drugs and The Whistlers, and one patent medical store in Valemount, B.C.
鈥淛asper was very small, about 2,000 people when we first came,鈥� said Dowling. Because he owned businesses in Jasper, he had a vested interest in community involvement.
He was involved in the Chamber of Commerce, Legion, hospital board, Anglican Church and Kiwanis Club.
He and Olga joined the school board because 鈥渨e had two children in school and it seemed logical that since we weren鈥檛 teachers, we should make a contribution in some other way.鈥�
Involvement with the Jasper School Board piqued Dowling鈥檚 interest in moving Jasper towards autonomy and establishing its own municipality.
Dowling鈥檚 political career began in 1969 after he was elected MLA for the Edson constituency. He served as a minister with a portfolio responsible for consumer affairs, and business development and tourism before retiring from politics in 1979.
鈥淲hen I got out of politics, Peter Lougheed was premier and he asked me if there was anything that I really wanted that I couldn鈥檛 achieve, and 鈥業 said I want Jasper to be autonomous鈥�.
Lougheed told Dowling that Jasper would become autonomous when the people voted for it. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 until Mayor Richard Ireland came that we finally managed to achieve what I thought was important.鈥�
After political retirement, Dowling served as commissioner for Alberta鈥檚 75th anniversary celebrations, volunteered with the Canadian Executive Services Organization, and aided Alberta鈥檚 participation at Vancouver鈥檚 Expo 鈥�86.
For Dowling, the alumni honour award also recognizes his 45-member pharmacy grad class. He asked all the surviving graduates and their spouses to attend the Sept. 25 awards ceremony, as well as the entire Jasper community.
Sarah Makowsky
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