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J.G.
MacGregor
(By
Ken Allred, on the occasion of the
presentation of Honorary Membership to Dr. James Grierson MacGregor)
The Alberta Land Surveyors'
Association has been privileged in having had an association
with Jim MacGregor for many years. As near as I can determine
from Association records, Jim MacGregor first addressed the ALSA
at the 47th annual meeting in Edmonton on January 17,
1956
in his capacity as Chairman of the Alberta Power Commission. His
topic that day was power development in Alberta.
From his writings however, it is obvious that Mr. MacGregor's
association with surveyors (and I might humbly add - his
admiration for surveyors) goes back many years prior to that
meeting, for it was on October 21, 1906 that James and Gertrude MacGregor and their one-year old son, Jimmy, pitched their tent
on a quarter section of land north of Edmonton. Marking the
northwest corner of that quarter was an iron post with the
simple inscription XVII, IIX, I. In his book, "North West of
Sixteen," Dr. MacGregor relates the warm memories of his family
homesteading and developing this untouched patch of ground into
160 acres of productive farmland.
Jim MacGregor was born in Scotland in
1905,
immigrating to Canada in 1906, and settling on that quarter
section south of Westlock. After a typical Alberta homesteader's
childhood which is well described in "North West of Sixteen", he
went on to complete Grade 12 at St. Stephens College and then to
the University of Alberta, obtaining a B.A. in
1927
followed by a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering in
1929.
During his professional career he became
general manager of
Canadian Utilities Ltd. and chairman of the Alberta Power
Commission in
1952,
later becoming chairman of the Royal Commission on the
Development of Northern Alberta. He was a member of the APEGGA Council in
1944
and served as vice-president in
1950.
As a result of his historical and literary interests and
contributions he has served as president of the Historical
Society of Alberta, honorary president of the Alberta
Archaeological Society, director of Fort Edmonton Historical
Foundation and president of the Canadian Authors' Association.
On his 66th birthday in
1971,
his alma mater bestowed upon him the honorary degree of Doctor
of Laws, LL.D. In
1973
he was confirmed as a Member of the Order of Canada.
Dr. MacGregor has written a total of eighteen books all
revolving around the historical development of Western Canada
over the past two centuries. The history of Western Canada and
particularly Dr. MacGregor's historical interests touch on a
number of subjects of interest to us here today. Firstly, the
Yellowhead is one of Jim's favourite areas and he enjoys
researching and telling about this area of
Alberta and its wealth of tales, and secondly, he has always had
an appreciation of the role played in the development of Western
Canada by members of our profession.
Whether it be the story of Anthony Henday mounting Antler Hill
in 1764 and proclaiming "Behold the Shining Mountains" or Father
Lacombe administering to a sick Indian, or Jim's father sitting
entranced by his burning brush piles on the homestead; his
stories all tell about his love affair with history and with
life in the development of the western half of this great
country of ours.
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