WinnipegREALTORS® was pleased to once again salute another outstanding Winnipeg citizen last week at its annual Citizens Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Daniel McIntyre Collegiate (DMC). Daniel McIntyre received the most votes by the Citizens Hall of Fame selection committee when deciding who was the most deserving nominee to become the 43rd inductee since the program’s inception in 1986.
McIntyre’s contribution as the founder and superintendent of Winnipeg’s public school system from 1885 to 1928 was truly remarkable and left a legacy well past his career and death in 1946. He was referred to as “Winnipeg’s Giant of Education.”
The school which bears his name was opened in 1924 and is teeming with students and activity in 2016. The induction ceremony was unique to many previous ones in that DMC was able to use its library with a magnificent painting of Daniel McIntyre as the backdrop for the presentation of the Citizens Hall of Fame bronze medallion to McIntyre’s descendants. Unveiled at this special ceremony and then installed the next day in Assiniboine Park was the bronze portraiture of Daniel McIntyre. Local sculptor Erin Senko created the sculpture. She has created likenesses of previous inductees such as Terry Fox and Sir William Stephenson.
Speaking at this reception and induction ceremony was Manitoba Education Minister Ian Wishart, Mayor Brian Bowman, nominator Ted Ransby, McIntyre family descendants David Rich and Gordon Davies, WinnipegREALTORS® past-president Cliff King and current president Stewart Elston.
Given the breadth and depth of McIntyre’s convictions and keen understanding of what needed to be done to develop all facets of our public school system, said Elston, who would have thought of anyone at the time who was more eminently qualified to carry on his groundbreaking work. In acknowledging McIntyre’s incredible legacy to Manitoba’s education system, Education Minister Ian Wishart said he owes his job in part to what McIntyre put in place years ago.
On the weekend immediately following the addition of McIntyre’s bust to the Citizens Hall of Fame site in Assiniboine Park (southeast corner of park off Corydon Avenue), the Terry Fox Run was held in Assiniboine Park. Hundreds of runners ran by Terry Fox’s likeness as the Citizens Hall of Fame site is part of the Run’s circuit.
You do not need to run, however, to see all of the sculptures. The path running between all of the 43 inductee sculptures is meant to be experienced in leisurely fashion so that you can take time to observe the citizens who have made great contributions to Winnipeg’s quality of life.
The Citizens Hall of Fame has become and will continue to be a repository of Winnipeg’s history. The inductees have been an integral part of shaping Winnipeg’s future in ways that are too many to mention.