Avery, Alice S. Avery, Arthur H.
Alice S. Browne, ?-2000, was born at Hartshorn, Alberta and in 1927 moved to the Taber, Alberta area. She trained as a teacher at the Camrose Normal School and taught in several rural schools in eastern Alberta. In 1944 she married Arthur H. Avery, 1905-?, and they had three children Charles, 1945- , Ronald, 1948- , and Betty (Pike), 1953- . Her husband published the Taber Times newspaper and was mayor of Taber.
Major A. I. Robertson was a British Columbia Land Surveyor at Radium Hot Springs and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Robertson was involved in the Radium townsite survey. Maud V. Robertson developed and operated a tea room in the townsite near the west gate to Kootenay National Park, B.C.
In 1880, at the age of 16, Allen Egan emigrated from Dublin, Ireland to Peoria, Illinois to stay with a cousin and learn the carpentry and bricklaying trades. In 1886 he went back to marry his first wife, Phoebe McAuley and brought her back to the States, where their son was born in 1887. That same year, they had to return to Ireland because of Phoebe's tuberculosis and she died from it. Allen's son also died the same year he remarried Margaret Ross in 1893. By 1898, Allen and Margaret had three children in Ireland before they decided to return to the States. Allen worked as a carpenter in New York for ten years before deciding to go to the Canadian west, arriving in Bow Island in 1908. He located and filed a homestead a few miles north of Bow Island and named it Spring Coulee Farm. After getting his homestead rights, Allen returned to New York leaving his cousin, Hugh Moore, to break the land. Allen returned to Bow Island bringing four of his children, Mary, John James, Alfred and Evelyn. To make a living, Allen worked as a carpenter in town and assisted in building the Myrtle Hotel and the Presbyterian Church. In 1910 both John James and Alfred came down with scarlet fever with only Alfred surviving. In the summer of 1910, Mrs. Margaret Egan came out with the rest of the family, Allen, Walter, William, Samuel and baby Margaret. More children followed, twins, John and Hugh in 1911 and Phoebe in 1912. Allen and Margaret took an active part in the Presbyterian Church and Allen was on the Courtland Hill School Board and a member of the Orange Lodge. In 1934 Allen and Margaret rented their farm to their twin sons, Hugh and John and went to the coast for six years before returning to live in Medicine Hat. Margaret died in 1946 and Allen in 1954, at the age of ninety years.
Allen McQueen was born in 1936 to Ralph and Bertha McQueen. He has one older brother, Ewart (b. 1933). Allen was active in sports and school activities, finishing up his school years as president of the student's council. Allen married Pat Keen from Marwayne, Alberta in 1964. Pat and Allen have two children and moved to Edmonton in 1965. For more detailed information please see 'Jasper Reflections.'
Alma Taft was born in 1920 and married Percy Smith in Saskatoon in 1942. Alma and Percy had three children: Valerie, Rhonda, and Kevin. Taft held various positions in the entertainment, broadcast, and publishing industries in the 1950s through the 1970s. These positions include dresser at the Stratford Festival, host of the first women's television show in Saskatchewan (Here Comes Alma) and a teen show (Teens on TV), and as a writer for Chatelaine and Star Weekly. Taft lived in Saskatoon until 1962 when she relocated to Edmonton to open a television studio at Victoria High School with Donald Primm. During this time, she also entered the Education Program at the University of Alberta, becoming its first graduate. Taft then worked as a teacher in Victoria High School's television arts program and as a producer and actor for CBC. In 1974, Taft remarried and moved to British Columbia to teach in Richmond. Alma Taft died in 2006.
Alma McPhee was born in 1906 at Spruce Grove, Alberta; she was the daughter of Peter and Nellie (Jenkins) McPhee. Alma grew-up in Edmonton, Alberta where she attended the McKay Avenue School. She married Gerald R. Williams in January 1930. She died in Edmonton on August 22, 1990.
