Homecoming Surprise Eileen Johnson Strathmore Standard, September 1, 2005 (Reprinted with permission.) .Gleichen and Cluny will benefit from the homecoming held this past weekend for many years to come thanks to a $1 million centennial gift from a former resident. Dick Haskayne was named Favourite Son of the community on Aug, 27 and he took the opportunity to announce the Haskayne Gleichen Cluny Bassano Community Fund. The three communities will share the fund, which will be spread over 10 years with at least $100,000 available every year said Haskayne. The fund will be allocated to support community projects and student awards in the communities.

For students, a minimum of five scholarships per year will be awarded to young people graduating from high schools in the three communities who are pursuing post-secondary studies at university, college or technical institutes.

The community grants are intended to support local projects, which will encourage these communities to grow and thrive in the future.

According to Haskayne, the projects should be locally initiated and have community involvement and can be in any area such as seniors, health, recreation, arts or community beautification.

Following his schooling in Gleichen and Cluny, Haskayne attended the University of Alberta and received a Bachelor of Commerce degree, which he followed up by qualifying as a chartered accountant.

He worked more than 20 years with Hudson's Bay Oil and Gas and was elected president of the company in 1980.

In 1982, Haskayne joined Interhome Energy Inc. as chairman, president and CEO of the integrated energy company with two principal business units - Interprovincial Pipe Line and Home Oil.

He served there until 1992 when he became chairman of NOVA Corp, a position he held until 1998 when the company merged with TransCanada PipeLines Ltd.

In recent years, Haskayne has also served as chairman of TransAlta Corp., MacMillan Bloedel and Fording Inc.

Most recently, he is the past chairman of the board of TransCanada Corp. having reached the mandatory age of retirement in April 2005.

Some of Haskayne's other achievements include being appointed as Officer of the Order of Canada in 1997 and holding the position of chairman of the Board of Governors of the University of Calgary from 1990 to 1996. The U of C also honoured him be renaming its Faculty of Management the Haskayne School of Business in 2002.

The committee members of the Haskayne Gleichen Cluny Bassano Community Fund are Haskayne, his wife, Lois, Stuart Bolinger, Vernon Hoff, Laurie Lunseth and Ken McNeill.

Left to right: Shauna Ryan, Vern Hoff, Nancy Matthews, Stuart Bolinger, Laurie Lunseth, Dick Haskayne

Hoff went to school with Haskayne and said when his longtime friend asked him to serve on the committee for the fund, he accepted without knowing any details or the amount of the award. But after hearing the dollar amount involved in the fund, Hoff said it's a tremendous act of community spirit.

"I think it's going to have a phenomenal impact," he commented.

"So many times in communities you're just this far from various projects," he said, holding his fingers millimetres apart, "and this fund will help all three communities."

Having known Haskayne, whose parents, Bob and Bertha, used to run the butcher shop in Gleichen, since they were both children, Hoff said his friend was very much like everyone else in the community while growing up.

"Dick was just one of the guys, " he commented.

"He hit it big time and hasn't forgotten us."

The first awards from the fund will be made by the end of March of next year. Further information regarding the fund can be obtained after Oct. 1 by contacting Shauna Ryan or Nancy Matthews by phone at 265-5931, fax at 265-7160 or email at haskayn@attglobal.net.