Who am I?
By E3161 Victoria Edwards (RMC ‘03)
- I was born in 1914 from one of the founding families in Nineteenth Century Canada. My father, Alfred Ernest started the A7 Ranche west of Nanton, Alberta in 1885. He founded the Calgary Brewing and Malting Company in 1892, and was president until his death. He was a founding member of the Western Stock Growers’ Association, Calgary Board of Trade and the Ranchmen’s Club (for which he served as president, 1906-1908 and 1911-1912), and was one of the “Big Four” who founded the Calgary Stampede. He was also instrumental in establishing Alberta’s petroleum industry. He started Calgary Petroleum Products in 1912, and was a director of Canadian Western Natural Gas. My mother, Helen Rothney Macleod, was the daughter of renowned North-West Mounted Police (NWMP)Commissioner James F. Macleod.
- I attended Appleby School, in Oakville, Ontario. My nickname was `Sandy`
- While attending Royal Military College in Kingston, I helped to write the Royal Military College student newspaper. the newspaper, written in diary form, recorded the activities of Company “A”. I earned my military qualification from Royal Military College of Canada in 1933.
- I earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Alberta (May 16, 1939).
- My brother J.B. succeeded our father as president of the Calgary Brewing and Malting Company in 1932, and also managed the A7 Ranche from 1932 to 1945. The A7 Ranche centennial celebrations were held in 1986.
- I staked a mining claim in Fort Smith, NWT in 1940. I also completed a special brewing course from the Wallerstein Laboratories in New York and joined the Master Brewers Association of America.
- My wife, Anne and I enjoyed camping and travel.
- I joined the Ranchmen’s Club in 1937. I owned Rothney Farm, south of Calgary (1935-1987), on which I specialized in breeding Galloway and Shorthorn cattle. The daily activities on the A7 Ranche included as branding, baling, moving livestock, vaccinating, and building fences. Over the years, I received awards at livestock shows, for example the Premier Breeder and Champion Bull awards at the Western Canada International Shorthorn Show, Calgary in 1958.
- I was worried about the land around Rothney Farm being divided. I knew that I needed to do something to protect the flora and fauna of the Area from development. The farm became a 4800 acre day use natural area located just south west of the city of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.
- The Conservation Area is dedicated to protecting habitat and providing space for native species of wildlife; offering conservation education programs (particularly to young people) without jeopardizing wildlife and habitat; and managing human use of the Area through ‘entry by appointment only.’
- I died in 2003 at the age of 89. The Conservation Foundation received the 2002 Emerald Award for education! This award recognizes Albertans for outstanding achievements in projects which protect, preserve, enhance and sustain the environment.
- My wife Ann attended the second Conservation and Cuisine Gala in 2008, and with the matching grant from The Calgary Foundation, raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars for the endowment fund.
a) 2265 William AB Anderson (RMC 1932)
b) 2266 William W.C. Baird (RMC 1932)
c) 2267 George G.T. Baylay (RMC 1932)
d) 2277 Alexander R. Cross (RMC 1932)
e) 2294 Major (Ret`d) Lucius LH Packard (RMC 1932)
Answer: d) 2277 Alexander (Sandy) R. Cross (RMC 1932)
To learn more about the Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation Area click HERE
Sources:
http://www.glenbow.org/collections/search/findingAids/archhtm/cross.cfm
Braehead : Three Founding Families in Nineteenth Century Canada / Sherrill MacLaren. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1986, and Henry Klassen “Entrepreneurship in the Canadian West: the Enterprises of A. E. Cross, 1886-1920” Western Historical Quarterly, vol. 22, no. 3, August,
1991, p. 313-333.