Citizens of the Millennium

Annie Barnes	Mart and Norma Kenney
Herman Singh Braich	Albert McMahon
Marguerite Casselman	Catherine Marcellus
John A Catherwood	Townsend Meeker
Claire Clemo	Christine Ann Morrison
James Andrew Gunn	Ethel Ogle
Tomiko Imakire	Anthony Taulbut
Catherine Winnifred Jack	Mary Anne Trethewey

Annie Barnes (1917 - )
A lifetime resident of Nicomen Island was born at the Middleton Nursing Home in Mission. She is a charter member of the Nicomen Island Women's Institute, and was a tireless fundraiser and knitter for the Red Cross during WWII. Through the Red Cross she worked in flood relief, fund raising and Blood Donor Clinics. An active member of the Royal Canadian Legion for over 60 years, Annie Barnes has served in almost all offices of the Ladies Auxiliary. She is well known for her catering skills and has received the Legion's Meritorious Service Medal. In 1971 she was awarded the Chamber of Commerce "Citizen of the Year" for "an unselfish desire to assist and work, often without either compensation nor recognition, for the welfare of others".

Herman Singh Braich (1911-1976)
Owner of Herman Sawmills Ltd., played a significant role in the history and development of the forest industry in Mission. He came to Mission in 1947 and established "one of the most efficient, modern and productive mills in Canada". Located on the Mission flats near the CPR bridge, the mill was the largest in the community in 1954. He eventually employed over 150 men that included immigrants sponsored by him and established an overseas market. By 1967, 98% of his lumber products were exported to Italy, Australia, South Africa, Japan, France, United Kingdom, India and the USA. When the mill was destroyed by fire in 1968, Braich continued his association with forest industry and other business interests in financing and real estate. Following his death, Braich's "estate" and "succession plan" enabled the family business and community initiatives to continue. Today, second and third generations of our community are prospering through his legacy.

Marguerite (Madge) McKay Casselman
Born in Ontario, Miss Casselman (1890-1963) moved to BC in 1922 and commenced an exemplary teaching career at Mission High School that spanned 30 years. She claimed "I can't imagine anyone teaching for years and not liking children". Affectionately known as "Cassy" by her students, she "never forgot her pupils or their names, never failed to inquire, directly if she should meet them or indirectly through classmates, or parents, regarding their progress." Upon her retirement in 1954, the students dedicated the school annual to her and featured a full-page tribute with the concluding words "We're all going to miss you". Nearly twenty years after her death, a special commemorative plaque was unveiled by former students at a re-union with the inscription: "In memory of Miss Madge Casselman, principal and teacher at Mission High School 1922- 1954. Her devotion to learning was inspirational. Her joy of living had an even greater influence."

John A. Catherwood
Highly-respected businessman, politician and citizen, John Catherwood (1857-1941) actively participated in the affairs of the community throughout his life. A man of conviction driven by a "progressive spirit", Mr. Catherwood developed numerous enterprises, including a real estate and insurance business where Mission's first telephone exchange was established. He also played a leading role in public service, serving as the first school teacher, reeve of Mission for several two-year terms and a member of the provincial legislature. In 1982, a regional scholarship awarded by the University of Victoria was named after Mr. Catherwood in honour of his contributions to the area.

Esther Claire Kathleen Clemo (1934 - )
Teacher BEd (1964) MEd (1991), was born in the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong to parents Alfred Bertram and Daisy Caroline Clemo of Northern Ireland. Miss Clemo's heroines were her mother and Aunt Claire Kathleen. Both were strong, stabilizing forces for Claire and her brother Roland during the difficult years spent in Northern Ireland while their father was serving overseas with the British forces. At age nineteen she had circumnavigated the world, and by her graduation from the University of British Columbia, had been educated on three continents. From her first school teaching position in 1964 to her last in 1996, Miss Clemo encouraged and motivated multitudes of young minds. After twenty-five years of teaching, she returned to her studies and received a Masters degree in education at UBC, and continued to teach until her retirement in 1996. Her dedication and love for teaching made her one of Mission's most esteemed teachers. Among her honours are: the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal for dedicated service in education (1978), the Rotary Club Distinguished Service Award (1992), and two post-secondary scholarships in her name funded by the Braich family of Mission (1996). At present, she is still active in the community pursuing her love of music, writing, and learning. She also volunteers her time, and supports several philanthropic societies.

James (Jimmy) Andrew Gunn
James (Jimmy) Andrew Gunn was born in New Westminster on March 23, 1919. He and family moved to Mission in 1946. He immediately became a dynamic force within the community, playing a prominent role in virtually all of the organizations he joined. He organized the B. P. O. Elks Lodge annual May Day celebrations; arranged the Rotary Club's annual Carnival at which big name stars Hank Snow (1948) and Mart Kenney and His Western Gentlemen (1949) performed; and headed a project under the auspices of the Rotary Club to construct the first public swimming pool in Mission City. He was particularly interested in young people and this is apparent by his involvement with the Mission Basketball Club in which he organized, managed and coached junior and juvenile team sports. The most notable of his achievements in working with youth, however, was the founding of the Mission Soap Box Derby in 1946. An annual event for twenty-seven years, Jimmy personally applied for and received a franchise from the American Soap Box Derby Committee in 1947, making Mission City one of two official Soap Box Derby competitions in Canada. From these small beginnings initiated by him, the event grew to a province-wide competition in 1950 and all of Western Canada in 1953. Jimmy died in 1972 at the age of fifty-five.

Tomiko (Tomi) Imakire (1914 - ) was born July 27th in Burnaby, B.C. Her parents came to Canada from Kumamoto, Japan in the early 1900's and the family moved to Mission in 1920. During WWII she, her husband Fred and their children were sent first to work in the sugar-beet fields of Alberta then to the internment camps at Tashme and Coalmont, BC. After the war Mrs. Imakire and her family returned to Mission. She volunteered for many years with the Red Cross, Hospital Auxiliary, Mission Hospice Society and the United Church. She was also one of the founding members of the Mission Japanese Exhibit Committee whose efforts established one of the largest community-based archives on Japanese Canadians in British Columbia. Accolades for her years of dedicated service to the community include: a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chamber of Commerce and a life membership from the Old Age Pensioner's Organization. Today, she continues to be a vital and dedicated volunteer in the Mission Community.

Jack's

Catherine Winnifred Jack
Catherine Winifred Jack (1882-1980), was born in Montreal. A graduate of McGill University, she went abroad in 1907 to marry the Rev. Milton Jack of the Presbyterian Foreign Ministry. They lived and worked in Formosa for several years where all four of their children were born. In 1920, the returned to Canada, settled on a farm in Hatzic and established Ferncliffe Nursery which still operates today. Mrs. Jack became very involved in the community. She served on several boards, including the School District, the Fraser Valley Regional Library, and Mission Memorial Hospital. She was also an active member in many local groups, Including: the Women's Missionary Society, the Women's Institute and the University Women's Club. Through her belief "You only know if you try", and exemplary service to the community, Mrs. Jack was an inspiration to all who knew and worked with her.

Mart and Norma Kenney
Band leader and nationally recognized musician Mart Kenney (1910 - ) and his late wife vocalist Norma Locke (1925 - 1990) moved to Mission in 1969 where both maintained active roles in the community. Mart served two terms on Mission Council, acted as Director of Dewdney-Alouette Regional District, was twice President of Mission and District Chamber of Commerce, was secretary of Children with Disabilities, and served on both the Board of Directors of B.C. Lions and the Board of Directors of the Mission Heritage Association. Mart received many honours including Freeman of the District of Mission in 1979, British Columbia's Senior Citizen of the Year in 1992, and Ambassador at Large for the District of Mission in both 1996 and 1999. Norma Kenney was active in the Mission branch of the Canadian Arthritis Society. She was a leader in the development and administration of the Mission Heritage Association. Norma was made Freeman of Mission in 1979, awarded Friends of Heritage Certificate in 1985, and honoured with the naming of the Norma Kenney House at Heritage Park in 1986.

Albert McMahon
Albert McMahon was often referred to as one of the "builders" who made Mission. A local businessman and industrialist, he held various positions within the community to chart its development, including the Mission Dyking Board, the Dewdney Alouette Regional District and the Assessment Court of Revision. McMahon was also actively involved in many programs contributing to education and athletics. He has established two annual scholarships for Mission's grade 12 students, and gave his money generously to support athlete's, teams, and students. Because McMahon dedicated so much of himself to the community he was awarded Citizen of the Year the Mission Rotary Club Paul Harris Award and , he was the 12th person in the district to receive the status of Freeman! In his life time he received every possible citizenship award that this community acknowledges. McMahon was also known for playing the alto sax. He played for more than 40 years, starting with a dance band at the legion in 1944, he continued to play for tea dance audiences until 1995. Albert McMahon died on August 13th, 1997. He will always be remembered as " highly respectable and known for his community involvement and dedication."

Catherine "Cathie" Marcellus ( 1923 - ), a "community activist" and author, is best known for her significant contributions to further educational development in Mission. Driven by her belief that "…education is the only tool we have to solve the world's problems…" , Cathie served on the local School Board, led "Great Books" discussion groups, and after her four children were grown up, acquired a Master's Degree in English at age 62 from Simon Fraser University. In 1986, she helped found a model educational program for "the intellectually curious of all ages" called Lifetime Learning and more recently served on the steering committee to build Heritage Park Centre, an innovative educational facility for culture and learning. In recognition of her outstanding achievements, Cathie's awards include: Citizen of the Year (1991), Governor General's Medal (1993) and Freeman of the City (1995).

Townsend (Toke) Meeker
In the words of Alderman Zain Krikau, "Toke [ Meeker] put Mission on the map as being The Red Cedar Shingle and Shake Capital of Canada." Townsend (Toke) Meeker was born in Merritt, BC on November 6, 1914. This legendary entrepreneur came to Mission around 1939 and soon set about transforming the business history of the community. In 1935, he and his father Henry, took over the Heaps Sawmill, and soon afterward established a-machine cedar mill which they named the Stave Lake Cedar Mill. In the 1940's Meeker then founded the first shake and shingle mill on the flats below Mission, called Meeker Cedar Products. This operation had 14 machines, and was the largest in BC. He traveled throughout North America to promote the art of producing hand-split shakes and in the 1950's he co-founded Anglo-American Cedar Products, Ltd., a shake and shingle brokerage based in Mission. Meeker's brokerage would become the largest in BC, eventually handling about half the shakes and shingles produced in the province Toke was a man who thought Big. A member of the Rotary Club, the Mission Rod and Gun Club, the Mission Golf and Country Club, and a generous supporter of the Salvation Army's Drug and Alcohol program at Miracle Valley, Toke left his business to his son John. This giant in Mission business history passed away in 1988.

Christine Ann Morrison ( 1903 - 1994)
" A champion of young people" , taught in Mission School from 1922 to 1968. Born in Hatzic, Miss Morrison attended normal school for her teacher's training. After graduating she worked as a teacher, librarian, principal, guidance counsellor and teacher of special needs students. Guided by her belief "Each of us has a potential and as individuals it's up to each of us to work to the best of our ability to develop that potential", Miss Morrison "…raised the level of the lives of a great many people" during her 46 years of service. In 1992, she received, in her words " the greatest honour" , for her outstanding dedication and service to education when Christine Morrison Elementary School was opened.

Ethel Ogle (1905 - 1979)
Mission's first woman mayor, pursued an active role in the development of Mission City. Freeman of Mission and recipient of the 1973 Citizen of the Year Award, Mrs. Ogle was involved in numerous important projects within the community, including: the establishment of Mission Museum, the first permanent public facility for housing the material and documentary heritage resources of the community; the construction of Welton Towers, one of the community's first Senior Citizens' housing complexes; and the building of the present day Mission Memorial Hospital.

Anthony (Tony) Taulbut
Well-known public official, civic leader, historian and museum curator, Anthony Taulbut (1874-1949) settled with his family in Mission City in c.1908. Known for his eternal optimism and great sense of humour, Mr. Taulbut played a dynamic role in local affairs and numerous organizations in which he held office at various times. His many accomplishments include: assisting with the incorporation of the Village of Mission, the establishment of the Fraser Valley Union Library, and the preservation of the community's cultural and heritage resources. A 1947 editorial in the Fraser Valley Record reviewing his contributions concluded: "The name of Tony Taulbut will long be legend in Mission City and District."

Mary Anne Trethewey
First businesswoman, postmistress and midwife in the community, Mary Ann Trethewey (1833-1908) settled with her husband, James, in what was then known as "St. Mary's Mission" in 1883. An independent and astute woman, Mrs. Trethewey managed their general store and post office annexed to the house. Besides selling groceries and dry goods, she served as the general agent for a "Lamb Knitting Machine." Also a dedicated and trained nurse, Mrs. Trethewey attended to the sick, injured, and maternity cases. During the construction of the CPR, she sometimes traveled as far as sixty miles by rail hand car to offer her medical assistance.