Calvin Abrahamson

He was predeceased by his parents Leonard & Aileen; siblings Velma (Archie) Currie, Shirlene (Herb) Mock, Willard (Rosemarie) and Larry; and in-laws Norma, David Coley, David Barabonoff and Gerry Racette.

Calvin is survived by his loving wife Yvonne; son Rhett (Jacqueline) of North Battleford, granddaughters Holly (Carter) & Hannah Abrahamson; daughter Calla (Paul) Dubois, granddaughter Amberlyn (Danny) Dubois, great-grandsons Maxim & Lyndon and grandson Dallas Dubois all of Calgary; Jacqueline’s children Paige (Troy) Hundt and Jackson Reynolds; brother Marvin; sisters Bonnie (Morris) Coley and Denise Barabonoff and sister-in-law Joyce (Don) Kent, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

The funeral mass will be concelebrated in Sacred Heart R.C. Church, Montmartre, Saskatchewan on Saturday, August 14, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. by Rev. Gerard Joy Montiague and Rev. Ken Koep.

Live streaming of this service will be available with the link posted below.

If friends so desire, contributions may be made to a charity of your choice.

The following is a list of some of Calvin's accomplishments:

EDUCATION

Teacher's College, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan - 1947

Undergraduate University of Saskatchewan, in Fine Arts and Education -1948, 1949, 1950

3 years summer classes - Banff School of Fine Arts in Theatre and Dance -1948, 1949, 1950

AWARDS

1947 Saskatchewan Drama Scholarship

1948 & 1949 Banff School of Fine Arts Scholarship

1948 Saskatchewan Arts Board Scholarship

1949 Canadian Drama Award - Governor General's Medal for cultural development

1956, 1960, 1967 Saskatchewan Drama Festival Award

1968 Life Member, Saskatchewan Region Drama Festival and Regina Little Theatre

1983 Winner of District Rotary Award for Best Club Bulletin

1989 Order of Canada (member). Installed April 18, 1990 in Ottawa

1989 Paul Harris Fellowship for work in Community Service by Rotary Club

1989 CKCK plaque for "In Recognition of your Service to the Community"

1990 S.I.F.C. Plaque "To a friend of Indian Education"

1991 Knights of Columbus Award #3958 Plaque for service to the community

1992 Christ the King Parish Council Award for directing a full length play for charity (monies raised to assist Igloolik, NWT)

1993 125th Anniversary Medal - Governor General of Canada for service to compatriots, community, Province and Canada.

1994 Regina South Rotary Club - 14 year perfect attendance pin (700 meetings)

WORK HISTORY

1949 Teacher - Elementary, Gibbs, Saskatchewan

1950 Vice Principal - High School, Abernethy, Saskatchewan

1951-57 Statistician - Shell Oil Company, Regina, Saskatchewan

1957-60 Part Owner/Office Manager - Boehme Construction Ltd., Regina, Saskatchewan

1960-67 Manager and Executive Director - Regina Real Estate Board and Multiple Listing

1957-67 Executive Manager - Regina House Builder's Association

1965-67 Electoral Officer - Regina City, Federal

1968-71 Executive Director, Saskatchewan Arts Board

1971-73 Liaison Officer, Economic Development, Government of Northwest Territories

1973-78 Director, Arts and Crafts, Economic Development, Government of Northwest Territories

1978-79 Director, The Canada Council Regional Office, Secretary of State, Saskatoon,

Saskatchewan

1979-86 Administrator/Manager of Community Relations - Calgary Zoo, Botanical Gardens and

Prehistoric Park, Calgary, Alberta

1986-95 Executive Director, Saskatchewan Community Theatre, Inc., Regina, Saskatchewan

August 1995 Retired

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

Elected two terms to Regina Public School Board

President - National House Builders' Association Managers

President - Saskatchewan Region of the Dominion Drama Festival; Regina Little Theatre Society;

Regina Welfare Council; Regina Recreation Council; Regina Employment Committee

Vice-President - Dominion Drama Festival - 7 Years

Director - Executive Secretaries Council of the Canadian Association of Real Estate Boards

Canadian Housing Design Council - 2 years

Member - Regina Men's Press Club

Radio and Television Actors Association (1956-67)

Regina Chamber of Commerce - 7 years

MacKenzie Art Gallery Society (1968-70)

Regina Orchestral Society (1969-71)

Finance Chairman - Regina Society for the Humane Care of Animals (1962-63)

Member - Saskatchewan Arts Board (1964-71)

President - Regina Senior Citizen's Day Centre (1966-67)

Member - Saskatchewan Homecoming '71 Committee

President - Downtowner Optimist Club of Regina (1965)

Member - Visual Arts Committee, Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts (1968-71)

Elected Member - Regina Separate School Board - 2 terms (1964-71)

3rd Vice-President - North American Assembly of State and Provincial Arts Agencies (1966-74)

Ethnic Arts Show - Inuit and Indian Display at Jubilee Auditorium (1972)

Stampede Display and Demonstrations - Organized and promoted to honour the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (1973)

Presented a major exhibition and demonstration of Inuit work with the Samaritan Club of Calgary and Calgary Galleries in the Jubilee Auditorium (1974)

Presented a tribute to Treaty 6 at the Calgary Stampede - Display and Show (1975)

Original Member - Canada Council Touring Office Advisory Committee - Appointed until December,

(1977 - 2 terms)

Member - "Task Force on Organization Planning" for the Government of the Northwest Territories, and a member of the Appeal Board for Classification Review (1976-77)

Chairman - Northwest Territories Ethnic Arts Council (1971-76)

Member - Arctic Institute of North America and of the Art Committee of the body (1974-77)

Vice-President - Calgary Theatre Singers and Chairman of the Board (1979-80)

Author of the brief to the Government of Alberta to request building of lower theatre spaces in the Edmonton and Calgary Jubilee Auditoriums (1980)

Chairman of the Board of Calgary Theatre Singers and Vice-Chairman of the groups as one of the two liquidators, presenting some $30,000 for payment of outstanding debts and scholarships (1980)

Put together a bid for the International Theatre Festival and Symposium in conjunction with the University of Calgary (1980)

Represented Canada at the World Theatre Festival in Monaco (1980)

Awarded the 1983 World Festival. Named Chairman and worked with the Canadian Representatives,

UNESCO, the University of Calgary, the City of Calgary, and formed a local committee to plan the

Festival and Symposium for 1983 (1981)

Served as a Director of the Calgary East Rotary Club and bulletin editor (3 years) (1981)

Canadian Representative at the Copenhagen, Denmark meeting of the International Theatre Group (1982)

Treasurer of Calgary East Rotary (1982)

Chairman - World Theatre Mosaic (1983)

Chaired the meetings of the International Theatre Mosaic! Theatre Congress at the University of Calgary (1983)

Served on a Committee with Mayor Ross Alger to help secure the Calgary Olympic bid in Baden-

Baden, West Germany

Chairman of the naming of mascots for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary

Founding member of St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Church. Served as Chairman from (1980-83)

and Past Chairman from (1983-84)

Vice-Chairman of Calgary East Rotary (1984-85)

Executive Member - North American Region of International Amateur Theatre Association (1984-

present)

President - Regina South Rotary Club (1989)

Associate Member - International Amateur Theatre Association (1987-present)

Director of the Calgary Tourist and Convention Bureau (1982-86)

Volunteer to bring together the Calgary attractions supervising the development for a two-year perlod.

This was taken over by the Tourist and Convention Bureau as an on-going program in 1985.

Guest Speaker and lecturer on Canadian Art; Inuit Arts and Crafts; Calgary Zoological Society Development; Public Relations and Fundraising

Member of the five-member Planning Board to bring the International Union of Directors of Zoological

Gardens of Calgary for their 40th Annual Conference, for the first time in Canada. This involved two

years of meetings (1985)

Chairman of International Services for Rotary Club (1984-86)

Co-Chairman of Theatre Canada Festival '90 in Regina from July 1 - 7, 1990. (10 Canadian and 4

International groups, raising funds for the entire project and serving as volunteer administrator

Volunteer Secretary of the new Canadian Theatre movement for a three year term starting January, 1990. Elected President of Theatre Canada in December 1991 in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Lectured to Parks and Recreation Annual Conference in Lloydminster in May 1990 attended by Saskatchewan and Alberta Recreation Directors

Lectured at the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Council Annual Conference in Weyburn. June 1990

Member and Ad Hoc Chairman of Cultural Training Study conducted by the Saskatchewan Council of

Cultural Organizations in 1989-90

Extensive work in the communities of Kindersley, Kelvington, Kamsack, Melville, Kipling, Wolseley and Regina in obtaining facilities for cultural development

Adjudicator 18 years for High School Drama in Saskatchewan

Senior one-act festival in Alberta 1981

North Dakota State Festival 1991

Theatre Regina Board Member (1988-89; 1989-90)

President (1990-95)

A volunteer board raising funding and administrating the Regina Performing Arts Centre, a 31,000 square foot theatre complex

International Theatre - Delegate/Spokesman for Canada and North American Regional Alliance at the

World Theatre Festival and Theatre Congress being held in Halden, Norway in June-July, 1991

Rotary International - Volunteer parent and host for Rotary Students from various countries (1990-91)

Lectured/Panel Chairman for Saskatchewan Recreation Facilities Association at Nipawin, 1992

Chaired the Paul Harris Fellowship Awards for Regina South Rotary (1991-92)

Elected as a Director of the Saskatchewan House Historical Society in 1990. In 1991 became

Chairman of the Grounds Development Committee, to raise funds and direct the restoration of the Victorian gardens at Saskatchewan House (102 year old Lieutenant Governors residence)

Guest Panellist at the Dundalk International Maytime Festival (1993). Interviewed by BBC Ireland on

the topic "Theatre - luxury or necessity in recessionary times" - aired in June 1993. Prepared and

delivered two lectures on Canadian Inuit Art to the Irish Arts Council in Dundalk, June 1993. As a

result, invited by the Canadian Embassy in Ireland (Michael J. Cleary, First Secretary) to present a

series of lectures and art exhibits on Inuit Art in Ireland whenever possible in my time schedule.

Adjudicator of the North Dakota State Drama Festival in Williston, N.D. in 1991

Adjudicator, Saskatchewan High School Drama Festival, Regina, March 1994

Provincial Adjudicator, Association of British Columbia Drama Educators festival held in Campbell River, British Columbia, May 1994

Prepared and presented ten 2 hour lectures on the "History of Theatre in Western Canada"- Extension Department, University of Regina, September - December 1993.

Prepared and delivered four 2 hour lectures on Cultural Development in Saskatchewan from 1840 to present for the Extension Department, University of Regina (1994)

Prepared and delivered six 2 hour lectures on "An Introduction to Inuit Art" for the Extension Department, University of Regina (1994).

Prepared and delivered ten 2 hour lectures on "The Cultural Contributions of the Athapascans" for the Extension Department, University of Regina (1995).

Prepared and delivered ten 2 hour lectures on "The Inuit Peoples" for the Extension Department, University of Regina (1996).

Organized the Montmartre Arts Council and the Hurricane Hills Players, The Montmartre Arts Council

consists of sixteen clubs in the area and was the local organizing body for the MS Cameco 150 Bike

Tour (1997)

Chaired a "Communities in Bloom" Committee for the Village and Rural Municipality of Montmartre

#126. Won the competition and represented Saskatchewan in the 1999 Canadian competition (1998)

Elected to Village of Montmartre Council in 1997, serving as Deputy Mayor for the past five years (1997 to present)

Co-chaired the planning and construction of a Regional library and offices for the Village of Montmartre and the Rural Municipality of Montmartre #126 (2001-02)

Served as "Community Champion" for Health Canada, Healthy Way Programs. Lectured at numerous

Seniors Seminars in Southeast Area of Saskatchewan (2001-02)

Chairman of "Economic Development & Tourism Committee" for the Village and Rural Municipality of Montmartre. An S.C.N. Education link; University of Saskatchewan and Regional College Programs are currently being finalized for implementation this year (2002)

Won the cultural award for Zone 1. Awarded in Weyburn in May, 2002-11-04

Awarded the Golden Jubilee medal. Presented at Saskatchewan House, October 2002

Installed in the Saskatchewan Hall of Fame - Theatre at Regina Performing Arts Centre, November,

2002