A keen educator with the Foothills School Division in parts of six decades as a teacher, trustee and its chairman, helped turn things around for a man who may go on to be with the public school system for just as many years.
“One of the last times I talked to Doug I told him how important he and Bryan (Clark) were in my life — they changed my life I think,” said Foothills School Division trustee Bill Young. “When I came from Cayley to High River in 1970 I was a lost soul. It wasn’t easy coming from a high school at Cayley in Grade 10 with eight or so kids to High River of 70 kids or so.
“The idea of Bryan and Doug of starting a football team changed my life. I told Doug that everyone has a teacher or teachers that impacted his life.”
Doug Gardner, who passed away on Dec. 14 at the age of 76, started his career as a teacher with Foothills at Senator Riley High School in High River in 1969. He went on to become a trustee with the division first getting elected as High River trustee in 2000. He was a former chairman. He served on the board for 17 years, finishing in 2017.
Gardner and Clark, who went on to become vice-principal at Oilfields High School, started the high school football program in High River.
Young went on to play football with the Calgary Jr. Colts and the Dinos before he became a teacher. He taught with Gardner in High River.
“Doug was always reserved, didn’t say a lot but when he said something he meant it,” Young said. “He was a mentor. Lots of times we would talk education.”
After his career at Highwood, Young, like Gardner, became a trustee. He was elected as the Blackie, Cayley, Heritage Heights area trustee in 2017.
Gardner served as the school chair from 2007-2010.
His successor as chair, Diana Froc, said Gardner was a person she would lean on for advice, especially when she was first elected in 2007.
“Doug instantly included me as a new trustee,” said Froc, the former Heritage Heights area trustee. “He encouraged every trustee to be active in the division, active in the provincial educational conversation and to be active in our communities.
“He not only encouraged this, he modelled it.”
She said Gardner jumped in with both feet in doing his trustee duties.
“I can’t imagine the number of student council meetings, Christmas concerts, and ASBA conferences that he attended during his tenure as a trustee and he always attended with interest. Being a trustee wasn’t a job for him. It was a genuine privilege working with him,” Froc said.
Drew Chipman, Foothills School Division assistant superintendent corporate services, worked with Gardner throughout his career.
“He loved education and he loved Foothills School Division,” Chipman said. “He was with Foothills for more than 40 years as teacher and trustee.
“He was a kind man, who cared about kids.”
It was that concern about kids that was always his focal point.
“When we were trying to right-size facilities and struggling with finances in the early 2000s during our Vision 2020, he was keen to make sure any decision was beneficial to kids and keep kids foremost in our discussion,” Chipman said.
He added Gardner was also a strong supporter of all staff at schools and at the division office.
Gardner was a recipient of the President's Award from the Alberta School Council Association.
A celebration of Gardner’s life is scheduled for Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. at Senator Riley School in High River.
The school is the former Senator Riley High School where Gardner started his career with Foothills School Division in 1969.
