AHOF Members archive

Owen McAuley was raised on the family farm near McAuley, Manitoba. In 1968 he received a Diploma in Agriculture from the University of Manitoba. After a year in the Alberta oil industry, he returned to McAuley, married Anna Mae Marshall, and together they raised three children, Laurie, Karen and Scott. In 1991 they were presented with the Manitoba Farm Family of the Year Award by the Red River Exhibition Association. Owen’s early years on the farm made him realize the many ways that the agricultural industry was being impacted by factors beyond the farm gate. Thus began his involvement in organizations which focussed on addressing issues affecting prairie farmers. Owen was involved with the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) from its...

William (Bill) Sheppard May was born in Dundee, Scotland on January 23, 1907, immigrating to Canada in 1926. He married Ruth Parker of McConnell, Manitoba in 1939 and their daughter Dell, was born in 1940. Mr. May farmed in the Strathclair district, raising cattle, swine, and registered seed grain. Because of limited space on “Dundee’s Pride”, he turned to pure-bred Yorkshire swine which were shown at top shows across the country. He was the first Manitoba breeder to win the “Silver Pig” trophy. Bill served community and province, as well as his country in many capacities as director and often president: of the Manitoba Swine Breeders for 20 years; of the Canadian Swine Breeders; the Advisory Board to R.O.P. Board...

Dr. Henry Heard Marshall (D.Sc.,P.Ag.), a Manitoban of great prowess, spent his career working in the field of horticulture. He married (Eva) Genevieve Evangeline Foresman, on October 26, 1940 and they raised four boys. As a self-taught scientist, Henry’s research was not restricted to a field of specialized training but rather expanded as he studied the problems of different crops. Whether it was vegetable, fruit, ornamental flower or shrub, he approached it as a challenge. His depth of interest was broad, ranging from chemistry, to genetics, to colour, to essential oils, to the genetics of sweetness. He trained himself in statistics, botany, and genetics, often to the level attained only through advanced university degrees. Mr. Marshall’s interests included such studies...

Dr. Grant MacEwan was born a native son of Elton Municipality in 1902. The MacEwans moved to Brandon in 1908 and MacEwan began his elementary education in Alexandra School. He proved to be an apt student and won the hearts of his classmates by his eloquent recitation of a Scottish ballad. In 1915, the MacEwans moved to Melfort, Saskatchewan, where MacEwan completed his high school education. He attended the Ontario College of Agriculture in Guelph and graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. After post-graduate work in Iowa, he became head of the animal husbandry department at the University of Saskatchewan in 1928. In 1946, MacEwan accepted the post of dean of agriculture...

Walter Lynch, a bachelor and soldier, came West in 1869-70 with the Wolseley Red River Expedition. He was impressed with the farming opportunities on the Prairies. When he returned to Ontario, he persuaded a group of people to come out to this relatively unknown area. They were attracted by the offer of good soil, pleasant climate and 160 acres of free land. Lynch promoted the idea of establishing a new life in the West. He proposed to avoid the “Prairie” because of its problems with fire, lack of wood and water and its openness to the elements hail, frost, wind and snow. He wanted to develop river lots, especially those near the old fur trading community of Portage la Prairie....

Archie William Londry was born on April 5, 1922 at Minnedosa, Manitoba. He attended school at Willow Grove, McBride and Minnedosa High School. He was a member of the Boys’ and Girls’ Club, the forerunner of 4-H. He was an R.C.A.F. pilot in WW II. On July 3, 1946 Archie married Winona Horner. Their family is son, David, his wife Marlynn and four grandchildren. During an eight-year period Archie worked for C.P.R., drove mules and horses, fired steam engines and flew aircraft before he began farming. His farming operation included purebred beef cattle as well as growing foundation, registered and certified seed grain. Archie’s main interest, however, was the cattle industry where he was president of the Hereford Association, the...

Samuel Larcombe was born in the village of Musbury in Devonshire, England. In 1889, Larcombe emigrated to Canada, proceeding to Birtle, Manitoba. Upon reaching Birtle, he rented a farm which he later bought. This farm became known as the best cultivated steading in Manitoba. Larcombe set out to prove that every vegetable grown in England could be produced in Manitoba. He first exhibited at small fairs, later meeting with marked success. His own varieties of vegetables were developed by intensive cultivation and hybridization, creating new interest in western possibilities. In 1911 and 1912, Larcombe branched more extensively into the growing of grains for exhibition purposes. He started plot work and in 1916, “the year of the big rust,” he declared...

Herb Lapp was born and raised on a farm at Alameda, Saskatchewan. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a pilot during World War II. In 1949, he graduated in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. In 1962, he obtained an M.S. in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Herb married Alba Dunnigan also of Alameda; they raised a daughter Cheryl and two sons, Ronald and Richard. Following graduation, Herb worked for the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) developing irrigation and water storage projects. He then spent two years with the Manitoba Department of Agriculture as an extension engineer. In 1953, Herb joined the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Manitoba, as a Professor in the Department...