AHOF Members archive

T. Roy Bailey was born on their now Centennial Farm near Carberry on September 5, 1915. He was married to Nora Froom for 45 years. They had three sons, Alan, Brian and Douglas. He was married to Edith Ranson for 14 years before she, too, predeceased him. Roy operated a successful cattle operation before switching to potato growing. He was one of several who were instrumental in the events that led to J.R. Simplot building the potato processing plant at Carberry in 1962. At that time he started to contract potatoes for this plant. Today his son, Alan, along with grandson, Terry, continue this practice. T. Roy was involved in the Save the Soil program. He also served as chairman...

Helgi Halldor Austman (Ph.D.) was born in Vidir, Manitoba, the only child of Anna and Halldor Austman. His grade schooling, including two years by correspondence, was completed in Arborg and Teulon. In 1948, after three years at the University of Manitoba, Helgi graduated with a BSA, receiving the Lieutenant Governor’s Gold Medal. While in university Helgi married Lillian Arnason, who became his partner, support and companion for life. They had three children, Signe, Larry and Brian. Helgi’s career began as the district Ag Rep for Teulon during difficult times for Interlake farmers. Working hard to improve conditions, he quickly saw the potential for the 4-H movement to develop young people. Recognizing his ability, the Manitoba Department of Agriculture promoted Helgi...

Allan and Edythe Arnott (nee Rex) were raised and obtained their early education at Darlingford, Manitoba. They graduated from Morden High School. From 1942 to 1945, Allan served in the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal British Navy. After obtaining a Diploma in Agriculture from the University of Manitoba, Allan returned to the family farm at Darlingford. Following her training at Success Business College, Edythe worked as an administrative assistant in the Corps of Army Engineers at Fort Osborne Barracks. Allan and Edythe were married in 1945. They raised four children: Valerie, Diane, Vicki and Tom. For over 50 years the Arnotts worked side by side managing and operating a large-scale farm. Edythe handled the day-to-day administrative details related...

Alfred Edwin (Eddy) Arnold was born in Toronto in 1898 and received his education in Shoal Lake, Manitoba. Mr. Arnold began his career in the heavy horse business in 1918, introducing the “Croydon” line in 1923 and has continued to use this name for his line of fine Clydesdale horses. He was to show his Clydesdales to the Toronto Royal Winter Fair for forty years. Always striving to breed superior animals with endurance, Mr. Arnold won prizes with his horses wherever he went. He has been a much sought after heavy horse judge for many years, and has no doubt influenced the breeding and selection of others in the horse business during the past 60 years. Mr. Arnold not only...

Evelyn Luella Moore was born and received her primary education in Manitou, Manitoba. She attended the Manitoba Normal School and worked as an educator, later attending the University of Manitoba and graduating as a Home Economist in 1919. She worked for the T. Eaton Company as a fabric tester until 1924, when she married Reginald Ames. Five years later she became a single parent with two children, Geraldine and Lloyd. Evelyn joined the Manitoba Department of Agriculture Extension Service in 1929. She developed and taught short courses in homemaking skills to women living in rural Manitoba. With courses in great demand, the ‘local leader’ model was used to broaden the reach of classes and develop skills ranging from parliamentary procedure,...

Charlie Froebe was born at Carman, Manitoba, on November 27, 1941. He grew up on the family farm in the Homewood district where he attended grade school and was a member of the Manitoba Sugar Beet 4-H Club.  His secondary education was at St. John’s Ravenscourt in Winnipeg and Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois.  He received a Diploma in Agriculture from the University of Manitoba and continued as a life-long learner through accounting, electronics and computer courses from the Universities of North Dakota and Minnesota, Red River College and the Devry Institute.  Charlie and Bonnie Strachan married in 1964 in Carman and raised two daughters, Karla and Nichole, on the farm at Homewood. Charlie’s major contribution to agriculture was...

George Edmund Franklin, the only child of Lena Mary (Tackaberry) Franklin and William Arthur Franklin, was born at home on 29-3-23 W near Deloraine, Manitoba. His schooling included Thirlstane Elementary, Deloraine High School and the University of Manitoba diploma course in agriculture. His farm career started on his father’s farm in 1930. In 1943, he married Eva Moffat and they raised four children, two boys and two girls. The Franklin farm was a grain and cattle operation. Because of his concern for soil depletion and the possibility of erosion, he took action to prevent either from happening. He stopped plowing in 1938 and later grew forage crops: brome, alfalfa and clover in rotation with other crops in order to prevent...

Dr. Frederick Valentine Bird was born at old St. Andrews, near Lower Fort Gary to Scottish-Indian parents. He received his formal education and pre-med at Petersfield and Selkirk, teaching school in order to put himself through medical college. One of a class of 13 to graduate from the faculty of medicine at the University of Manitoba in 1913, Dr. Bird set up his practice in Boissevain where he met and married a nurse, Ella Bradley. In the early years of his practice, he experienced the hardships of a pioneer doctor. On call 24 hours a day, he traveled many miles to see patients over roads that were atrocious in summer and impassable in winter. Emergency operations were often performed on...