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Exhibition to respect life and times of Peter Lougheed - Imperial Oil Limited
major sponsor
| Calgary, AB,
October 12, 2006
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Tim Hearn, president, chairman and CEO of Imperial Oil Limited, joined former
Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed yesterday to announce Imperial’s support of an
upcoming Lougheed House Conservation Society exhibition honouring the life and
times of Peter Lougheed.
“Peter Lougheed and the Shaping of
Modern Alberta” is a major multi-media, interactive exhibition that tells the
story of Peter Lougheed’s contributions to Alberta and Canada. After more than
a year of research, design and development, the exhibition will be open to the
public in May 2007. Imperial Oil donated $100,000 to support the exhibition
and other Lougheed House Conservation Society education programs.
At a ceremony held yesterday at historic Lougheed House (the 1891 Calgary home
of Peter Lougheed’s grandfather Senator Sir James Lougheed), Mr. Hearn said,
“Imperial Oil is proud to pay tribute to the career and achievements of one of
the Province’s greatest citizens. This exhibition will provide an important
source of history and inspiration to young people.”
The
exhibition’s concept came about in late 2005 with a grant from Western
Economic Diversification Corporation. Since then, the exhibition’s curator,
Sandra Morton Weizman, has been involved in extensive research and planning,
including filming interviews with prominent federal and provincial
participants in the so-called “Energy Wars” of the late 1970s and early 1980s
such as Marc Lalonde and Claude Morin.
“We welcome Imperial’s
generous support. An undertaking of this magnitude and importance is very
expensive” said Lougheed House Executive Director, Blane Hogue. “It has to be
accurate and credible but equally important, it has to appeal to a wide range
of demographic groups and show the relevance of Premier Lougheed’s
achievements to today’s Albertans, many of whom were not born when he was in
office.”
Lougheed House will be seeking further support
from corporate and individual donors to complete the exhibition. “As a
founding sponsor, Imperial Oil has set an example of giving back to the
community by supporting important programs such as this” said Hogue.
The exhibition’s major themes will include Peter Lougheed’s political career
from its earliest days until his retirement from politics in 1985. It will
also cover the growth and diversification of Alberta’s economy, the “energy
wars” of the 1970s and 1980s, and will tie such issues as the growth of
provincial rights to today’s Alberta.
“It’s fitting
that this exhibition will be housed in the home of Sir James Lougheed, who was
instrumental in the creation of this province and the securing of its mineral
rights” said Mr. Hearn.
Lee Richardson, Member of
Parliament for Calgary-Centre, added “Since being built in 1891, Lougheed
House has served as a symbol of Alberta’s unique history. Canada’s new
government, through Western Economic Diversification Canada, is proud to join
its partners in celebrating the legacy of the Honourable Peter Lougheed as
well as the ongoing development of this remarkable historic site”.
Imperial Oil contributed more than $15 million to enhance the well-being of
communities across Canada in 2005, building on a tradition of corporate giving
that began with the company’s inception in 1880. More than 125 years later,
Imperial is supporting organizations from coast-to-coast with an emphasis on
education, environment, and the community. Imperial's goal is to contribute to
building a life-long learning system in Canada that ranks among the best in
the world.
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