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Milton Tibbetts was a homesteader and Canadian Pacific Railway worker in the Edmonton area.

Donald Thorogood worked for many years at Angus Butler Engineering beginning as a draftsman in 1955 and eventually president in 1986. Don started Thorogood Enterprises Ltd. some time later.

Thomson, Anne McRae 1875-1958
Thomson, Donald Walter 1906-2001
Thomson, Elizabeth Shirley 1921-2008
Thomson, George 1865-1946
Thomson, George Wilbur (Wilbert) 1909-1968
Thomson, Hannah Loretta (Reta) 1896-1960
Thomson, John Harold 1898-1964
Thomson, Norma Lillian 1911-2009
Thomson, Osler McRae (Pat) 1913-1945

George Thomson was born in 1865 to Elizabeth McLean and John F. Thomson in Leitchfield township, Pontiac county, Quebec. He graduated from the College of Pharmacy at Toronto in 1887. Following graduation he moved west, initially intending to settle in Seattle. However he stayed there only a few months, the headed north to Calgary. He came to Edmonton from Calgary by stage coach in the spring of 1888. He was the first qualified druggist in Edmonton and set up shop, initially on the north side of the river.

About five years later he moved to the south side and opened Thomson's Drug Store, which was the first drug store in Strathcona. At the time the population of Strathcona was about 500.

Anne McRae was born in 1875 to Flora McDonell and John J. McRae in St. Raphael’s, Ontario. She moved to Edmonton with her parents and siblings in 1892. Anne McRae married George Thomson 18 Jul 1894 In Edmonton. Anne and George had seven children between 1896 and 1921 – Hannah Loretta (Reta), John Harold, Donald Walter, George Wilbert, Norma Lillian, Osler McRae (Pat), and Elizabeth Shirley.

George, Anne and their family lived above the drugstore on Whyte Avenue. Dr. Wilbert McIntyre, a highly respected doctor in Strathcona, had his office next door to George’s drugstore. The two men were sincere friends. At some point, likely around 1907, Thomson’s Drug Store was completely destroyed by a fire.

In 1907, George became Strathcona’s postmaster, a position he held until 1923. George was very active in the community, including serving as the chief of the Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Anne was also highly involved in the community, including as one of the founders of King Edward Community League, president of the Granite Women’s Curling Club, and a life member of the Eastern Star. Both Anne and George were members of the Northern Alberta Pioneers and Old Timers’ Association.

George Thomson died Dec 1946.
Annie McRae Thomson died 14 Jul 1958.

Jeane Alberta Ross was born in 1914 to Winnifred Thompson and Harold O. Ross in Edmonton. When her father went to war in 1916, Jeane and her mother moved to Bracebridge, Ontario. After her father’s death in May 1917, they returned to Alberta settling on a farm in Millet, with Jean’s uncles Wilfred and Keith.

Jeane started elementary school in Millet in 1921, and later attended Strathcona High School. She went to the Normal School in Edmonton and then taught at the Coal Lake School for one year. Jeane then went to the University of Alberta and received a degree in Commerce. She worked for the Alberta Wheat Pool in Calgary and the Examinations Branch in the Department of Education in Edmonton.

Prior to World War II, Jeane went east, likely to Ontario. While there, Jeane married Capt. V.A. Thompson and they had one son, John. After World War II, Jeane and her son returned to Millet. They lived on the Ross-Thompson farm and Jeane remained on the farm until it was sold in 1967.

Jeane was very active in the Millet community, including the Millet Red Cross, Millet Library Board and the United Farm Women’s Association. Jeane was also involved with other organizations, including the Federation of Alberta Naturalists, The Human Society, Friends of the Devonian Botanical Gardens, and the Historical Society of Alberta.

Jeane Ross Thompson died 24 Jan 1977 in Millet, Alberta.

Hector Harry Thompson was born 5 Aug 1884 to Zelia Taylor and George Thompson in Germania, Ontario. Hector was the third oldest of eight children, and older brother to Winnifred Ross Thompson.

As a young man he worked for his father as a farm labourer and on his own in wood lumber. In summers he would work with horses. Around 1918 he travelled west to join his siblings, Wilfred, Keith, and Winnifred who had established the Ross-Thompson farm in Millet.

Hector also worked the horses for Helen Furlong, another famer in the Millet area. Later, Hector purchased a farm adjacent to the Ross-Thompson farm. He was known to always keep a diary, which was reported as ‘solving many arguments’.

Hector Harry Thompson died 19 Aug 1967 in Millet.

The Edmonton Historical Board is an advisory committee to City Council. In 1984 the Board ran an essay contest in Edmonton schools to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the city. Amanda Thompson submitted the winning entry.

Dave Thiele was a City Councillor for Ward 6 between 1998 and 2010.

The XI Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton from August 3-12, 1978. Almost 2,000 athletes and officials from 46 countries, as well as a large number of tourists, gathered in Edmonton to enjoy "the friendly games". The event was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in front of 43,000 spectators in Edmonton's new Commonwealth Stadium. The athletic events and associated cultural activities focused world-wide attention on the city of Edmonton and provided an enormous boost to the local economy. As well as Commonwealth Stadium, other facilities were constructed especially for the games, including the Kinsmen Aquatic Centre, the Strathcona Shooting Range, and the Coronation Park Lawn Bowling Greens.

The idea of bidding to host the Commonwealth Games began as early as 1970 and involved close cooperation between three different levels of government. The Government of Canada contributed $12 million, as well as various services. The Provincial Government and the City of Edmonton each contributed $11.6 million towards the cost of the event. At a more local level the organization of the games required a strong working relationship between the City of Edmonton, especially the Parks and Recreation Department, the XI Commonwealth Games Canada (1978) Foundation, and the University of Alberta.

While the Parks and Recreation Department oversaw the design and construction of facilities the Foundation was charged with the administration of the games. Although there was considerable overlap in areas of responsibility, the Foundation and its volunteer staff undertook a huge amount of work. Dr. Maury Van Vliet, the Dean of Physical Education at the University of Alberta, became President of the Foundation in 1975. Together with a board of directors and fifteen division chairmen, Dr. Van Vliet presided over an organization which at its peak included 10,000 volunteers.

The Whale Society of Edmonton was a non-profit, incorporated society which operated for five years. It was the first and, until 1981, only society in Canada which worked solely and specifically toward the preservation and public understanding of cetaceans (scientific term that describes marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, and porpoises). The main concerns of the Society were public education about cetaceans and advocacy for the preservation of cetaceans and their oceanic habitat. To accomplish these goals, the Society created newsletters, hosted film nights, distributed whale-themed merchandise, and invited guest speakers to meetings.

The Whale Society of Edmonton was formally dissolved in 1983 due to a failure to elect an executive board.

The Vocal Minority Music Society (VMS) formed ca. 1983, was, according to member Herbert Tay, the first mixed gay choir in Canada, and the second gay choir to be formed, following the Vancouver Men’s Chorus. The choir’s mandate was to provide a cultural organization to bring together singers, musicians, and interested individuals, both gay and gay-supportive. Their printed goals state they wanted to foster interaction between lesbian women and gay men, as well as between the gay community and the rest of society. The choir met weekly, and new members were on a one-month trial period. The choir was particularly active from 1983 through 1985, taking part in Canadian Gay and Lesbian Association (GALA) choruses and performances.
However, by 1986 their numbers were dwindling and with interest waning, the Board of Directors for the Vocal Minority Music Society announced its dissolution in May 1987. In 1993, a new LGBQT choir, Edmonton Vocal Minority (EVM), was started by David Hicks who was active at that time with the Gay and Lesbian Community Centre of Edmonton. The name of the newly-reestablished choir was a nod to its predecessor, and EVM continues to perform in several self-produced concerts each year, and actively participates in the Canadian GALA choruses Festivals. The choir remains committed “to playing a vital role in preserving and celebrating the rich culture and history of the Queer community, while at the same time championing equality and embracing the diversity of all people regardless of sexual orientation”. (EVM webpage: http://www.evmchoir.com)