IN
MEMORIAM
 U
of C mourns longtime supporter
Bud
McCaig John Robert
(Bud) McCaig was many things to many people.
He was an
entrepreneur who built Trimac Corp. from a small trucking
company into a major North American conglomerate. Last fall,
he was inducted into the Calgary Business Hall of Fame for
his inspiring leadership
and community service.
He was a
volunteer extraordinaire, serving on many boards and community
rganizations
such as the Calgary Health Trust, where he was chairman
emeritus. He oversaw a major restructuring of the Calgary
Regional Health Authority while chairman from 1994 to 1998, accepting
only $1 a year
for his work and donating his $10,000 annual honorarium to
the Health Trust.
He was one
of the city’s most ardent philanthropists, who provided
leadership for, among many other ventures, the Project
Motion campaign for the development of the Research Centre for Joint
Injury and
Arthritis and The Partners in Health Campaign, which raised
$54 million for health
care and medical research. He was awarded the Order of
Canada in 1999.
McCaig was
also a great friend to the University of Calgary.
With his
wife Ann, the eighth chancellor of The University of Calgary and a
member of the U of C’s Board of Governors for 10 years, McCaig
provided advice and support to numerous presidents, deans and faculty
members on how the community and the University could work together
to build a strong, vibrant and compassionate city.
“
We are terribly saddened by this loss, and the thoughts and prayers
of all of us on campus go out to Ann and the kids,” says U of C
President Harvey Weingarten. “Bud was more than just a supporter
of the U of C, he was a member of our family. He was unstinting
in his commitment of time, wisdom and leadership.”
McCaig, 75,
died suddenly on January 11, while at his family’s
vacation home in Barbados.
His connections
to the University of Calgary are long and deep. In 1998, he received
an honorary doctor
of
laws degree from the U of C and later that year
a Distinguished Business
Leader
Award
from the
Haskayne School of Business and the Calgary Chamber
of Commerce. He was a member of the Chancellor’s Club since 1992 and on the Faculty
of Medicine Dean’s Advisory Council since 1999.
He was known for being extraordinarily down-to-earth
and friendly, a man who never let his success set
him apart from others.
”
Bud was a fine gentleman in every respect,” says U of C Board of
Governors Chairman and friend Brian MacNeill. “He was a firm believer
and supporter of secondary education in many ways, not just financial,
but very giving of his time as well. We will miss his presence
at the University.”
McCaig donated
millions of dollars to various initiatives at the U of C, including
the McCaig Chair
in Management
in the Haskayne School of Business, the M.
Ann McCaig Chancellor’s Club Scholarship
and the Sport Medicine Centre in 1991.
In 1999,
the McCaigs established a fund to support research at the U of C’s Faculty of Medicine through the McCaig Centre for
Joint Injury and Arthritis Research. The couple also launched the
McCaig Professorship Fund and Award in support of joint injury and arthritis
research. Last March, McCaig kickstarted the Alberta Bone and Joint
Institute
with a stunning $10-million donation. The Institute will be located
at U of C and operate in partnership with the health regions, Alberta
Health
and Wellness, the Alberta Medical Association and Alberta universities.
“
Bud believed passionately about giving back to the community and
he led by example,” says Gary Durbeniuk, chief development officer
at the U of C. “He gave willingly of his time, talent and treasure
to support numerous projects and people on campus. His spirit and
example touched many of us and for that, we are a better community.”
McCaig was
born in Moose Jaw on June 14, 1929, and moved to Calgary in 1960. He
has three
children, Jeffery, Melanie
and JoAnn.
Ann
McCaig also has three children, Roxanne,
John and Jane.
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