Legacy 52

Dr. Gregory Powell founded a Canadian helicopter air ambulance service in 1985, called STARS, in response to the lack of emergency care available to rural residents. STARS stands for Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service.

Last year, in my PORTAL 52 series, I did two paintings and blogs about a vision quest I embarked on (Weeks 18 and 25). I overcame much resistance in order to step into what, for me, was unknown territory. It involved travelling with 10 complete strangers to a remote oceanfront camp in the Narrows Inlet, north of Vancouver, British Columbia. Participating in this quest pushed at every comfort zone I had, but I did it anyway.

Writer, political activist, and playwright, George Bernard Shaw’s legacy has far reaching influence in the realms of theatre, culture and politics. Some have boldly stated that he is second only to Shakespeare when it comes to the quality of his plays. In 1925 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, so it seems there is merit in that comparison.

The 2016 movie ‘Hidden Figures’ was based on the non-fiction book of the same title by Margot Lee Shetterly. Both formats highlight the African American women who faced many obstacles in the 1950-60s doing their jobs as ‘human computers’ (which was, at the time, an actual job description meaning “one who computes” or performs mathematical calculations).

In 2016, Martin Parnell went on a journey that many believed was madness: running a marathon in Afghanistan in a quest to fight for women’s rights and gender equality.

In 1967, Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to officially register and run in the Boston Marathon. She and her teammates managed to finish the race, despite having to fend off race officials when they tried to physically pull Kathrine out of the race.

At only 14 years of age, Malala Yousafzai had already become an outspoken activist. In the Taliban-occupied region of Pakistan in which she was living, girls were banned from attending school. Using a pseudonym to shield her identity, she wrote impassioned letters and blog posts advocating for girls’ right to education.

In 1928, Sergeant John Cawsey brought a unique weapon to the arsenal used at the Bassano, Alberta, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachment – a dog.
 
After buying a dog as a companion for his daughter, Sgt. Cawsey began training him. Named ‘Dale of Cawsalta’, (‘Caws-‘ being short for Cawsey and ‘-alta’ short for Alberta), he soon proved to be an intelligent partner, so Cawsey began taking the dog to work with him.

Born in 1897, Amelia Earhart is probably best remembered for being the first female, and only the second person, to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. Her legacy arises not only from her record-setting achievements as a female aviator, but also her passionate advocacy for women’s equality.

On August 17, 2019 a special ceremony took place in Ottawa, Canada, to re-dedicate a cenotaph that was designed and built by Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. This cenotaph has become an important memorial for the families of the fallen as well as those Canadians who served in Afghanistan. Here, lost lives can be remembered and mourned, comradeship and courage recalled, hopes and dreams reflected upon. By sharing our stories and memories, we honour the enduring legacies of others.