News Advertiser PAGE 15
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august 25, 2021
Special Presentations Highlight of Mundare Agri-Days Pictured L-R: Frank Rosypal, Jason Kowal, Irene Talaga, Mike Saric, Cheryl Calinoiu, Peter Polischuk Jr. Cindy Polischuk and Jaden Polischuk. (Michelle Pinon/Photo)
Michelle Pinon News Advertiser The 2021 edition of Mundare Agri-Days was extra special for a couple of reasons with the official unveiling of Polischuk Avenue and awarding of the Patricia Tompkins Long Service Appreciation Award posthumously. Shortly after 10 am members of the Polischuk family and town council gathered for the official unveiling of Polischuk Avenue. Mayor Mike Saric began by stating, “Today we are gathered to remember a very special person, a member of our community who passed away about a year ago, Peter Polischuk Sr. Peter Polischuk was the man who basically I got to know 20 years ago when I first opened this shop up again. He became a customer of mine and over time he became a mentor. Once I ran for and was actually elected as mayor, Peter and I started sharing more and more time together and he gave me so much information about the town, its history, his own experience as a politician. And honestly, I am a better person for having known the man. He was a great proponent of this town and our community, I don’t think you’d find anyone out there that could fight as hard for our town, always promoting it everywhere he went. Every time he spoke of the town it was in the best regard.” Peter Polischuk Jr. responded by stating, “First of all I want to thank Lois Zyla who took the initiative of sending a letter to town council to commemorate his time and efforts in the Town of Mundare. So, Lois, bless your heart. Thank you so much, we really
appreciate that.” He then thanked members of town council, office and public works staff. “Like Mike said he was such a strong supporter of our community. Didn’t matter where he was or who he spoke to he was always promoting Mundare and it was Mundare first. I remember several conversations with them saying where are you from? He never said we live east of Edmonton, he said, I’m from Mundare. It was funny because people would start relating with him and say, I know someone from Mundare. And the conversation would go on and on and on. He was uncanny about sitting down and visiting with people and really what they had in their lives and what he would share.” Polischuk said the first reason he chose this particular intersection was because it is located where his dad officially welcomed Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip to Mundare during their tour of Alberta on Aug. 2, 1978. The second reason was because it is where the waterline runs from Edmonton to Vegreville. His dad and John S. Batiuk were instrumental in getting good quality potable water to Mundare and several other communities along Highway 15. The third reason was because his dad made “hundreds of thousands” of U-turns at the intersection before it was upgraded. “It’s very appropriate spot. I’m glad council agreed to this. We are eternally grateful. My wife Cindy, my son Jayden, and my other son Jordan, who is in Vancouver and couldn’t join us today.” Shortly after 2 pm people gathered in the foyer of
the town office. Long-time Mundare Library Board member and Secretary Lois Zyla welcomed everyone. “We are gathered here today to honour a very special lady, Patricia Louise Tompkins, who sadly is no longer with us.” Charlie Gargus, who was the first chair of the library board in 1994, spoke about Tompkins. “She was one of our founding members.” Gargus said she contributed so many books and shelves for the library they quickly ran out of space after it opened. Mayor Mike Saric also spoke a few words to honour Tompkins, and said her contributions will be remembered forever. Zyla said the library board had decided to name the main room in the library, “the Patricia Tompkin’s Reading Room” and presented an engraved plaque, door insignia, and two photographs of Pat to her daughter Fern Miller and her two sons Justin and Caleb. Miller stated, “I would like to thank Lois Zyla, my mom’s friend, former teaching colleague, and fellow library board member, for spearheading this dedication along with the other members of the Mundare Public Library Board. As a longstanding board member, my mom helped launch the opening of the public library, donating a collection of hundreds of books… She was an avid reader, often turning pages past midnight into the early morning hours when a book captivated her interest. Our home was filled with floor to ceiling bookshelves containing books of every genre, and I can’t recall a time that my mom wasn’t reading a book (or two). She always was looking for recommendations of a good read and freely loaned her books to others. While the reading room has a formal name, in my mind it will be “Pat’s Place,” and I hope visitors find it a welcoming spot that inspires them to read and fosters a love of literature like my mom’s.”
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