Ralph Thomas Scurfield
Encyclopedia
Ralph Thomas Scurfield, B.Sc
(b. January 7, 1928 in Broadview, Saskatchewan
- d. February 18, 1985), the son of Ralph and Ann Scurfield (née Parsons). He received his Bachelor of Science
degree from the University of Manitoba
in 1948. He was the President and Chief Executive Officer
of Nu-West Group Limited (1957–1985), and was an original owner of the Calgary Flames
. On February 18, 1985, he was killed in an avalanche while Heli-skiing on Mount Duffy in the Bugaboo Mountains, near Blue River, British Columbia
.
, Alberta. In 1969, Nu-West Homes Ltd. became a publicly traded company and was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange
. By 1981 Nu-West Group Ltd. had become the largest house-building company in Canada, with diversified asset holdings of $1.9 billion, and over 3,700 employees.He was also one of the founding owners of the National Hockey League
's Calgary Flames
.
Scurfield was actively involved in the establishment of the Faculty of Management at the University of Calgary
. The faculty’s building, Scurfield Hall, is named in his honour. Scurfield's family also owned Sunshine Village
ski resorthttp://www.skibanff.com/media/the_history.php located in Banff National Park
, and a share of Calgary Flames Hockey Club.
, on January 7, 1928. His family soon moved to the small farming community of Ninga, Manitoba
where his father was the station master on the Canadian Pacific Railway
line. Ralph was active in sports and enjoyed playing hockey
and soccer as a child. Few who knew him from his rural childhood days could have imagined that the bright boy with reddish hair, who walked to the one-room school house with his pet crow on his shoulder, would grow up to become one of the most successful and influential Canadian businessmen of his generation.
Scurfield attended the University of Manitoba
, working his way through school by taking summer carpentry jobs in the northern town of Churchill, Manitoba
. After receiving his Bachelor of Science
degree in 1948, Ralph became an elementary school teacher. He taught in Manitoba for only two years, before leaving a promising teaching career to pursue his chosen trade of carpentry. In 1951, lured by the booming Alberta
economy, he moved to Edmonton
, where he quickly found employment with McConnell Homes as a crew foreman. Scurfield was soon settled in Alberta, and in July 1954 he married Sonia Onishenko
, the youngest child of her Ukrainian–Russian immigrant parents.
Scurfield’s employer, Ches McConnell, impressed with Ralph’s work ethic and university degree, asked Ralph to move 160 miles south to Calgary to manage a the small, financially struggling, house building company called Nu-West Homes. Ralph agreed, but only on the condition that he be allowed to buy in as a 1/3 partner.
After mortgaging his house to finance his partnership, in 1957, at the age of 29, he became president of Nu-West Homes, a Calgary-based company building approximately 40 homes a year. When he moved to Calgary in May 1957, he found that Nu-West was in worse financial shape than he had been led to believe. With only a secretary and a bobcat driver as employees, Ralph went to work salvaging the reputation of the near bankrupt Nu-West Homes by fixing previously built houses free of charge. By putting in long hours he was able to establish Nu-West Homes as a company of strong customer service. Nu-West quickly became known for quality housing and after-sales service. Under Scurfield’s direction, Nu-West Homes flourished, and Scurfield’s personal stature grew.
In 1969 Nu-West went public, raising 2.9 million in its initial share offering. The money raised was used to purchase land in and around the City of Edmonton enabling Nu-West to enter the Edmonton house building market. The Alberta cities of Edmonton and Calgary were both growing very fast due to the continuing oil boom. Now positioned as the province’s largest house builder, Nu-West provided the homes demanded by the quickly growing population. Nu-West continued to expand and was soon building homes and buildings across Canada
and in parts of the United States
.
As a result of Nu-West's success, Scurfield became very wealthy and respected. His advice was sought out by city planners, business, and political leaders. He sat as a director with numerous corporations including Carma Ltd., The Mortgage Insurance Company of Canada, MICC Investments Ltd., and Sunshine Village Corporation. He was a part owner Calgary Flames Hockey Club, a member of the Faculty of Management Advisory Board of the University of Calgary, a member of the Board of Governors of the Banff Centre
for Continuing Education, and he served a term as President of the Housing and Urban Development Association of Canada. He travelled extensively, for both business and pleasure, and was an avid sportsman who enjoyed ice hockey, football, skiing, fishing and golf. In 1969, three years before President Richard Nixon's historic visit, Scurfield (then President of the National House Builder’s Association), was invited to visit the People's Republic of China as part of an official business delegation. In 1981, as a personal guest of former U.S. President Gerald Ford, Ralph and his wife were in attendance to witness the first launching of the NASA Space Shuttle.
Scurfield’s influence within the Calgary business community cannot be overstated. Scurfield was one of the founding members of Carma Ltd., a cooperative of independent builders who banded together to form a land development
company to provide serviced lots to Calgary homebuilders. In 1963 he became President of the Calgary House Builder's Association, and in 1969 became the President of the National House Builder's Association of Canada.
Using his influence, Scurfield established national house building standards, and introduced the "New Home Builder's Warranty Program" which continues to this day. He convinced his contemporary house building competitors that long term quality of life was more important than short-term profit.
Always defying the stereotype, Scurfield demonstrated that a land developer could also be an environmentalist. The lands which are now Nose Hill Park
were once privately owned and zoned for residential development. The largest landowners were Nu-West and Carma. Recognizing that the natural beauty of the undisturbed Nose Hill added a distinctive and desirable quality of life to Calgary, in the mid-1970s, Ralph orchestrated a land swap between Nu-West, Carma Developers and the City of Calgary, such that the City gained ownership of the future Park Lands. Over the next decade, the City acquired the remaining parcels of private holdings, and the resulting protected lands are now Nose Hill Park
, the largest city-owned natural park in North America
, and part of Ralph’s lasting legacy to the City of Calgary and its citizens.
By the end of the 1970s, Nu-West had become a diversified company, and so did Scurfield’s personal holdings. In 1980 the Scurfield Family bought Sunshine Village, a ski resort
located in the Banff National Park
. In 1981, Ralph Scurfield made a $4 million private donation to the University of Calgary, with a matching donation by Nu-West Group Ltd., to begin construction of a new faculty of management building. The building, named Scurfield Hall, opened on January 1, 1986. Ralph T. Scurfield was also one of six Calgary businessmen who purchased the NHL's Atlanta Flames
, which were then moved to Calgary for the 1980–81 season. The other original investors are Harley Hotchkiss
, Daryl Seaman
, Byron Seaman, Norman Green, and Normie Kwong. When the Calgary Flames won the NHL Championship in 1989, Ralph's widow, Sonia Scurfield
, became only the second woman (the first Canadian woman) to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup.
But things began to get tough in the early 1980’s when the federal government brought in the National Energy Program
, which didn't allow Albertans to sell oil to other Canadians at world prices. People left Alberta in droves and almost no one bought homes, with existing owners walking away from mortgages. Real estate prices plummeted and the industry collapsed. Nu-West, who was heavily leveraged with debt, lost its place of dominance in the house building industry.
On February 18, 1985, Scurfield was killed in an avalanche while Heli-skiing in the Monashee Mountains near Blue River, British Columbia
.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
(b. January 7, 1928 in Broadview, Saskatchewan
Broadview, Saskatchewan
Broadview is a community in Saskatchewan along the #1 highway, the Trans Canada Highway, east of the provincial capital city of Regina. The local economy is based mainly on agriculture.-History:...
- d. February 18, 1985), the son of Ralph and Ann Scurfield (née Parsons). He received his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
in 1948. He was the President and Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Nu-West Group Limited (1957–1985), and was an original owner of the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
. On February 18, 1985, he was killed in an avalanche while Heli-skiing on Mount Duffy in the Bugaboo Mountains, near Blue River, British Columbia
Blue River, British Columbia
Blue River is a small community in British Columbia, situated on the Yellowhead Highway about halfway between Kamloops and Jasper, Alberta, located at the confluence of the Blue and North Thompson Rivers. It currently has 260 residents...
.
Biography
Scurfield was a Canadian businessman who founded one of North America’s largest home building companies, Nu-West Group Limited. In 1957, Scurfield took control of Nu-West Homes, a small, privately owned, house-building company operating in CalgaryCalgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta. In 1969, Nu-West Homes Ltd. became a publicly traded company and was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange in Canada, the third largest in North America and the seventh largest in the world by market capitalisation. Based in Canada's largest city, Toronto, it is owned by and operated as a subsidiary of the TMX Group for the trading of senior equities...
. By 1981 Nu-West Group Ltd. had become the largest house-building company in Canada, with diversified asset holdings of $1.9 billion, and over 3,700 employees.He was also one of the founding owners of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
's Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
.
Scurfield was actively involved in the establishment of the Faculty of Management at the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
. The faculty’s building, Scurfield Hall, is named in his honour. Scurfield's family also owned Sunshine Village
Sunshine Village
Sunshine Village is a Canadian ski resort, located within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is one of three major ski resorts located in the Banff National Park. The Sunshine base area is located Southwest of the town of Banff, Alberta. By car, it is about one hour and thirty minute drive...
ski resorthttp://www.skibanff.com/media/the_history.php located in Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
, and a share of Calgary Flames Hockey Club.
Early years
Ralph Thomas Scurfield was born in Broadview, SaskatchewanBroadview, Saskatchewan
Broadview is a community in Saskatchewan along the #1 highway, the Trans Canada Highway, east of the provincial capital city of Regina. The local economy is based mainly on agriculture.-History:...
, on January 7, 1928. His family soon moved to the small farming community of Ninga, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
where his father was the station master on the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
line. Ralph was active in sports and enjoyed playing hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
and soccer as a child. Few who knew him from his rural childhood days could have imagined that the bright boy with reddish hair, who walked to the one-room school house with his pet crow on his shoulder, would grow up to become one of the most successful and influential Canadian businessmen of his generation.
Scurfield attended the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
, working his way through school by taking summer carpentry jobs in the northern town of Churchill, Manitoba
Churchill, Manitoba
Churchill is a town on the shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada. It is most famous for the many polar bears that move toward the shore from inland in the autumn, leading to the nickname "Polar Bear Capital of the World" that has helped its growing tourism industry.-History:A variety of nomadic...
. After receiving his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in 1948, Ralph became an elementary school teacher. He taught in Manitoba for only two years, before leaving a promising teaching career to pursue his chosen trade of carpentry. In 1951, lured by the booming Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
economy, he moved to Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, where he quickly found employment with McConnell Homes as a crew foreman. Scurfield was soon settled in Alberta, and in July 1954 he married Sonia Onishenko
Sonia Scurfield
Sonia Scurfield, B.A was a co-owner of the Calgary Flames hockey team from 1985 to 1994. She became only the second woman, and the only Canadian woman, to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup when the Calgary Flames won the National Hockey League championship in 1989.- Biography :Sonia...
, the youngest child of her Ukrainian–Russian immigrant parents.
Scurfield’s employer, Ches McConnell, impressed with Ralph’s work ethic and university degree, asked Ralph to move 160 miles south to Calgary to manage a the small, financially struggling, house building company called Nu-West Homes. Ralph agreed, but only on the condition that he be allowed to buy in as a 1/3 partner.
After mortgaging his house to finance his partnership, in 1957, at the age of 29, he became president of Nu-West Homes, a Calgary-based company building approximately 40 homes a year. When he moved to Calgary in May 1957, he found that Nu-West was in worse financial shape than he had been led to believe. With only a secretary and a bobcat driver as employees, Ralph went to work salvaging the reputation of the near bankrupt Nu-West Homes by fixing previously built houses free of charge. By putting in long hours he was able to establish Nu-West Homes as a company of strong customer service. Nu-West quickly became known for quality housing and after-sales service. Under Scurfield’s direction, Nu-West Homes flourished, and Scurfield’s personal stature grew.
In 1969 Nu-West went public, raising 2.9 million in its initial share offering. The money raised was used to purchase land in and around the City of Edmonton enabling Nu-West to enter the Edmonton house building market. The Alberta cities of Edmonton and Calgary were both growing very fast due to the continuing oil boom. Now positioned as the province’s largest house builder, Nu-West provided the homes demanded by the quickly growing population. Nu-West continued to expand and was soon building homes and buildings across Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and in parts of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
As a result of Nu-West's success, Scurfield became very wealthy and respected. His advice was sought out by city planners, business, and political leaders. He sat as a director with numerous corporations including Carma Ltd., The Mortgage Insurance Company of Canada, MICC Investments Ltd., and Sunshine Village Corporation. He was a part owner Calgary Flames Hockey Club, a member of the Faculty of Management Advisory Board of the University of Calgary, a member of the Board of Governors of the Banff Centre
Banff Centre
The Banff Centre, formerly known as The Banff Centre for Continuing Education, is an arts, cultural, and educational institution and conference complex located in Banff, Alberta...
for Continuing Education, and he served a term as President of the Housing and Urban Development Association of Canada. He travelled extensively, for both business and pleasure, and was an avid sportsman who enjoyed ice hockey, football, skiing, fishing and golf. In 1969, three years before President Richard Nixon's historic visit, Scurfield (then President of the National House Builder’s Association), was invited to visit the People's Republic of China as part of an official business delegation. In 1981, as a personal guest of former U.S. President Gerald Ford, Ralph and his wife were in attendance to witness the first launching of the NASA Space Shuttle.
Scurfield’s influence within the Calgary business community cannot be overstated. Scurfield was one of the founding members of Carma Ltd., a cooperative of independent builders who banded together to form a land development
Land development
Land development refers to altering the landscape in any number of ways such as:* changing landforms from a natural or semi-natural state for a purpose such as agriculture or housing...
company to provide serviced lots to Calgary homebuilders. In 1963 he became President of the Calgary House Builder's Association, and in 1969 became the President of the National House Builder's Association of Canada.
Using his influence, Scurfield established national house building standards, and introduced the "New Home Builder's Warranty Program" which continues to this day. He convinced his contemporary house building competitors that long term quality of life was more important than short-term profit.
Always defying the stereotype, Scurfield demonstrated that a land developer could also be an environmentalist. The lands which are now Nose Hill Park
Nose Hill Park
Nose Hill Park, one of the largest municipal parks in Canada and North America, is located in the northwest quadrant of Calgary, Alberta. It is a natural environment park, commonly regarded as a retreat from city life and a place to enjoy nature...
were once privately owned and zoned for residential development. The largest landowners were Nu-West and Carma. Recognizing that the natural beauty of the undisturbed Nose Hill added a distinctive and desirable quality of life to Calgary, in the mid-1970s, Ralph orchestrated a land swap between Nu-West, Carma Developers and the City of Calgary, such that the City gained ownership of the future Park Lands. Over the next decade, the City acquired the remaining parcels of private holdings, and the resulting protected lands are now Nose Hill Park
Nose Hill Park
Nose Hill Park, one of the largest municipal parks in Canada and North America, is located in the northwest quadrant of Calgary, Alberta. It is a natural environment park, commonly regarded as a retreat from city life and a place to enjoy nature...
, the largest city-owned natural park in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and part of Ralph’s lasting legacy to the City of Calgary and its citizens.
By the end of the 1970s, Nu-West had become a diversified company, and so did Scurfield’s personal holdings. In 1980 the Scurfield Family bought Sunshine Village, a ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
located in the Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
. In 1981, Ralph Scurfield made a $4 million private donation to the University of Calgary, with a matching donation by Nu-West Group Ltd., to begin construction of a new faculty of management building. The building, named Scurfield Hall, opened on January 1, 1986. Ralph T. Scurfield was also one of six Calgary businessmen who purchased the NHL's Atlanta Flames
Atlanta Flames
The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from 1972 to 1980. The team, a member of the National Hockey League , was relocated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the start of the 1980–81 NHL season and were re-named the Calgary Flames. The NHL returned to the...
, which were then moved to Calgary for the 1980–81 season. The other original investors are Harley Hotchkiss
Harley Hotchkiss
Harley Norman Hotchkiss, was a Canadian business and community leader who was best known for his contributions to health and sports development in Canada. He was one of the original owners that brought the National Hockey League's Atlanta Flames to Calgary in 1980 and remained a team owner until...
, Daryl Seaman
Daryl Seaman
Daryl Kenneth "Doc" Seaman, OC, AOE was a Canadian businessman. He was also involved in the sport of ice hockey as the owner of the Calgary Flames and on various ice hockey commissions. Seaman was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2010...
, Byron Seaman, Norman Green, and Normie Kwong. When the Calgary Flames won the NHL Championship in 1989, Ralph's widow, Sonia Scurfield
Sonia Scurfield
Sonia Scurfield, B.A was a co-owner of the Calgary Flames hockey team from 1985 to 1994. She became only the second woman, and the only Canadian woman, to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup when the Calgary Flames won the National Hockey League championship in 1989.- Biography :Sonia...
, became only the second woman (the first Canadian woman) to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup.
But things began to get tough in the early 1980’s when the federal government brought in the National Energy Program
National Energy Program
The National Energy Program was an energy policy of the Government of Canada. It was created under the Liberal government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau by Minister of Energy Marc Lalonde in 1980, and administered by the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources.-Description:The NEP was...
, which didn't allow Albertans to sell oil to other Canadians at world prices. People left Alberta in droves and almost no one bought homes, with existing owners walking away from mortgages. Real estate prices plummeted and the industry collapsed. Nu-West, who was heavily leveraged with debt, lost its place of dominance in the house building industry.
On February 18, 1985, Scurfield was killed in an avalanche while Heli-skiing in the Monashee Mountains near Blue River, British Columbia
Blue River, British Columbia
Blue River is a small community in British Columbia, situated on the Yellowhead Highway about halfway between Kamloops and Jasper, Alberta, located at the confluence of the Blue and North Thompson Rivers. It currently has 260 residents...
.
Honours
Named in his honour include:- The Ralph T. Scurfield Award of Excellence, presented annually by Southern Alberta Institute of TechnologySouthern Alberta Institute of Technology-Academics:SAIT Polytechnic offers two full baccalaureate degrees , four applied degrees, 66 diploma and certificate programs, 32 apprenticeship trades and 1,600 continuing education and corporate training courses....
(SAIT), is the highest recognition that can be bestowed on a SAIT faculty member.
- The Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award, is presented annually by the Calgary FlamesCalgary FlamesThe Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
to the Flames player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, determination and leadership on the ice, combined with dedication to community service.
- The Ralph T. Scurfield Builder of the Year Award, presented annual by the Alberta Home Builders Association, is the Alberta home building industry’s top honour (the winner is commonly referred to as "the best of the best").
- Scurfield Hall Photo of Scurfield Hall, the faculty building housing the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of BusinessHaskayne School of BusinessThe Haskayne School of Business is the University of Calgary's business school, located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is named after Richard F. Haskayne, who gave one of the largest endowments to a business school in Canada. The school offers undergraduate, masters, and PhD degrees, as well as...
.
- Scurfield Boulevard and Scurfield Park, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
- Scurfield Drive located in Calgary, Alberta.
- Beautiful Point, located on Goat’s Eye Mountain in Banff National Park.
- In 1986, Scurfield was posthumously named a recipient of the Centennial Award of Merit, awarded by the Centennial of Incorporation Committee to acknowledge Calgarians whose community service has enriched the city’s life for a period of 10 years are more.
- In 2005, Scurfield was selected by Alberta Venture Magazine as the 2nd Greatest Albertan of all time, http://www.albertaventure.com/abventure_4937.html?ID=4937&doc_id=6310, behind only the legendary Grant MacEwanGrant MacEwanJohn Walter Grant MacEwan, best known as Grant MacEwan was a farmer, Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Dean of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba, the 28th Mayor of Calgary and both a Member of the Legislative Assembly and the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Canada...
.
- In June 2008, Ralph Scurfield was nominated as one of Alberta's Greatest Citizens, as part of their "Search for our Greatest Citizen Project.
Newspaper and magazine articles
- Mar. 29, 1980 - The Financial Post, p. W9
- July 13, 1981- New York Times, July 13, 1981, Late City Final Edition, Page D3,
- May 19, 1982 - Brandon Sun (Manitoba)
- February 20, 1985 - The Calgary Herald (Scurfield skied into slide), Front page; (Scurfield killed) page A2; (Legacy everywhere), editorial; (Scurfield wanted to be the best), page C1.
- February 20, 1985 - Calgary Sun (Nu-West Boss Dies In Slide), Front Page; (Magnate dies in slide), page 2; (A great loss), editorial page 10; (Scurfield represented Calgary Spirit), page 11; (Developer missed) page38,
- February 20, 1985 - Edmonton Journal (Nu-West kingpin dies as avalanche hits skiers)
- February 20, 1985 - Vancouver Sun (Two skied into slide, operator says/Skiers didn’t hear shouts)
- February 20, 1985 - Toronto Star (Obituary: Ralph Scurfield, 57, co-founder of giant Nu-West Group).
- February 20, 1985 - The Globe and Mail (Nu-West chief part owner of Flames), page 15.
- February 21, 1985 - Vancouver Sun (B.C. avalanche site probed after two killed on skiing trip)
- February 21, 1985 - Calgary Herald (Scurfield’s son rejects claim), page B2; (Obituary), page D8;
- February 23, 1985 - Calgary Herald (Man of vision given farewell)
- February 27, 1985 - The University of Calgary Gazette (in memoriam Ralph Thomas Scurfield, 1928–1985), page 3
- March 4, 1985 - Alberta Report (Skiing into oblivion), page 16; (Carpenter to tycoon), page 16-17.
- December 2, 1986 - Calgary Herald (Five citizens to get community award), page B6.
- January 23, 1998 - The Calgary Herald (The Scurfield Legacy), page D1, D2
- December 2005 - Alberta Venture Magazine, Vol. 09 Issue 10, (The 50 Greatest Albertans)
- June 8, 2008 - The Calgary Herald (125 Of Our Greatest Citizens)
External links
- Calgary Herald - 125 of our Greatest Citizens
- Alberta Venture Magazine - The 50 Greatest Albertans
- Zoominfo.com
- The Canadian Encyclopedia (Calgary Flames)
- Official Portraits of the University of Calgary
- Phaneuf named recipient of 2007-08 Ralph T. Scurfield Award (Calgary Flames)
- Ralph T. Scurfield Award for Excellence in Teaching (SAIT)(1)
- Ralph T. Scurfield Award for Excellence in Teaching (SAIT)(2)