Bringing accessible art to Albertans for over 50 years.
Don Begg
Bringing sculpture to life.
How can an idea be turned into a monument that will last a thousand years? For Don Begg, the answer is rooted in five generations of grit and artistry. Raised in the Wildcat Hills near Cochrane, Begg is an internationally respected, award-winning bronze sculptor. His father-in-law trained as a sculptor in Los Angeles after the Second World War, and inspired Begg to apprentice at a foundry in California. At the time, there were no foundries in Western Canada, so Begg returned home to build his own in 1970 — Cochrane’s Studio West Bronze Foundry and Art Gallery, the first fine art bronze foundry in Western Canada. It’s a legacy that now spans 55 years — and counting. The bronze process blends research, collaboration and the age-old lost-wax process of casting and finishing. Begg is recognized around the world for his sculptures, which depict everything from unsung heroes to animals to stories of the West. “I love to take it from imagination and make it into something that people can see, and touch and relate to.” For him, contemporary Western art connects with people. “It’s true to life and shows the world the energy of the working cowboy, the beauty of Indigenous culture, and Canadian wildlife and nature.” It is nature that Begg loves most about Alberta, living in the foothills. “It’s just the greatest place that you could possibly want to be.”
William Siliezar
Sharing culture, finding community.
In a city not many would expect, William Franco Siliezar is quietly turning Red Deer into a buzzing hub for Latin culture — one festival and high tea at a time. Siliezar moved to Edmonton from El Salvador with his mother in 2010 — a move she made in an effort to keep him safe from gang violence as a queer young man. He later relocated to Red Deer to be with his eventual partner, Victor. Since then the direction of his life has changed a few times, from architectural design to launching Sabor Latino café and Sabor Latino Fusion Kitchen, as well as two food trucks. He co-founded the Central Alberta Inclusive Latinx American Association with several other Latinx community members, hosting Red Deer’s first-ever Latin Festival in 2025. Siliezar hosts weekly Spanish conversation groups at his café, sparking connections between native speakers and learners. From Hispanic Heritage Month to “tamales wars”; he is passionate about bringing Latin America’s vibrancy to central Alberta. “As immigrants, even though we’re disconnected from where we came from, we’ve been able to make this place our home,” he says. “Once you find something that is yours and you belong in it, you will do your best to make that place as welcoming for others.”
William Siliezar at Sabor Latino Café and Restaurant in Red Deer.
Road warriors Ralf and Liz Petruch are seen at AMA’s Camrose office.
Ralf & Liz Petruch
The map to a beautiful province.
As longtime AMA members, Ralf and Liz Petruch have spent years exploring Alberta’s backroads and small communities, and retirement gave them more time to discover the province they call home — one road at a time. Ralf started driving around the province while working for TELUS and Alberta Government Telephones. His job took him places most people don’t get the opportunity to drive. After he retired in Camrose with his wife, Liz, they decided to try the Go East of Edmonton Roadtrip Adventure Game — and they were hooked. “Once we started, we thought why don’t we fill in all the roads?” says Ralf. “There are so many interesting places to be and go.” Liz researched to plan for a smooth trip, marrying their destination with local events such as markets or festivals. They made it a point to stay locally, supporting small motels and restaurants wherever they ended their day. In addition to a shared penchant for exploration, they’ve poured their passion into philanthropy. Over the last five years, the Petruchs have donated more than 2,500 handmade blankets to animal rescues across the province, something Liz and her friend Gail did together. “Every spare moment, we’ve been donating and making blankets. We’ve met some great people.” “This is such a beautiful province,” says Liz. “Everywhere we’ve gone, it’s the people that have made Alberta wonderful.”
Henry Williams in his happy place.
Henry Williams
A transplant that found his home.
Former CFL-er Henry ‘Gizmo’ Williams wasn’t even supposed to play in Edmonton. A mix-up at the Calgary Airport involving two players named Williams — one tall, one short — ended in him being sent to Edmonton. After proving himself with the Eskimos, Calgary came to fix the mistake, and his coach left the decision up to him. “I said, too bad, I’m not going. I’m staying here in Edmonton.” He played for 14 seasons, including five Grey Cup games, building a family with his teammates. “I miss a bit of football but the most important thing, I miss the guys. It was almost like growing up again.” Originally from Memphis, Williams never left the City of Champions after his CFL career. It’s a city that treated him well and made him feel at home. He speaks at schools about the importance of education and has been a personal trainer for 30 years, where he’s built another tight-knit community that he can be himself with. “One of the best things that ever happened to me was when I got my Canadian citizenship three years ago. I was so proud to become a Canadian. Being Canadian means freedom to me.”
Tracy Persson’s marriage of tech and health heals.
Tracy Persson
The indispensable companion.
During the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Tracy Persson was experiencing a crisis of her own — breast cancer. “Eighty percent of [diagnosed] women don’t have a family history of breast cancer,” she says. “When I was diagnosed, I was blindsided, because I’m one of the 80%.” Dropped off at the hospital front door, she relied on technology to stay connected with family, but she found keeping an entire treatment plan straight was challenging. Six weeks after her treatment, the app My Breast Day was born. Persson took the idea for a breast ‘companion’ app for early detection and post diagnosis support to Community Futures Grande Prairie, who immediately placed her in an accelerator program — and it took off. “I didn’t have the awareness and knowledge women need about their breast health. The app offers support to educate women — I want girls at 17 using it, all the way to 87.” Persson’s app empowers rural and Indigenous women’s health, and has been recognized by the Canadian Cancer Society, the ASTech Awards and Pow Wow Pitch. “I suffer from impostor syndrome every day because of my lack of knowledge or experience, especially in the tech industry,” says Persson. “But, having the voices that I’ve met in Alberta supporting me — we’re resilient and it’s shaped who I am.”
Terry Myhre
The food nourishes the soul.
Twenty-eight years ago, with the door hanging off the hinges, Diamond Valley’s Chuckwagon Café was going through tough times. Terry Myhre decided to buy it, and with the help of family and friends, it’s now a local institution providing all-day breakfast seven days a week. “First week I was open, the only thing I’d do was bacon, ham or sausage and eggs... toast and hashbrowns. It was really from the ground up.” Today, by 8 a.m. every weekend, people line up along Sunset Boulevard for steak and eggs benedict, the burger (Alberta’s best many times over) and other favourites. “Our community supports the cafe, especially if the weather’s ‘off’. And then if the weather’s good, there’s so much support from Calgary, Pokehokes, High River, Cochran... you know, all these people coming.” Myhre’s built a community in the cafe, from the regulars who come daily to his team of cooks and servers who make the place come alive, some working with him for decades. Even the artwork on the walls is given to him by customers and visitors. “The thing I love about Alberta is the people. No contest there.”
Landmark restaurant Chuckwagon Café brings people together.
Steven Schultz brings the environment into the classroom.
Steven Schultz
A teacher who has ecovision.
When Steven Schulz told his students that ‘words without actions are meaningless’, he didn’t expect it to change the course of his teaching career. The words came back to him six months later, when a student came with an idea to take École Lacombe Composite High School off the electrical grid. Four years and extensive fundraising and consultation later, they flipped the switch on bidirectional solar panels and started producing 5% of the school’s power—one of the first schools in Alberta to do it. “The school didn’t have to pay a penny and were instantly generating income, offsetting their costs. We learned in that process that student voice is quite powerful.” Since then, Schulz has nurtured Eco Vision, the student club created from this spark, into a thriving innovation and STEM organization with a mission to empower students to build projects that improve the environment, enhance education and collaborate with community. They have created net-zero geodesic tropical greenhouses, a permaculture edible forest, and a robotics program. They are also the first school division in Alberta to offer beekeeping courses for accreditation. “All of the programs have been student-driven, student-developed, student-built and then student-maintained. That’s the inspiration that motivates me.”
Stephen McPhee
Making sure everyone is able to go home.
Stephen McPhee was five when he heard something that didn’t seem right and decided to do something about it. His parents were talking about a homeless man’s situation and it made him wonder if there were children living on the street. “It sparked something in me to want to help.” With that, Stephen’s Backpacks began — he assembled 15 backpacks with essential supplies for children in need. From that beginning, the organization has since distributed 100,000 backpacks for babies up to teenagers. His parents have been by his side, his mother Nancy, and father Randal who passed away in 2017. “For young people, no idea can be too small. Sometimes the smallest ideas lead to the biggest things,” says McPhee. Every season, they run the Four Seasons of Hope program, which aims to help one family get settled into an apartment, fully furnished, teaming up with different local non-profits to do it. McPhee also speaks at schools and creates custom cutting boards to raise funds for the organization. Nancy shares, “As parents, we thought we were going to change his life and make a real difference in his world. He surprised us because he changed our life and the lives of thousands of others.”
Committed to community, Stephen McPhee keeps up the good work.
Stan Rose with his 1926 Model T Ford (driven exclusively in Alberta), which will be part of AMA’s centennial parade entries this summer.
Stan Rose
Hitting the road and making a mark.
Like Moby Dick, Stan Rose had a white whale of his own: a 1926 Model T Ford. Growing up around his father’s service station, Rose heard stories about an abandoned Model T sitting in someone’s machine shed. It wasn’t until 2005 that he chased it down in earnest, making phone calls and finally finding a lead in southern Alberta. Rose was invited to “interview” for it — it had always been in the family, and they wanted it to stay original. Rose agreed and brought it home, maintaining all the features of Model T’s original four options: two-tone black and grey paint, nickel plating, wire wheels and a six-volt starting system. “Our car is so cute, and people are amazed that it’s original and still runs.” Rose and his wife, Geralyn, have toured car shows and parades around the province, so when he heard AMA was celebrating 100 years of service, Rose saw a natural fit. This summer, his Model T will be part of AMA’s centennial parade lineup, a living link to the province’s early driving days. “The car has taught me that there are people out there that respect and preserve the heritage of things like that. This is a unique piece of history that’s right in your face. It starts and runs and you can drive it.”
Kristy Jackson
The democratization of luxe.
Kristy Jackson is challenging the stereotypes of rural Alberta. In 2021, she co-founded Salted, a luxury salted caramel company that offers customers a high-end experience—based in Killam. “We always say that beautiful and luxurious things can come from anywhere. There is so much possibility in Alberta, whether it’s a town of 900 people or a big city.” Jackson is a chartered professional accountant by trade but was pulled to an idea to create something else. Together with sister-in-law, Jill, and friend, Lynette, they started making limited items tied to holidays, before going all in 2022. “We love different parts of the business. In my bones, I know that Salted wouldn’t be what it is without all three of us.” They’ve grown to retail in 80 stores across Canada, including being featured in the Jilly Box — something on their vision board for years — and the gift box for G7 attendees in June 2025. “Two days before G7, the organizers called and told us our products would be included. We truly couldn’t believe it.” For Jackson, being ‘made in Alberta’ is about community. “The community, the connection and support we have from within Alberta is what it’s all about.”
Kristy Jackson with her Salted wares in Killam.
