For the last 25 years, the strong brick walls of the Place Bouvier seniors’ apartment building have not only stood as a testament to the independence of the people who have called it home, but also as a memorial to the building’s namesake, a man who passed away 10 years before the foundations were poured.
While this year marks the silver anniversary of Place Bouvier, this week marks the 35th anniversary of the death of Dr. Dan Bouvier. Killed on July 7, 1976 when he was crushed by a piece of heavy construction equipment he was working on, Bouvier’s long list of community accolades go much further than the naming of an 18-suite apartment building.
Born in Lac La Biche in 1929, Bouvier graduated from St. Anthony’s College and the University of Alberta in 1954 with his medical degree. By 1954 he and his wife Lorraine were in Lac La Biche where he began a local medical practice. Over the next 20 years, Bouvier was a town councillor, a two –term mayor, a founder of the Lac La Biche Golf Club and the Knights of Columbus , president of the Lac La Biche Pow Wow Association, a two-term MLA for the Lac La Biche-Fort McMurray riding, and a proud father of seven children.
He was a busy, but dedicated man, says his widow.
“His commitment to his province and his community is exemplified by the hectic life he lead,” notes Lorraine in a background write up of her husband for the September 19, 1986 official opening of Place Bouvier. “He bought a plane in 1970 so he could fulfil his duties as an MLA without sacrificing the level of care of his patients. One day might have seen doctor Bouvier fly to Edmonton to attend a session of the Legislature, pick up some blood from the blood bank, fly to Fort McMurray to see patients, or listen to constituents’ concerns, and then fly home.”
Last week Lorraine was at Place Bouvier creating a new flowerbed in front of the large wooden sign that bares her family name. The sign could use some fixing up, she said, as she made sure the new plants were well watered. But since being built a quarter century ago with funding from the provincial and federal governments, the brick-faced building has stood up well to the tests of time — and to the many people who have passed through its doors. Assigning the building with the name of a valued community member, the installation flowerbeds and landscaping that surround the 25 year old building are just a few examples of the unique footprints that Place Bouvier residents have added to the apartment building over the years, says the top administrator of the organization that now oversees the operations of the building.
“It’s a beautiful building, and over the years many people have added their touch to it; flowers and that sort of thing,” said Greater North Foundation CAO Shirley Surgenor. “Many people have lived there and made it their home and added their own flair.”
Inside the building, like other Greater North facilities, she added, the tenants find many things to do and share a lot of things in common. The games room offers a piano for sing-alongs, a communal television, books, board games and puzzles.
“They meet down there quite a bit. They take ownership of it,” Surgenor said.
At this point, Greater North Foundation officials have yet to announce a formal celebration to mark the 25th anniversary, but say that a little party will probably be held later in the summer to mark the special occasion.
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