John Freemont Smith

Best-known as the first alderman of black ancestry in B.C., John Freemont Smith was an active promoter of Kamloops and founder of many civic organizations.

Born in 1850 in the Danish West Indies, John Freemont Smith arrived in Victoria, British Columbia in 1872, where he married. In 1884 the Smiths came to Kamloops, opening a shoe store. Soon after they settled at Louis Creek where John spearheaded mineral exploration in the North Thompson Valley.

Back to Kamloops in 1890, Smith became a newspaper editor and helped to found the Kamloops Agricultural Association (1895), the Conservative Association (1898), and the Board of Trade (1902), among other organizations. He was an alderman on Kamloops City Council (1902-1907) and Indian Agent for the Kamloops District (1912-23).

The Freemont (sic) Block in the 200 block Victoria Street was his office where he died at age 84 in1934. (from Ken Favrholdt)
 

Kenna Cartwright

Kenna was born on June 4, 1938 and died in Kamloops on July 26, 1991. She grew up on an orchard in Oyama, B.C. and married John in 1960. They had two sons and moved to Kamloops in 1967.

Her political career included:

• Three terms school trustee.
• Member Cariboo College Board.
• Voted Kamloops' Woman of the Year.
• Six years as Alderman.
•  Kamloops' first female Mayor.

Kenna succeeded in making Kamloops a better place to live. Her popularity amongst voters was confirmed that she was a sincere servant of the people.

She was instrumental in:

•  Promoting Kamloops as Tournament  Capital of B.C.
• Building Riverside Coliseum.
• Bringing the 1993 Summer Games to Kamloops.

She was very concerned about environmental issues and was a strong advocate for water and air quality in our community.

She always encouraged people, including herself, to be the best they could be. (from Stu Cartwright)

Davie Fulton

Edmund Davie Fulton was born on Mar 10, 1916 in Kamloops and died on May 22, 2000 in Vancouver.  As a UBC student he won a Rhodes scholarship (1937) to study at Oxford. 

During WWII he served overseas with the Seaforth Highlanders, then returned to Kamloops to practice law. 

Fulton was first elected to Parliament as a Conservative in 1945 when he was only 30 years old.  When the Tories formed a minority government the next year, he served in the cabinet as minister of justice from 1957 to 1962.  During this period he was the chief federal negotiator for the Columbia River Treaty.  In 1962 he also served briefly as minister of public works. 

Fulton briefly headed the BC Conservative Party.  He became the first chair of the BC Law Reform Commission.  From 1973 he served as a judge on the BC Supreme Court and was inducted into the Order of Canada in 1992. (from B.C. Encyclopedia)

Terry Shupe

Through his professional designation as a provincial court judge, Terry has given to society. His other titles prove his extraordinary commitment to the community. Founding chairman of the Crisis Centre, trustee for Big Brothers, founding and honorary life chairman for Western Canada Theatre Company, and an instrumental member in the construction of the Sagebrush Theatre, he is an asset to many in the Kamloops area. It is abundantly clear that Judge Shupe has given our province so much more than twenty-five years as a trial judge. His past accolades reflect a passion for the arts and his fellow community members. His latest endeavors involve traveling to countries in strife, and mentoring judges. The Independent Judicial Commission cites Judge Shupe's contributions as 'exemplary'. In his spare time, Judge Shupe has taken up the hobby of woodworking. Truly representative of his nature, the wooden toys and furniture he creates are then donated to Christmas Amalgamated. (From website)

Gur Singh

Dr Gur Singh is a dedicated member of British Colombia's medical community. He established the first Neurosurgical Unit in the Interior of B.C., as well as the first Neuro Intensive Care Unit. He served on the Board of British Columbia Medical Association for 15 years. Gur was President of the British Columbia Medical Association from 1991-1992. As president of the Downtown Rotary Club, Gur initiated the smoking awareness program for elementary grades in the Kamloops School District. In 1992, Gur was awarded the Canada 125 Anniversary Commemorative Medal, and in 2002 he was awarded the Queens Jubilee Medal.

Gur has been active in the Kamloops Tennis Association serving as its president. Gur sponsored the men's doubles Dalin-Singh Tournament, along with Bill Dalin, now in its 20th year.

In 2004, Gur helped raise $17,000 for the Kamloops Brain Injury Association through the First Annual Gur Singh Invitational Golf Tournament. (from Arjun Singh)

 

Meryl Matthews

Meryl Matthews (Wain) was born on October 16, 1911 in Kamloops and has lived her entire life here. During the Second World War, she worked in the medical corps. After the war, she went to work at the Sentinel Newspaper she became women's page editor, and later the city editor. In 1948, she married Fred Matthews. From 1963 to 1972 they ran the MM Garden Shop downtown from April to June. Meryl Matthews is a Charter member of the Kamloops Garden Club and Soroptimist International of Kamloops. She was elected alderman in 1972 before the 1973 amalgamation and re-elected twice after amalgamation. She served on numerous boards and was the first woman to receive the Freeman of the City Award. She currently resides at Cariboo Manor, a seniors care facility, in Westsyde. What a lady! ... a Kamloops politician, volunteer and gardener extraordinaire. (from Rachel Long)