Bowie to become member of Alberta Order of Excellence

Lethbridge’s Gary Bowie will be among the eight provincial residents to become members of the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2017.

The Order is the province’s highest honour a citizen can receive and is an official part of the Canadian Honours System.

“These inspiring citizens are sharing the best of their energy, ideas and abilities in their work to strengthen communities and foster enhanced opportunities for Albertans,” said Lt.-Gov. Lois E. Mitchell, in a press release earlier this week.

“They are great mentors and leaders who inspire us all in our collective efforts to build the best possible province.”

Bowie is well-known in Lethbridge for his extensive work in several areas.

He has been working on issues related to homelessness since 1997. As chair of Social Housing in Action, he led the development of Lethbridge’s plan to end homelessness

He was named Lethbridge’s Citizen of the Year in 2007, earned the Alberta Centennial medal in 2005 and was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Citizenship Medal in 2002.

Bowie is the former chair of the Lethbridge Sports Council, former chair of Lethbridge Family Services, former chair of the Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, and former chair of the Alberta Sports Development Centre Southwest.

He has also served as both school board trustee and chair of the Lethbridge School District 51.

Bowie was a professor of kinesiology at the University of Lethbridge from 1968 to 1998, while also serving as a coach and athletic director.

The Alberta Order of Excellence investiture ceremony will be held in Edmonton on Oct. 19. The eight inductees in 2017 will bring the total membership of the Alberta Order of Excellence to 165.