Journalist, public servant had ‘soft spot for underdog’
Consumer reporting stalwart moved on to government service
Lauded for a storied career in journalism and public service, Edgar (Brock) Ketcham died this month in his Edmonton home after a courageous twoyear battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was 64.
A stalwart in consumer affairs reporting for the Calgary Herald in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Ketcham previously wrote for the Kitchener-Waterloo Record, where he received Roland Michener Awards for Meritorious Public Service in Journalism, one exposing unsavory conditions in the meat-packing industry.
Born in Penticton, B.C., Ketcham studied political science at the University of Victoria and upon graduation honed his journalism skills as a cub reporter for the Alberni Valley Times in Port Alberni, B.C.
“Journalism for Brock was everything — he had this keen sense of justice and service, those were the hallmarks of his career,” said Charlotte Ketcham, his wife of 38 years.
“He always believed good journalism begins locally — that you don’t have to work for the big papers in the East to practise true investigative journalism.”
Charlotte remembers well his passion for the trade even in his early years, while he also held stints at the Victoria Daily Colonist (now the Victoria Times Colonist), the St. Catharines Standard and The Canadian Press in Toronto.
“He had this keen sense of justice and service. Those were the hallmarks of his career ”
CHARLOTTE KETCHUM
Arriving at the Calgary Herald in the summer of 1984, Brock revelled in his assignment as consumer affairs writer, becoming a well-known advocate for readers who felt wronged by businesses and retailers.
Herald editor-in-chief Lorne Motley, who worked with Ketcham for several years, called his role “a tricky position which he handled with zeal, yet he was always fair and paid great attention to detail.”
After leaving the Herald in 2000, Ketcham changed careers and worked as director of trade practices for the Better Business Bureau of southern Alberta in Calgary.
In 2005, he moved to Edmonton to join Service Alberta’s Consumer Services division as director of co-operatives and statute administrator.
“Brock had a real soft spot for the underdog.
“He was a real advocate for a fair marketplace,” said Rob Phillips, the division’s acting-assistant deputy minister. “He had this kindness, a real empathy for people.”
A memorial service will be held at Edmonton’s McKernan Baptist Church, 11103 76th Ave., on Friday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m.