A longtime volunteer with the Western Development Museum was honoured Thursday.
Edwin Wells has been active with the museum since 1985, volunteering on average 120 hours a month or 1,140 hours a year. He was honoured with the unveiling of a plaque to be placed on the grain elevator at the museum at a press conference Thursday inside the museum, attended by several civic and museum officials. A second plaque honouring Wells will be located at the pole shed.
Wells' passion has been restoring the antique equipment at the museum's shop. Museum officials say he has won the hearts of many visitors over the years with his vast knowledge and personal stories.
His tireless work at the museum earned him Tourism Volunteer of the Year honours from Battlefords Tourism in 2004.
His philanthropy to the museum was also noted. In the past few years he donated $200,000 to the museum, which have been used to establish an endowment fund for the grain elevator and construction of a pole shed for tractors, as well as the refurbishment of several outdoor buildings.
At the dedication ceremony Thursday, Wells was presented with the plaque that will be placed at the grain elevator by Jack Hay, chair of the WDM board. Hay told the News-Optimist the museum was grateful for Wells' efforts over the years.
"Without help like this from volunteers, whether it is just working here or whether it is a gift of funding, this museum would not be what it is today," Hay said.
Wells was grateful for the recognition but told reporters he could not have achieved what he has alone, thanking the staff at the museum for their hard work. He said he was motivated to get involved in the museum by "two things that I'm interested in - the history of our country, and our education," he said.
He is said he is happy to know plaques honouring his efforts will be on display at the museum.
"I try to accept it graciously, and I figure if you've done something, it should be recognized. It's the same thing if you do your job well - you should be recognized."
