John Percy Page

John Percy Page (May 14 1887 – March 2 1973) was a Canadian teacher, basketball coach, provincial politician, and viceroy.

Born in Rochester, New York, the son of Absalom Bell Page and Elizabeth Thomas, he moved with his family in 1890 to Bronte, Ontario. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University and a Bachelor of Commercial Science degree from the American Institute of Business.

In 1906, he accepted a teaching position at Rothesay Collegiate in Rothesay, New Brunswick. In 1907, he switched to the St. Thomas Collegiate Institute and remained there until taking a position in Edmonton, Alberta in 1912. Before retiring from teaching in 1952, he would be a Principal at two Edmonton high schools. While at the McDougall Commercial High School, he was the coach of the girl's basketball team, "The Edmonton Grads". The team would become one of the most successful teams winning 502 of 522 games and winning all the exhibition games [http://www.epl.ca/EPLTheSourceArticle.cfm?article=V9-3/Grads] they played during Olympic in 1924, 1928, 1932 and 1936. In 1955, he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame as a basketball builder.

In 1940, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the Edmonton electoral district. An Independent, he was re-elected in 1944. From 1944 to 1948, he was the Leader of the Opposition. He was defeated in 1948 as leader of the Independent Citizen's Association but was elected in 1952 as a Progressive Conservative. In 1952, he appointed House Leader for the Conservatives. He was re-elected in 1955 but was defeated in 1959. From 1957 to 1959, he was also a trustee of the Edmonton Public School Board.

In 1959, he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Alberta and served until 1966.

In 1961, he was made a Knight of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. In 1961, he was awarded Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta.

The J. Percy Page School in Edmonton is named in his honor.

References

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External links

* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006045 John Percy Page] at The Canadian Encyclopedia
* [http://www.frozenhoops.com/ FrozenHoops.com] History of basketball in Canada