Elmer S. Elson
June 30, 1906 - June 19, 1982
Our elementary school, officially opened on May 10, 1984, is named in honor of Mr. Elmer Elson who taught and was an administrator in Mayerthorpe schools for twenty years.
Mr. Elson invested a good portion of his life in teaching the children of Alberta. His career began at Junkins (later Wildwood) in 1925. He subsequently taught in the Vermilion River and Peace River areas before coming to Mayerthorpe in 1948.
A graduate of the University of Alberta, Mr. Elson taught in the elementary and junior high schools in Mayerthorpe until 1957 when he moved into the high school as a teacher/administrator until his retirement in 1969. He resided in Mayerthorpe until the time of his death in 1982.
Many former students remember Mr. Elson’s classes in Shakespeare as particularly outstanding. His love of English literature and of Western Canadian history continued well after his retirement.
In naming the school in honor of Mr. Elson, the residents of Mayerthorpe and area have chosen to recognize and commemorate a teacher whose career in Alberta education spanned forty-three years and was one of exceptional merit. Mr. Elson was a fine gentleman and a dedicated teacher.