We’re still on our weekly mission to answer the question: “what is Kerby Centre?” in honour of its 50th anniversary.
But often when we try to answer questions about the present, we find ourselves looking into the past.
To that end, we’ll be taking a look at the interesting origins of our name, Kerby, and the family that inspired it. It’s a story that spans two world wars, the advent of women’s suffrage and the entire history of aviation and flight, so: we’ve got a lot to cover!
George William Kerby
Reverend George William Kerby is the namesake for the Kerby Building that would eventually house our wonderful Kerby Centre.
He was born in 1860 in Ontario to Nelson Kerby and Hester Ann Sheply. George Kerby worked on the family farm in his youth until he was 21, when he went to attend school — graduating from the Methodist Victoria University and was ordained as a Methodist minister. He would go on to marry Emily Spencer Kerby — who we’ll be discussing more in-depth later — on Oct. 11, 1888.
George William was frequently in demand for speaking opportunities, described as very eloquent and articulate. He evangelized and worked as a missionary in various parts of Eastern Canada and the United States until 1902, when a telegram was sent from the young city of Calgary requesting he travel west and become a minister of the Central Methodist Church there.
By July 1903, the whole Kerby family — which by now included a 10-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter — moved west to settle, much to the dismay of his eastern colleagues. One was quoted as saying “Kerby’s gone to that God forsaken place and will never be heard from again.”
George William, however, found great success in growing his congregation in Calgary. His passion and skill as a speaker brought many to the church and he also became the founding principal of the newly created Mount Royal College — which began as a Methodist-based institution.
Over the next three decades as principal, George William oversaw the massive growth of Mount Royal, from a Methodist focus to a cultural and open institution, which accepted both genders into its ranks.
Over these years, George William was awarded honourary degrees from the Universities of Alberta and Victoria, and served as an Honourary Lieutenant Colonel and Honourary Chaplin during the opening years of WWII.
Emily Spencer Kerby would pass away of a heart attack in 1938, just nine days short of her and George William’s 50th wedding anniversary. George William would follow not long after, six years later in 1944. The building that originally housed Mount Royal College would become the Kerby Building, and later in the 1970s during its founding, the Kerby Centre.
The history of the Kerby family is too big to fit in one post! Just wait until next week where we explore the life of Emily Spencer Kerby and the legacy of the Kerby sons — and how it relates to the history of flight!
