PERCY WRAY

Percy and his wife Edythe came to Turner Valley in August 1929 from Rowley, Alberta, where Percy had managed a lumber yard for five years. Percy came to Turner Valley to run a yard for McFarland Lumber Yards Limited but only stayed with them for a short time after which he started writing insurance. As this time there were six or seven other local agents, so the pickings were to say the least very meager.

On April 20, 1930, their son - Richard George (Dick) was born. He got all of his public and high school education in Turner Valley after which he attended U of A in Edmonton graduating in Medicine in 1954. He is married and he and his wife Helen have five children - Donna, Stephen, Nancy, Kenny and Susan. One of his seven avocations is Stage Magic.

August 13, 1931 saw the arrival of their daughter, Edythe Elizabeth (Betty). Like her brother, she passed through public school and high school in Turner Valley. She then attended business College in Calgary and engaged in secretarial work for a number of years before marrying Tom Drumbrell. Betty and Tom live in Delta, B.C. and have two children. - Shannon and Mark. In addition to her marital duties as wife and mother, her avocation is poodle grooming.

To regress - when the second oil boom collapsed, unemployment was at its peak and a very large percentage of local residents found it necessary to accept "Relief' as Social Welfare was then called. Perhaps it was just a co-incidence, but as people were leaving the district - unable to find purchases for their houses - there was an appalling epidemic of fires - often two and three in a week. Insurance companies cancelled right and left. Unable to collect taxes, the Village went bankrupt. Calgary Power shut off the street lights, Calgary Hospitals threatened to refuse admittance to indigent patients from Turner Valley, and local merchants refused to accept Relief Couchers. The Village Council went to Edmonton and resigned and the Department of Municipal Affairs placed the Village under Official Administration.

Very shortly after this, on February 15, 1932, Percy was appointed to the office of Secretary Treasurer of the Village of Turner Valley, his 'salary' being $25.00 a month. A few months later he was appointed to the same position for the Village of Black Diamond (also under Official Administration) for a stipend of $35.00 a month - the extra $10.00 being to cover transportation to that Village three days a week.

By 1944 both Villages were completely out of debt and a sizeable cash surplus had been accumulated. In April of that year he successfully applied for the position of Secretary Treasurer of the Municipal District of Turner Valley - this district included the Hamlet of Midnapore and extending south to a line straight west of Nanton. Naturally he resigned from the Village posts at this time. in 1954, the M.D. of Turner Valley was dissolved and absorbed into the present Municipal district of Highwood. Due to his wife's ill health he did not apply for the position of Secretary Treasurer in the new M.D. but instead purchased the old office and site from the outgoing Council and opened up a full time Insurance Agency. On February 9 of the following year he lost my dear wife. Since then he had lived alone in the some old house but with many wonderful memories.

On April 30, 1974 he retired, selling his business and premises to Wray-McRae Agencies Ltd. who still carrying on the busines.

From, "IN THE LIGHT OF THE FLARES," pg 741
1979 published by The Sheep River Historical Society