2006 Inductees

Vivian Thierfelder (Arts)

To the average person, it’s just a bowl of fruit or an arrangement of flowers in a vase. To Vivian Thierfelder, it’s inspiration.

The world-renowned artist has been exhibiting her work for 37 years. Ms. Thierfelder received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta in 1970. After working in the graphics industry for a number of years, she decided to pursue art full-time in 1983. Since then, she has become one of few Alberta artists who are able to make a living in the often-unforgiving art industry.

She’s dabbled in various mediums, including oils, egg tempera and acrylics, but found her niche in transparent watercolour. The artist prefers using supersaturated colours to create rich hues, representative of her varying subjects.

Ms. Thierfelder has also tried her hand at different styles of painting in her career, but has found the greatest success in well-defined realism, creating lifelike portraits out of paint and canvas.

She’s painted all kinds of fruit and vegetables, but has found the greatest success in her floral work. Perhaps it’s because so many of her floral pieces are depictions of flowers from her acreage garden.

Ms. Thierfelder’s first exhibition was at the Multicultural Heritage Centre in Stony Plain. Since then, she has gained much acclaim locally, nationally and internationally. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines, including Art Focus, American Artist and International Artist.

She’s also been the recipient of many awards in her career, including Best in Show at the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour’s Open Water International Juried Exhibition in 2001, as well as the YWCA Woman of Distinction in 1997.

Her work can be seen in collections around the world, including the Foundation for the Arts, Canada Council Art Bank and Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. Ms. Thierfelder was honoured to have one of her paintings selected for the Honourable Queen Elizabeth II’s Collection of Drawings and Watercolors. Her work is currently on display at the Royal Library in Windsor, UK.

Throughout her successful career, Ms. Thierfelder has been generous with her time and talent to local groups. She has donated works to the Alberta Summer Games and donated an original painting every year of the Multicultural Heritage Centre’s Annual Art Auction. “It is difficult to articulate how significant it is to an organization to have someone of her caliber support their cause,” states Judy Unterschultz, the director of the Multicultural Heritage Centre.

It is with great honour that the City of Spruce Grove inducts Ms. Thierfelder into the Awards of Excellence.

The Funk Rink (Athletics)

Eighteen years ago, nobody would have thought a group of unassuming teenage girls from the small town of Spruce Grove, Alberta, would rise to the national, and then international spotlight, in the sport of curling. But that is exactly what the Funk Foursome, better known as the Funky Four, did.

The team consisted of sisters LaDawn and Laurelle Funk, Cindy Larsen and Sandy Symyrozum. Under the careful tutelage of Carole Larsen, the girls were transformed from regular high school students to international curling champs in the course of two years.

In 1987, the team first tasted success. They won local and provincial qualifiers and earned the right to be Team Alberta at nationals. That year, the team gained valuable experience on the national stage, but failed to make playoffs.

Pushed forward by the momentum of that experience, the Funky Four trained hard the next year, and went on to represent Alberta at the national level once again. At the 1988 Pepsi Canadian Junior Curling Championship, Team Alberta was the underdog, up against top-seeded Team Manitoba in the finals. The Funk rink dominated, with LaDawn curling at 90% and the other three girls at 85%. They won the nationals in a 6-3 victory, and with it, the right to move on to the 1989 World Junior Championship.

With one year to prepare for the World Championships, the athletes travelled extensively, competing in bonspiels and games across Canada and Europe. The magic continued to prevail, and the young women continued to improve and bring their level of play even higher.

In 1989, the Funk Rink played before a packed house at the World Junior Championship. The women had home ice advantage, playing in Markham, Ontario, and once again, showed the world what they were made of. Spruce Grove’s Funk Rink came out the Gold Medal Champions and returned home as champions!

Fast forward to today. Coach Carole Larsen and Third Sandy Symyrozum still live in the Spruce Grove area, while Second Cindy Larsen resides in Androssan. Lead Laurelle Funk and Skip LaDawn Funk now live in Calgary. All of the women continue to curl in their respective communities.

Though the women have spread across the province to find their livelihoods, the City of Spruce Grove will always associate their names with the excitement of their World Championship. The Funky Foursome is, and will ever be, a piece of Spruce Grove’s athletic history.

Allan Shenfield (Community Service)

Selfless. Tireless. Visionary. These are words used to describe Mr. Allan Shenfield. Though he’s never technically lived within the borders of Spruce Grove, this man of action has impacted the lives of literally tens of thousands of people in the city and beyond. His impact can only be described as immeasurable and his achievements remarkable.

Allan Shenfield was born and raised on a farm just north of Spruce Grove. The farm is now his, and the retired farmer still resides there with his wife Maxine to this day. His history of volunteerism and service started at an early age. Mr. Shenfield joined the 4-H in 1942. He quickly rose through the ranks and became the leader of the Spruce Grove 4-H Grain Club in 1949. During his time with the group, he helped found the 4-H Foundation, a nonprofit charitable foundation to build and operate the Alberta 4-H Centre. Mr. Shenfield was inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame in 1982, and continued to serve on the foundation until 1991.

As a farmer, agriculture and the rural way of life has always been near and dear to his heart. He’s a proud farmer, and he’s worked tirelessly to improve and promote agriculture in the community. In 1949, he worked with the Spruce Grove Electrification Association in bringing electricity to rural Spruce Grove.

His work in agriculture extends beyond Spruce Grove’s border. He initiated and oversaw the building of Northlands Agricom, a project that allowed farmers from all over Alberta to bring in their livestock for shows and sales. Today, the Agricom is a well-used facility for large-scale functions including trade shows and exhibitions.

In 1972, Mr. Shenfield formed the Spruce Grove and District Agricultural Society to enhance and promote the local farming industry. One of his dreams was to create a multipurpose agricultural and recreational facility. In 1974, after years of fundraising and volunteer hours, the Agrena doors were opened. He continued to serve on the Ag Society executive as vice-president and president until 1998.

Mr. Shenfield believes strongly the betterment of the community as a whole. In 1967, he became the Chairman of Hootenanny Days, a citywide summer celebration. In the late 1960s, he was one of the founders of the Society for the Expanded Recreational Complex. Today, you know it better as the Serplex, a joint-use school and community use facility.

Having helped build the Serplex and then the Agrena, Mr. Shenfield’s vision moved onto yet another project – the creation of a seniors’ centre where people could meet to socialize, play cards, read and play games. The centre opened in 1990 and continues to serve Spruce Grove’s seniors today.

Mr. Shenfield’s list of accomplishments goes on. He’s been the leader of the City’s recreation board, Golden Age Club, Spruce Grove and District Chamber of Commerce, Spruce Grove Teen Club, and was a charter member of the local Elks Club and Lions Club.

Though he has received the Queen’s Silver and Golden Jubilee medals, and having had the Shenfield Civic Centre named in his honour, Mr. Shenfield remains humble. He is quoted in a local newspaper saying, “I guess God put me on this earth to do something for somebody else.” It is with honour that the City of Spruce Grove gives back to a man who has given so much of himself.