2008 Inductees

Cindy Barratt (Arts)

Cindy Barratt was born and raised in Spruce Grove. A desire to travel and experience life abroad has lead her throughout the South Pacific, Greece, Italy, and Great Britain, as well as to many locations in Canada and the U.S. In 1985, Cindy married her husband, Dave, in Australia, where they lived for two years before returning to settle in Spruce Grove. From an early age, Cindy loved art and started oil-painting classes at the age of 12. In 1991, after several years of secretarial work, she decided to pursue art as a full-time career. Cindy is self-taught and has supplemented her professional development with University of Alberta extension courses and numerous workshops.

For many years, Cindy primarily worked in watercolour or acrylic with the focus of capturing flowers, their beauty and personalities—what she calls their “souls”. In recent years, she has broaden her scope of work to include landscapes, especially the flora and fauna of conservation and natural areas in the hopes that she can educate and inspire others to protect and conserve natural areas and the species that live in them. Her multi-media exhibition, A Conservation Portrait – Natural Habitats and Species, featured the Greater Coyote Lake Conservation Area, where Cindy spends the summer months enjoying nature at her country retreat. Cindy is currently developing new work featuring the Wagner Natural Area (just east of Spruce Grove) which will be exhibited at Profiles Gallery in St. Albert in November 2008.

Cindy is very active in the arts community. She was instrumental in the acquisition of the Little Church Gallery, which became the home of the Allied Arts Council of Spruce Grove until their recent move into the Melcor Cultural Centre. She served as president and other executive positions with the Allied Arts Council from 1991 to 1995 and from 1997 to 1999, and continues to volunteer in various capacities. She served with the Federation of Canadian Artists, Edmonton Branch, from 1994 to 1997. From 1996 to 2000, Cindy served on the provincial council of the Alberta Society of Artists as exhibition chair and from 2005 to 2007 as a councillor-at-large. She currently serves as the Alberta Society of Artists Public Art Lecture Co-ordinator and teaches classes and workshops at Metro Continuing Education in Edmonton, the Allied Arts Council in Spruce Grove and various communities in Alberta.

Cindy's work can be found in the collections of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Alberta Treasury Branches, Saskatchewan Government Insurance, City of Regina, and the Melcor Developments Municipal Art Collection of the City of Spruce Grove, as well as many corporate and private collections. She is represented by the Spruce Grove Art Gallery, Candler Art Gallery in Camrose, Leighton Art Centre in Calgary, and the Pacif’ic Gallery in Saskatoon.   

George B. Cuff (Community Service)

George Cuff has a Canada-wide reputation as an advisor, consultant, teacher, and author on the art and principles of governance and the elements of effective organizations. His background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree (with distinction) from the University of Alberta and work experience in banking, oil and gas, recreation administration, environmental protection, local government and the private sector.

George Cuff began work as a consultant in 1976 with the then Alberta Department of Recreation, Parks and Wildlife, where he acted as an advisor to recreation boards and local governments. He served four terms as mayor of Spruce Grove having been first elected in 1977. George was mayor at a very dynamic time in the history of Spruce Grove, when an unprecedented amount of development took place and new subdivisions like Millgrove (North and South), Woodside and Grove Meadows were added on. During his four terms as mayor the following events occurred:

• Parkland Ambulance Authority was established
• Horizon Stage was conceived and built
• Henry Singer Ballpark was established
• The Shenfield Centre was built and named
• The Allied Arts Council was conceived and established
• The Juried Arts Show (now the Open Art Competition) was initiated
• The annual Mayor’s Awards for honouring local citizens were established
• A rural-urban cost-sharing agreement (one of the first of its kind in Alberta) was entered into by Parkland County and Spruce Grove
• The Edmonton Regional Mayors’ Committee was established and led by Spruce Grove

Perhaps the greatest accomplishment during Mr. Cuff’s period in office was the creation of the City of Spruce Grove. Following its incorporation as a village in 1955 and a town in 1971, George Cuff and his Council oversaw the historical process leading to the incorporation of Spruce Grove as a city in 1986. George retired as mayor in 1989.

In his private life, as principal of George B. Cuff & Associates Ltd., George has focused on providing advice and counsel to rural and urban governments, provincial departments and agencies, and other groups involved in public service. His work has become more focused over time on the art of governance and the elements that help organizations become more effective.

George has published over 200 articles on local government and governance, as well as two books, Cuff’s Guide for Municipal Leaders, Volumes One and Two. In addition to having chaired numerous boards and committees, George is also a Past President of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (1982-83) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (1988-89). He subsequently received the Award of Excellence from both of those organizations. George was also recognized as one of Alberta’s outstanding citizens by being awarded the Centennial Medal marking Alberta’s 100th year of incorporation (2005). He was honoured by his profession in 2007 when he was awarded the designation, FCMC, as a Fellow of the Canadian Management Consultants’ Association.

On a personal level, George is married to Arliss and they are the proud parents of three daughters, and ‘granny’ and ‘grampy’ to six grandchildren. Both George and Arliss are very active in their local church, Parkland Baptist, in Spruce Grove and supportive of a ministry in Romania. The proceeds of George’s writing go towards supporting a children’s camp in northwestern Romania.

Dr. Donald F. LeGatt (Innovation)

Dr. Donald LeGatt is a respected clinical laboratory professional, scientist and educator who has achieved national and international recognition for his work in improving the health of Albertans and is one of Canada’s leading scholars in the field of drug monitoring. Known for his commitment to innovative approaches to solving problems related to clinical toxicology, Dr. LeGatt has made scientific contributions of international caliber in the area of therapeutic drug monitoring and has provided leadership in establishing clinical practice guidelines for the investigation of the poisoned patient.

Born in Regina and raised on a farm near Melfort, Saskatchewan, Dr. LeGatt completed his BSC and PhD in Pharmacy (Toxicology major), from the University of Saskatchewan in 1975 and 1979 respectively, and moved to Alberta with his wife, Denise, to pursue advanced training in the Neurochemical Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Alberta. . In 1981, he became Head of the Toxicology and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Laboratory at University of Alberta Hospital, a position he still holds today. He is also a Consultant Toxicologist at DynaLIFEDx  Laboratory, Edmonton
As a Clinical Biochemist, Dr. LeGatt works with physicians and scientists to evaluate new instruments and develop tests to measure the newest drugs used to treat patients. His particular area of expertise is in the monitoring of drugs used by patients who have received organ transplants and the detecting of illicit drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine and cannabis in patients with addiction problems. His research has focused on understanding how drugs and medicines are broken down in the body and how to monitor the drugs to ensure that patients are receiving the appropriate dosages to treat their diseases effectively.

Don is a Founding Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry and has been a member of the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists since 1983, and of the International Association of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology since 1990. He received a Capital Health “Esprit de Corps” Recognition Award in 1997 for his supportive efforts during the period of massive laboratory services re-organization in Alberta. In 2004, Dr. LeGatt was awarded the Certificate for Meritorius Service of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta and in 2005, he received a Capital Health REACH Award for Innovation Excellence in recognition of his leadership accomplishments. In 2007, he was the recipient of Capital Health’s Long Service Award for his 25-year commitment to the provision of laboratory services in the region. His interest in toxicology has also led him to be a major player in the war on drug abuse in Alberta, particularly in regards to methamphetamine. He has given presentations on the topic throughout the province, speaking to health care professionals, law enforcement officers, social workers, hospital administrators and emergency-response personnel on the role of the clinical laboratory in this fight. His work with the drug-testing organizations of both the 1983 Universiade and the IAAF World Championships in Athletics reflect his interest in ensuring that amateur sport remain drug free. He has over 100 publications, abstracts and book articles to his credit.

Don has a long-standing history of excellence in teaching and mentoring as well. As an educator, he is known for his enthusiasm and wit and for his outstanding dedication to his undergraduate and graduate students, medical residents, physicians, and other health care professionals. In recognition of this, he received the 2005 Education Excellence Award from the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists.

Don and Denise and their two children, Jeffrey and Lauren, have made Spruce Grove their home for the past 27 years. Denise is a hospital pharmacist at the Misericordia Hospital in Edmonton. Both Jeffrey, 24, and Lauren, 22, are employed by Capital Health, as a Respiratory Therapist and Occupational Therapist, respectively.  Don enjoys cycling, gardening, and as a long-standing member of the St. Joseph and now Holy Trinity Catholic Parish, singing in his church choir.