Calder, James Franklin Archibald (1913-88)

Jake Calder was born in Regina on September 11, 1913; but his Anglican clergyman father moved to London, Ontario when he was an infant. He was a journalist with the Toronto Star, served with the Princess Patricia Light Infantry during World War II, and then joined the staff of the Prince Albert Herald. He arranged for a speaker to come to Prince Albert to inform the public about alcoholism, and as a result Alcoholics Anonymous groups were formed in the Saskatchewan Penitentiary and the Men’s Correctional Centre. Calder’s tireless advocacy for a provincial approach to the problems associated with alcoholism resulted in the formation of the Bureau on Alcoholism in October 1953. He was the first employee, providing educational services. Angus Campbell was hired two years later to work directly with alcoholics and their families. The Bureau became, over time, the Saskatchewan Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, providing a complete range of services to addicted persons and their families across Saskatchewan. Calder resigned from the Bureau in 1963 to take a position with the National Council on Alcoholism in New York City. After two years there, he returned to journalism in New Jersey and Toronto until his retirement. The Calder Centre in Saskatoon is named for him. He died in Toronto on February 22, 1988.

Al Hergott