PRIDDIS - A Priddis resident, author and scholar will receive Alberta’s highest honour during a ceremony on Oct. 19.
Max Foran will be inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence (AOE) with seven other Albertans during a ceremony at Government House in Edmonton. The honour is the highest that the Province of Alberta can present to a citizen and takes precedence over any other provincial honour or award.
A biography on the province’s AOE website says Foran is a highly respected teacher, professor, author, historian, media figure and wildlife activist.
Born in 1935, Foran relocated to Calgary from Australia in 1963 and continued his teaching career with the Calgary Board of Education.
After getting his Alberta teaching certificate, Foran decided to continue his education and enroled in university night classes.
During his studies, he was inspired by the teaching and speaking abilities of his father-in-law, Dr. Grant MacEwan, and by the work of Western Canadian historian Dr. David Breen.
Foran went on to become an accomplished historian.
"He possessed a singular ability to translate his research to varied audiences, both academic and popular," the Province said.
He became a full professor at the University of Calgary's (U of C) Faculty of Communication and Culture and wrote dozens of peer-reviewed articles and 14 books.
His efforts “advanced the scholarship on any subject on which he has written, broadening his audiences’ perspectives,” the Province said.
The Madonna List, a historical novel, won an Alberta Book Award and has been published in eight languages.
Beyond the classroom and written word, Foran shared his enthusiasm for history over the air waves.
He spoke on Radio CKO and CBC Radio, and appeared on the History Channel for programs about John Ware, the Canadian Pacific Railway and others. He regularly appeared on radio and TV to comment on the livestock industry and Calgary Stampede.
“He has inspired countless students, readers and listeners to understand Alberta in ways they might not have imagined.”
Additionally, Foran and his daughters manage the Grant MacEwan Charitable Foundation in support of animal welfare charities.
He lives near Priddis in a log home he built with his late wife Heather, who passed away in 2017.
Other recognition received over the years includes two teaching awards from the University of Calgary Students' Union and a City of Calgary Community Achievement Award in Education.
He was selected as a Top 40 U of C Alumni in 2006 and received a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (Alberta) in 2022.
The Alberta Order of Excellence recognizes Albertans from all fields and backgrounds, and the Province says members of the Order formed, and advance, the province’s history and place in Canada and throughout the world.
