A Hole in Alberta's heart
January 10, 2005
By Cam Tait
EDMONTON, AB // It was closing in on 9 a.m. one December weekday several
years ago and a roomful of 800 people thought they would be well on
their way to beginning their day. But they weren't. They were listening
to the guest speaker at the annual Christmas Bureau of Edmonton breakfast.
Nobody was looking at their watch. Nobody was tiptoeing to make a quiet
exit. Nobody was in a hurry. We sat there, and laughed, and listened.
Because when Lois Hole spoke, she did so with such grace and compassion.
Besides, nobody walks out on the Lieutenant Governor of a province.
A few minutes after 9 a.m., Mrs. Hole bid the group a Merry Christmas
and apologized for rambling. We then gave her a standing ovation.
After the crowd cleared, Christmas Bureau chair Darryl Wilson just shook his head. "We gave Mrs. Hole three minutes on the program," he said. "She took 27 minutes." Here's the amazing thing: she didn't have any notes.
Stories of Mrs. Hole's grace, compassion, and humour are traveling
throughout the province this week. She battled cancer for the past year,
and last Thursday at the age of 75, she passed away. Mrs. Hole's trademark
was her hug. She hugged everyone she could, often putting her behind
schedule. She even hugged dignitaries, causing them to question protocol
- but Mrs. Hole didn't care. A hug was her way of saying hello.
Charities in the Edmonton area would often schedule their events around Mrs. Hole's timetable. She was asked to be guest speaker on many occasions. And she had different styles, too: sometimes, she would read a thoughtful text on a serious topic such as poverty; other times, like at the Christmas Bureau breakfast, she would speak from her heart, making it casual and friendly. Even if she wasn't speaking at an event, just having her there was a treat. Mrs. Hole had a rare talent for making everyone feel special. She literally brought a room to life. And she liked to have fun, too. A couple of years ago, she attended a fundraising dinner and funny money casino. She asked if she could play, and once again, was the belle of the ball.
Mrs. Hole had a full, rich life. She was born in Saskatchewan and was a teacher, a farmer, a gardener, and many other things. A favourite story she told at banquets was when she received the call from the Prime Minister's office in 1999 appointing her as Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. Another of her favourite stories was about flying to England in 1999 at the request of Queen Elizabeth II.
"I sat beside a young man and he asked me where I was going," Mrs. Hole would say in her folksy down-to-earth voice. "I told him I was going to London. He asked me what I was going to do there. I told him I was going to meet the queen. He rolled his eyes. I don't think he believed me."
Maybe not. But little did that young man know he was sitting beside a queen.
Do you know someone who deserves to be in the Charity Village Spotlight? Send us their name, telephone number and details about their community involvement to cam@charityvillage.com.
