Dr. Gary McPherson Leadership Scholarship

Dr. Gary McPherson was an extraordinary Albertan who sought to improve the conditions and lives of people through his outstanding leadership ability. Despite being paralyzed due to polio, McPherson was a sports enthusiast throughout his life and helped to transform wheelchair sports into a worldwide sporting movement known as the Paralympics. McPherson was also a leader and advocate for the disabled community serving as Chair of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities and Vice-Chair of the Alberta Paraplegic Foundation. Gary received significant recognition and awards for his achievements including the prestigious Order of Canada, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, the Alberta Order of Excellence, and both the Edmonton and Alberta Sports Halls of Fame. Above all, Gary dedicated his life to his family and to activities that promoted community development and support for young people. Gary passed away on Saturday, May 8, 2010.

An applicant must:
1) be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident or Protected Person.
2)Be an Alberta resident, and to be considered an Alberta Resident one of the following conditions must apply:

• one parent, or legal guardian has maintained permanent residence in Canada for at least twelve consecutive months immediately prior to commencing post-secondary studies and be residing in Alberta
• Alberta is the last place the student has lived for 12 consecutive months immediately prior to commencing post-secondary studies
• the student’s spouse/partner has maintained permanent residence in Alberta for twelve consecutive months prior to the person attending post-secondary.
  3) be enrolled full-time in a post-secondary program: undergraduate, professional, graduate, apprenticeship, diploma or certificate program at a publicly-funded institution in Alberta on the current academic year.
  4) have shown outstanding leadership, especially in the area of disability, and/or initiative to improve the lives of other people while attending a publicly-funded post-secondary institution in Alberta.
  5) be in satisfactory academic standing as determined by the post-secondary institution.

Students must complete the application to be considered for this award.