Calvin Fraser, former coordinator of the ATA’s Member Services (MS), is being awarded honorary membership in recognition of his outstanding contributions to education and the teaching profession in Alberta.
Fraser will receive his honorary membership at this year’s Annual Representative Assembly (ARA), which is scheduled to take place in Calgary over the May long weekend.
Fraser began his career in Saskatchewan in 1972, after earning a bachelor of education with a major in French. By 1980, he was in Alberta, teaching French and language arts at Jubilee Junior High School in Edmonton. He became the school’s principal in 1987 and ultimately spent 18 years teaching in public schools. Reflecting his passion for life-long learning, Fraser also completed a master of education degree in education administration and a doctor of philosophy focused on public education.
During his teaching career, Fraser became engaged in the work of the ATA. He served on the local executive, professional development committees and the teachers’ convention board before joining the ATA as a staff officer in 1990. By 1997, he was named coordinator of MS (now known as Teacher Employment Services [TES]). After working for the teachers of Alberta for 17 years, in 2007, Fraser was named secretary general of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation. He served in that role for eight years before retiring.
Even in retirement, Fraser has remained committed to the teaching profession—both within Alberta and beyond. He served as president of the Canadian Association for the Practical Study of Law in Education, and advanced public education through his work with superintendents and boards, governments, as well as other local, national and international organizations such as Education International, UNESCO, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Closer to home, Fraser has shared his expertise with the next generation of teachers by teaching education law and ethics courses at the University of Alberta, Campus Saint-Jean. Fraser can also be found back at the ATA on occasion, helping out the TES program area when needed.
The award of honorary membership — the ATA’s top honour — is the culmination of Fraser’s decades-long commitment to public education in this province. ❚
