Article by Michael Dawe written for the Red Deer Express, Wednesday, May 30, 2007, p. 8. Michael Dawe is Red Deer and District's chief archivist, employed by the City of Red Deer. To contact Michael, email him at Michael.Dawe@reddeer.ca.

Kerry Wood

Edgar Allardyce Wood was born on June 2, 1907, the youngest son of Elizabeth Callon and William Campbell Wood. In 1909, the Wood family emigrated to Canada. In March 1918, they settled in Red Deer.

Young Edgar quickly took to his new home. He was facinated by the incredible diversity of plants and animals in the district and its rich history.

When only 12, he joined the Alberta Natural History Society. He particularly distinguished himself with his work with the Society in having the Gaetz Lakes area designated as a Dominion Bird Sanctuary in 1924.

Despite his young age, in order to help him with his conservation work, he was named an honorary Canadian wildlife officer.

He also gained a new nickname. The family had an Airedale dog named Berkshire Nobby with very bush eyebrows. His friend Harold Wiltshire claimed that there was a striking resemblance and started referring to him as Nobby.

Edgar liked the nickname and he became known as Nobby to friends and family.

Nobby was impressed by the scouting movement and became very active in it. He became Red Deer's first King Scout. He also served as an acting scoutmaster.

Moreover, he later used a scouting term as a pen name. The Scouts used knob-berries as a club to pound in tent pegs and to complete other jobs around a camp. Nobby decided to use the name "Kerry Wood" for the many stories and articles he was writing.

In the 1920s, Nobby decided to take up writing as a full time occupation. Making a living as an author is always a challenge.

In the hard economic times of the 1920s and 1930s, it became an almost impossible feat.

There were times as he was starting out, that Nobby literally starved, even though he lived off the land as much as he could. It was an indication of his dogged determination that he persevered. It is an indication of his tremendous story telling talents and writing abilities that eventually he was indeed able to make a living as a writer.

He got work as a reporter for the Edmonton Bulletin. He also wrote articles for the Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald, Calgary Albertan, and the Red Deer Advocate.

As time went on, he also was published in a number of magazines and publications across North America,Great Britain and Europe.

On Feb. 10, 1936, he married the love of his life, Marjorie Marshall. The marriage was a true partnership. Everyone who got to know them was struck by how totally devoted they were to each other. They were  eventually blessed with three children, daughters Rondo and Heather and son Greg.

With a wife and soon children to support, Nobby actively sought means to supplement his income. He was                         a talented craftsman and he made archery tackle for sale. He soon had a thriving mail order business,                          which he continued until 1944 when he sold it to devote more time to his writing.

In 1939, he got a job as a broadcaster with the CBC. His first book, Three Mile Bend, was published in 1945. More than two dozen books and pamphlets followed.

Two of his books, The Map Maker and The Great Chief, won the Governor General's medals for juvenile literature. In 1963, Kerry Wood won the first Vicky Metcalf Award for "consistently good writing of material inspirational to Canadian youth."

In his life time, Kerry Wood wrote more than 6,200 short stories, 8,000 articles, 9,000 newspaper columns,  4,000 radio talks, 612 television scripts, and 28 books and publications, not including the chapters which he wrote for school readers.

In 1969, an informal survey of librarians indicated that an estimated 500,000 children read his books annually.

Among his many honours were the Order of Canada, the Order of the Bighorn, the Alberta Achievement  Award, an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Alberta and numerous life memberships in a  variety of organizations with which he was connected.

Kerry "Nobby" Wood passed away peacefully at home on July 25, 1998 after a lengthy struggle with heart problems and cancer. His beloved Marjorie passed away from cancer on Sept. 21, 2002.

On June 2, 2007, the Kerry Wood Nature Centre will be celebrating the 100th birthday of Kerry Wood with a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m. followed by special ceremonies, nature walks, building tours, birthday cake and a rededication of the Sanctuary's original entrance markers.

The Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery will able be mounting a special exhibit.