Calgary, Alberta
Mr. Whitson served 36 years with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) as a navigator and pilot. He has dedicated himself over the past 20 years to community service in the area of Veteran support, youth support and military heritage advocacy. Over a 15-year span, Mr. Whitson has served on the executive of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Association at the local, provincial and national council levels. In this capacity, he has assisted military personnel transition into successful civilian lives. He was awarded a (RCAF) Association “Life-membership” after 35 years of service and has been a Royal Canadian Legion member for 42 years. In 2004, Mr. Whitson served on the local committee which successfully planned and installed a memorial in downtown Calgary to commemorate British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) airmen from Alberta who perished in the Second World War. He has supported the Colonel Belcher Veterans Care Centre in Calgary through many initiatives, including the Alberta Centennial Project to provide bed lifts and patient rooms. During the “Year of the Veteran” Mr. Whitson hosted several former BCATP trainees from Britain, along with their wives and caregivers, initiating a program that integrated them into activities of the RCAF Association. He served as director and tour guide at the Aerospace Museum of Calgary for many years and was on the organizing committee for the annual RCAF Gala Mess Dinner. Mr. Whitson is one of the founding directors of the Air Force Museum Society of Alberta, which saw the addition of the air force gallery to the expanded Military Museums of Calgary. He also served on the committee that developed the old Currie Barracks located at the CFB Calgary, providing input on historical content for street naming, park development and the successful addition of Peacekeepers Park.