Remembering our roots ~ Bruce & Carolyn Steeves

John Godsman

Times Contributor

 

The original family surname was the German name ‘Stief.’ As time went by, it was changed letter by letter, to its current form of ‘Steeves’. Bruce’s forefathers initially moved from Germany to Pennsylvania before settling in Hillsborough, New Brunswick, arriving on Canadian soil in 1766.

Carolyn’s maiden name was Brennan, and her ancestors moved to Canada from Ireland during the potato famine in the mid-1800’s. They originally settled in Nova Scotia before moving to New Brunswick. 

Carolyn was born in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1956, and Bruce was born in Moncton, New Brunswick the same year. They met while they were both attending Saint John High School. They attended the University of Western Ontario where Carolyn earned a Bachelor of Music (1978) and a Bachelor of Education (1979), and Bruce earned a Bachelor of Arts (1980).

Carolyn moved to Alberta in 1979, first to Fairview where she obtained her first teaching job. They arrived in Strathmore in 1980, where Carolyn was interviewed and hired by George Pinchbeck and Garry McKinnon to teach music at the soon to be opened Brentwood Elementary School. They were married in 1981 and have four children. She took a sabbatical in 1984, to complete her Master of Music degree at the University of Calgary. Carolyn has always been interested in the arts, and Brentwood’s music program has always been, and still is, very important to the community. The choir program was started in 1980, and one of its highlights was being selected to be a part of the mass choir which sang at the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Apart from teaching music at Brentwood Elementary, she also gives private lessons to students from Strathmore and surrounding areas.

Bruce has a Bachelor Degree in Psychology – and has worked with emotionally disturbed children and youth, developmentally handicapped adults and young offenders. From 1984 to 1993 he worked at the Strathmore Youth Development Centre, and since 1993 has worked at the Calgary Young Offender Centre. He admits that he is an avid reader of Canadian Literature.

Since arriving in 1980, the Steeves have seen many changes to Strathmore. Back then, the railway still ran through town, and there were grain elevators where Kinsman Park is now located. Downtown was thriving with the Strathmore Co-op, two hardware stores including Driscoll Hardware, which had beautiful hardwood floors, two pharmacies, not to mention the arena, curling rink and Joyland Theatre. There was little development on either side of the highway, which was not twinned. Brent Boulevard didn’t exist, Centre Street and George Freeman Trail were gravel roads, and the Maplewood Subdivision was just being developed. There were only two schools and kindergarten portables stood where Brentwood School is now. There was an outdoor pool where Dairy Queen now stands, and the population was 3,000.

This article would be incomplete without mentioning the achievements of their four children, in order of age: Sarah is a cellist, completing her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto. Christopher, who plays classical guitar and was a competitive ice dancer, is a member of the Canadian Coast Guard, currently enrolled in the Navigation Officer Program at the Coast Guard College in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Timothy is a violinist, and is attending the University of Michigan, where he is completing his Masters in Music Performance. Patrick is a violist, completing his double major in music performance and military history, at the University of Calgary. A very talented family.