Alex Woronuk Family

Alex, the third son of Nick and Erena Woronuk was born in Rycroft March 13, 1920. He received his elementary education at the original Rycroft Public School and in the absence of a High School in Rycroft, obtained his high school education in Spirit River. His outstanding characteristics were a friendly personality and a zest for living life to the full. His enthusiastic and energetic approach in his undertakings made him a keen competitor and achiever. Being a healthy young man he was considered a "Charles Atlas" among his friends whom he loved to challenge to a wrist-twist (arm wrestle) for a "buck" or, preferably, a beer on a hot day. On one occasion, he wagered them that he could lift the back end of an old model car and after letting the vehicle drop abruptly he noticed the startled elderly occupant of the car! In the garage or on the farm, the challenge was to lift a front steel wheel of a John Deere or a 15-30 tractor. He almost invariably collected the loot. Cousin Steve Lazoruk knew Alex like a book. When Alex arrived at Steve's grocery store for a hundred pound bag of four, Steve went on the offensive. He offered Alex a good deal - pay for one bag and take two free if he could lift the three hundred pounds in one lift. Alex made a counter offer of getting three free if he could lift four bags - the deal was on. Alex took a bag under each arm and then had Steve place one bag on each of his shoulders and walked away with all four through the mud to the wagon at the back of the store.

In the community of Rycroft, Alex's most active involvement was in music and baseball. He enjoyed playing violin in the Rycroft Dance Orchestra with Mrs. English on piano, Bud Halverson on saxophone or violin and Mrs. Barber on the drums. The dancing audience enjoyed the swing music of the time. When Bud Halverson and Mrs. Barber moved away, Bill Didow played the drums, Bernie Marion played the banjo, Lorne Schumaucher played the clarinet and on occasion, Charlie Clarke played the saxophone. Dancing was the social function of the time and Rycroft was fortunate to have a fine musical ensemble.

Alex was also an active participant in Rycroft Men's' baseball and softball. Alex played his best baseball with a combine Rycroft-Spirit River All Star team with Cliff Ratcliffe as the managing coach. This was an impressive group of players. One of the better teams in the Peace.

While taking his advanced education in Edmonton, Alex played violin in the University of Alberta Philharmonic and also in the normal school dance orchestra. He was a talented violinist who never had the opportunity to receive formal instruction, other than the four or five months of violin lessons from his brother George. While at school in Edmonton, he had a regular violin musical program on CKUA. At home in Rycroft, his parents' Rogers Majestic Radio was turned up to the full volume in an attempt to hear his solos. Unfortunately Alex never had the opportunity to reach his full potential on the violin. Music instructors at the normal school told him he had entered the wrong profession. The yearbook paid tribute to his capabilities - quote, "We are looking forward to the time when the name Woronuk will be place beside those of Kriesler and Mischa Elman."

Alex's formal education ended with his graduation from normal school. By that time the Second World War was in process and for the following five years, Alex served in the Canadian Armed Services. While undergoing military training in British Columbia he married Doreen Short from Manitoba in April 1943, just before his Regiment, the Irish Fusiliers, left for Jamaica. The troop train carrying the Irish was sabotaged in Manitoba near the American Boundary. Alex was fortunate to be one of the men that was not injured. In Jamaica the Regiment guarded a P.O.W. Camp and trained in jungle warfare. Bananas were free, the rum cheap and the baseball against American teams was excellent. Alex felt honored to have played against the famous Jimmy Fox. The Regiment was reassigned to the European War Theatre and remained there until the completion of the war.

In February, 1946 Alex returned to Canada and proceeded home to the farm with his wife. He spent the summer months farming and playing at dances before starting his teaching post in the Rycroft High School. Doreen operated a form of mail order Treasury Branch, the beginning of the Alberta Government Treasury Branch in Rycroft. Alex enjoyed teaching but the pay was poor.

In June of 1947, Doreen presented him with a baby girl, Sharon. With this added responsibility, Alex decided to try his fortune selling life insurance. With the friendly and approachable nature that characterized Alex throughout his lifetime, he managed to sell $1,000,000.00 worth of insurance in one year, while still helping Bill on the farm and planting his own crop on land he acquired through the Veteran's Land Act.

In spite of his success as an insurance agent, Alex packed up his family in 1949 and moved to Grimshaw to go into partnership in a General Motors Dealership with brother George. With financial help from the senior Woronuk's the boys worked hard to make Superior Motors Ltd. a success.

In July, 1950, Alex was overjoyed at the birth of his son, Garth. Much of the initiative to succeed that drove Alex most of his life came from the desire to provide financial security for the family he loved so much. With a happy young family and an excellent business, George and Alex seemed to be settled in Grimshaw when they experienced a severe set-back. Fire demolished Superior Motors in February, 1951. Once the initial dismay over the loss had subsided, the boys decided that the post war boom presented opportunities that could far exceed a small town Dealership. The Government had just announced the undertaking of a Trans-Canada highway. Why not take advantage of the situation and start a long haul transport business to rival the slow and expensive railways?

Armed with a little insurance money from the Grimshaw dealership, a lot of faith in themselves and their ideas and a helping hand from the Canadian Bank of Commerce, George and Alex embarked on probably the biggest and riskiest undertaking of their lives. They purchased two tractor-trailer car hauling units and went into the trucking business.

No worthwhile and successful business venture is ever built on effortless success and George and Alex had no end of setbacks. Hauling cars from Eastern Manufacturers to Western Dealers was a fine venture but sending empty trucks back East was a financial drawback. Something had to be found to transport East! How about meat? Edmonton and Calgary both had numerous packing plants and to the Woronuk's delight, the packing plants were in favour of any new idea that would get their meat to Eastern markets faster than the two week trip by rail. But how do you haul fresh meat on a car hauling unit? Alex and George burned the midnight oil figuring ways to convert the trucks to adequate meat hauling units. Their initial attempts resulted in costly failures as shipments of ruined meat arrived in Eastern Canada, incurring large payouts on claims putting the Company into debt. The car-meat hauling units were scrapped in favour of large closed-in trucking units. New partners were taken into the business. Thus, Bruce Cordick and later, Gardie Shaw joined "Superior Transport Alberta Limited" and gave the floundering business new money and new hope.

With renewed vigour and determination, George and Alex worked even harder to beat the meat hauling problems. George was the inventor in that group. It was primarily due to his analytical mind that, now renamed, "Midland Superior Express Limited" is credited with inventing and perfecting meat handling by trailer. Shipment after shipment arrived in perfect condition in Eastern Canada on Midland Superior trucks. It was a commendable contribution to the meat and transport industries of Canada by two of Rycroft's native sons.

By 1959, the four partners could sit back with pride and survey and booming trucking business that had survived all the blows nature could throw at it, including the epidemic of hoof and mouth disease of 1952. The firm, besides hauling meat, was now moving almost every commodity there was in a booming Canada. No one knew them better than the CNR what a fleet of well over one hundred tractor trailer units could do, and in 1960 the CNR bought forty-nine percent of the shares with an option on the rest. In 1963, the sale was completed, but the four partners stayed on for several more years as management.

After more than a decade of hard work, long hours, and personal sacrifice, Alex found it impossible to retire. His life style was already firmly established. Doreen had become very efficient at carrying out the responsibilities of raising the children, of which there were now three including Darcy, a son born in February, 1959, and carrying out the many household duties. The strain of overwork left Alex with signs of failing health. He did enjoy more time with his family but he could just never quit.

Even before the final sale of Midland Superior, Alex was already involved in other investments. One dear to his heart was the building of the Capri Hotel in Red Deer. He had turned his thoughts and ambitions in a new direction and had decided that Red Deer should logically become the Convention Centre of Alberta. That foresight has today become a reality and not only has Red Deer become a Convention Centre, but both Calgary and Edmonton have followed suit. Soon Alex's interests took him into the building of the Kinuso Hotel and also the creation of the Red Deer Company of Crest Plumbing.

In the late sixties, Alex joined a group of Edmonton businessmen resulting in the formation of the Heritage Savings and Trust Company which is a thriving business today. He served several years on the Board of Directors.

In 1969, Alex became excited over the creation of the new Government town Grande Cache and soon teamed up with partners to erect the Grande Cache Hotel and the Grande Cache Shopping Centre.

In 1974, he won the Progressive Conservative nomination to run as the candidate for the Spirit River-Fairview constituency in the 1975 election. In spite of Alex's determined campaign efforts, the vote went to the incumbent Mr. Notley by ninety-nine ballots. He had hopes to be able to help the area he always considered home.

Alex returned to Edmonton, and a month later died of a heart attack on May 2, 1975 at fifty-five years of age. He is buried in the Masonic Garden of the Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Edmonton.