Prominent Banffite Herb MacAulay, who recently passed away after a brief illness, is being remembered as a kind, wise and quirky man.
Born and raised in Banff, MacAulay passed away at Mineral Springs Hospital on May 9. He was 68.
MacAulay was a devoted student of Banff’s history and a long-standing member and past chairman of the Banff Heritage Corporation.
“We lost a real ambassador for our community,” said Councillor Grant Canning, who worked alongside MacAulay for many years on the heritage corporation.
“He was a tremendously knowledgeable individual, he was a very quirky individual, but a very approachable and very likeable one. He had a flare to him and he will be sorely missed.”
MacAulay was proud to be a third generation Banffite, spending all his life in Banff except for a stint in Vancouver, prouder to be the eldest of six children and proudest to be a dad to his son Currie.
His tag line on all of his emails read: “ Not all who wander are lost.”
According to his family, MacAulay loved good books, deep thought, long walks, blues guitar, esoteric philosophy, easy conversation, heated debate, sumptuous meals, NASCAR, and the Habs.
He did not like convention, short haircuts, cats or blue cheese. He insisted that milk be poured into his cup before hot tea was added – and he insisted he could tell the difference.
“He was a good man, he was our Braveheart and we will miss him terribly,” family wrote in his obituary.
MacAulay, who had a host of jobs throughout the years, including driving taxis and working with Alberta Forestry, also volunteered countless hours through the years to Banff’s heritage corporation.
The heritage corporation is meeting later this month to discuss how best to honour MacAulay’s memory and his contribution to heritage conservation in Banff.
“Herb was a rare breed in this day and age and will be truly missed by all who had the great fortune of knowing him,” said Randall McKay, the Town of Banff’s planning and development manager.
McKay said MacAulay wasn’t easily rattled, nor would he ever waiver when it came to making difficult decisions or recommendations on matters of conservation, preservation restoration or rehabilitation.
“He brought a wealth of expertise to the group given his encyclopedic knowledge of the natural and human history of Banff and Banff National Park,” said McKay.
McKay said the corporation and planning department leaned on MacAulay for clarity and wisdom, most recently on the Frank Lloyd Wright Revival Initiative.
“He recognized the changing approaches to heritage conservation over time and the importance of retaining values, associations and stories that historic paces hold for their communities,” he said.
Canning said MacAulay was a “phenomenal historian.
“He knew more about this town, the built heritage in this town, the people in this town than anyone I have ever met,” he said. “It was phenomenal to listen to his stories. He was really incredible.”
See obituary on page 24.
