| Biography of Dale Haggerty (Curator of the Michif Historical & Preservation Society) In 1954, in Edmonton Alberta, Dale Rodney Haggerty was the fifth child Born, to parents John Haggerty, a Scottish immigrant and French Métis Mother, Georgina Villeneuve. The Haggerty’s moved their growing family to B.C. when Dale was just an infant and youngest at that time, his sister Teresa was born later in Vancouver where the family lived and worked most of their lives. Dale grew up in Vancouver where he went to school and later apprenticed and became a tradesman in the Glazing Industry (Glass and windows). He worked for many years as a Glazier while at the same time from the age of 23 he took up the sport of Lawn bowling. During the years in this sport as an amateur, he won many medals and trophies, including Gold (1984), Silver (latest 2005) and Bronze. In 1998 our champion decided to put the Lawn bowling life behind him for a while as he was trying to control an alcohol addiction which was destroying his life as well as his liver. Through the help of Métis friends and the Métis Community he has been clean and sober for almost eight years now. In 1999 Dale was given the opportunity to accept a position of curator of the Michif Métis Museum that was being run by the Michif Historical and Cultural Preservation Society. He gladly accepted and hasn’t looked back since. He brought a fresh approach to the little museum and found ways of bringing exhibits and displays to various communities and schools as well as presentations, giving people an opportunity to learn more about the Métis culture and their role in Canada’s history. Today, Dale lives happily with his wife (also Dale), both starting a new life in the community of Vavenby, BC which is just outside of the Clearwater District in BC’s Interior. Through a very generous donation of a mini-bus from Métis Family Services in Surrey, he plans to convert the bus to a mobile museum will possibly be ready to roll 2007/2008 and bring the Michif Métis Museum to more communities around BC, leaving a small display of the museum on Edmonds Street in Burnaby in the care of the North Fraser Métis Association as well as partnership with an Alberta Métis community, where a sister museum has been formed by a newly formed Society in Delia, Alberta. Dale’s future hope and plans for the museum is to continue sharing the Métis culture as long as he is able and when he is ready to retire (which won’t be for a while yet), the museum will be placed safely in the hands of our future Métis generation who will continue to bring and present the Métis culture and history to all that would benefit and have an interest. |
| To see more of the Haggerty family tree...click below on this URL |
NOTE: This background was donated by the late Karl Angus.
Our Metis friend...may the Great Spirit watch over him.
Our Metis friend...may the Great Spirit watch over him.
