Bernard Fast $525 Bursary presented annually

Bernard (Ben) Fast was born on April 6, 1924 in Tiegerweide, Russia to Katarina and Gerhard Fast. He immigrated with his family to Canada later that year. While attending  Boissevain High School he lived with family near Whitewater Lake and commuted to Boissevain by train which, in those days, stopped at the Cadzow station. After completing high school, he served with the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1942-1945. Following graduation from the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Engineering in 1950, he worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway as Deputy Regional Engineer Prairie Region. He met his future wife, Mary Patricia McGinnis at the CPR and they were married in 1970. He died in 2011.

 “My siblings and I remember Uncle Ben as the “cool” uncle who traveled to what seemed to us to be exotic places and brought us amazing presents. He was reserved, he loved to play golf, he was kind and thoughtful. He lived lightly on the earth,” recalls Margaret Fast.