Johnston, Alexander

Alexander Johnston, 1920-1989, was born in Webb, Saskatchewan, received a BSA degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1941, did graduate work in field husbandry, and later received an MS degree from the University of Montana, USA. He was a range ecologist and specialized in methods of assisting ranchers in the better use of prairie grassland. In 1937 he began work at the Swift Current Experimental Station, and in 1941 moved to the Lethbridge Experimental Station where he worked until his retirement in 1980. His work at the station was interrupted by his Second World War service, 1943-1946, work in range management in Pakistan for the UN, 1961-1962, and CIDA work in Kenya in 1978. He wrote 200 technical papers throughout his career. He was president of the Whoop-Up Country Chapter of the Historical Society of Alberta, 1962-1986, was a leading supporter of heritage preservation, served on the Glenbow Museum board and became volunteer historian at the Sir Alexander Galt Museum in 1981. He published a number of books on local history including Cowboy Politics : The Western Stock Growers' Association and Its Predecessors / Alex Johnston. - Calgary : Western Stock Growers' Association, 1971, and Lethbridge, a Centennial History / Alex Johnston and Andy A. den Otter. - Lethbridge : City of Lethbridge and the Whoop-Up Chapter, Historical Society of Alberta, 1985. Johnston received the Alberta Order of Excellence in 1984.