This Friday marks another milestone in the long and storied life of internationally acclaimed artist and retired mountaineer, Glen Boles.
The long-time Cochranite will be honoured in a dedication ceremony hosted by the town and open to the public, where 1.4 km of pathway that travels from Bow River west to the Water Treatment Plant will be named the ‘Glen Boles Trail’.
“He’s locally and internationally known for his artwork,” said Mayor Ivan Brooker. “The positive for Cochrane is that he’s always out there, promoting our town and how beautiful it is here.”
A fervent community supporter, Boles is a member of both Cochrane art clubs and served as a board director for the Cochrane and District Community Foundation from 2006-2013.
An outpouring of support from various community members, spearheaded by Elaine Cozac, resulted in town council’s unanimous decision to rename the pathway the Glen Boles Trail.
“He’s such a humble and giving person,” said Cozac, who has gotten to know Boles through his years of volunteer service with various Cochrane churches and community groups. “I just felt it was long overdue.”
Boles, 79, is overwhelmed and grateful for his fellow community members who have stepped up to honour him.
“I’ve met a lot of nice people along the way and it sure pays off how you treat people…I mountaineered for 47 years and climbed close to 600 peaks,” said Boles, adding that he had no idea that he was being nominated for this dedication ceremony by his peers.
“I didn’t know a thing about it until they announced it.”
One of the five founding members of Canada’s elite mountain climbing groups, the ‘Grizzly Group’, Boles has earned international recognition and awards for his contributions to the Alpine Club of Canada, including the 2005 Bill March ‘Summit of Excellence Award’.
He was also the 2013 Ambassador of the Year Award recipient at the annual Cochrane Community Awards.
The dedication ceremony will be held at 141 West Terrace Point (the Water Treatment Plant) at 2 p.m. Nov. 29 for anyone interested in attending.
To learn more about Glen Boles and his body of work, visit glenboles.com.
