Craven speaks in early 2018 to a gathering of the Medicine Hat and District Historical Society, of which he was president. The former city alderman and businessman died on Friday.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
Wayne Craven, whose rich, deep voice was unmistakable in city council debates for decades and throughout Medicine Hat community for much longer, has died.
He was 80 years old and died early Friday morning after battling cancer, said his wife Sandra.
“He was diagnosed two years ago, but you wouldn’t have known it from looking at him,” said Sandra Craven, adding a 14-month treatment was successful last year, but the illness returned aggressively and he entered hospital last week.
“It was peaceful at the end. He went quietly, but not without a fight.”
Craven was a well-known personality, and not only for six terms served on city council, but in business, in general volunteer circles, and the arts community, his personal passion.
Council colleagues remembered Craven for his ability to put up at times ferocious arguments, but also listen and come to solutions.
“He has so much passion and could really be fiery and very dramatic in his argument, but also a twinkle in his eye,” said Julie Friesen, who served five terms with Craven.
She said how the two may have viewed any particular issue mattered very little to their personal friendship.
“In the end, we’d always agree that the other person’s opinion had value,” she said. “He had such a deep commitment to this community, and was just such a real character.
“I just thought the world of him.”
Another longtime council colleague, Graham Kelly, said Craven was “an outstanding citizen in so many ways” despite being best known for his business acumen or time on council.
“He was a great supporter of the arts community and a major force in musical theatre. He knew sports, business,” said Kelly. “He was a businessman, but as an alderman though, he wasn’t afraid to stand up for people who were less fortunate and who needed a voice at city hall.”
Mayor Ted Clugston was a rookie alderman in 2009, when Craven re-entered city politics at age of 69 and received the most votes of any candidate that year.
“He grew to be one of my favourite people to work with,” said Clugston, citing Craven’s drive to fully understand and research topics before council.
“He was larger than life, one of those men who could really control a room.”
Craven’s presence made him an obvious choice to emcee the grand opening of the Esplanade Arts and Culture Centre in 2005.
When he retired in 2012, he told the News one of his most proud accomplishments was getting the building open after 11 years of often harsh debate.
“People in politics have to have a lot of patience,” he said.
Craven had grown up in Medicine Hat, the son of well-known hockey player Milt Craven, who ran a taxi company but died at age 51 when Wayne was in his early 20s.
His distinctive voice seemed tailor-made for broadcasting, and his first real job was an announcer for CHAT television and radio in the 1960s.
He later became a self-made man in real estate sales and investments.
He and brother, Ron Craven, were major investors in Mayfair Manor, which was built in 1976 at a cost of $3 million to became Medicine Hat’s first tower apartment.
Outside business and political accomplishments he was Medicine Hat’s citizen of the year in 1988, following volunteer work with Medicine Hat’s centennial celebrations, the public library board, minor hockey and soccer, musical theatre society. He was a chief fundraiser for the United Way and Cancer Society among other efforts.
“Volunteer work serves me well,” he told the crowd at the banquet honouring his achievements that year, and added that service should be seen as its own reward.
“If you look at it from that standpoint, your involvement will only grow.”
“One could think that I could do no wrong,” he said in conclusion. “But we all know better.”
