Ralph Thomas Scurfield

Scurfield was a Canadian businessman who founded one of North America’s largest home building companies, Nu-West Group Limited. In 1957, Scurfield took control of Nu-West Homes, a small, privately owned, house-building company operating in Calgary, Alberta. In 1969, Nu-West Homes Ltd. became a publicly traded company and was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. By 1981 Nu-West Group Ltd. had become the largest house-building company in Canada, with diversified asset holdings of $88.4 billion, and over 3,700 employees. of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames. Scurfield was actively involved in the establishment of the Faculty of Management at the University of Calgary. The faculty’s building, Scurfield Hall, is named in his honour. Scurfield's family also owned Sunshine Village ski resort located in Banff National Park, and a share of the Calgary Flames Hockey Club. == Early years ==

Scurfield was born in Broadview, Saskatchewan, on January 7, 1928, the son of Ralph and Ann Scurfield (née Parsons). His family soon moved to the small farming community of Ninga, Manitoba where his father was the station master on the Canadian Pacific Railway line. Ralph was active in sports and enjoyed playing hockey and soccer as a child. Few who knew him from his rural childhood days could have imagined that the bright boy with reddish hair, who walked to the one-room school house with his pet crow on his shoulder, would grow up to become one of the most successful and influential Canadian businessmen of his generation. Scurfield attended the University of Manitoba, working his way through school by taking summer carpentry jobs in the northern town of Churchill, Manitoba. After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in 1948, Scurfield became an elementary school teacher. He taught in Manitoba for only two years, before leaving a promising teaching career to pursue his chosen trade of carpentry. In 1951, lured by the booming Alberta economy, he moved to Edmonton, where he quickly found employment with McConnell Homes as a crew foreman. Scurfield was soon settled in Alberta, and in July 1954 he married Sonia Onishenko, the youngest child of Ukrainian–Russian immigrant parents. Scurfield’s employer, Ches McConnell, impressed with Scurfield’s work ethic and university degree, asked him to move 160 miles south to Calgary to manage the small, financially struggling, house building company called Nu-West Homes. Scurfield agreed, but only on the condition that he be allowed to buy in as a 1/3 partner. ==Career success==

After mortgaging his house to finance his partnership, in 1957, at the age of 29, Scurfield became president of Nu-West Homes, a Calgary-based company building approximately 40 homes a year. When he moved to Calgary in May 1957, he found that Nu-West was in worse financial shape than he had been led to believe. With only a secretary and a bobcat driver as employees, Scurfield went to work salvaging the reputation of the near bankrupt Nu-West Homes by fixing previously built houses free of charge. By putting in long hours he was able to establish Nu-West Homes as a company of strong customer service. Nu-West quickly became known for quality housing and after-sales service. Under Scurfield’s direction, Nu-West Homes flourished, and Scurfield’s personal stature grew. In 1969 Nu-West went public, raising 2.9 million in its initial share offering. Nu-West, which was heavily leveraged with debt, lost its place of dominance in the house building industry. ==Death==

On February 18, 1985, Scurfield and another person died in an avalanche while heli-skiing in the Monashee Mountains near Blue River, British Columbia. The resulting court decision, (Scurfield v. Cariboo Helicopter Skiing Ltd. (1993), 74 B.C.L.R. (2d) 224) on the doctrine of contributory negligence in Canadian law, resulted in a finding that Scurfield was 75% responsible for the incident. An appeal relieved the guide of all legal responsibility. == Honours ==

to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, determination and leadership on the ice, combined with dedication to community service. Various honours and places named after Scurfield include: • The Ralph T. Scurfield Award of Excellence, presented annually by Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), is the highest recognition that can be bestowed on a SAIT faculty member. • The Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award, is presented annually by the Calgary Flames to the Flames player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, determination and leadership on the ice, combined with dedication to community service. • The Ralph T. Scurfield Builder of the Year Award, presented annual by the Alberta Home Builders Association, is the Alberta home building industry’s top honour (the winner is commonly referred to as "the best of the best"). • Scurfield Hall Photo of Scurfield Hall, the faculty building housing the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business. • Scurfield Boulevard and Scurfield Park, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. • Scurfield Drive located in Calgary, Alberta. • In 1986, Scurfield was posthumously named a recipient of the Centennial Award of Merit, awarded by the Centennial of Incorporation Committee to acknowledge Calgarians whose community service has enriched the city’s life for a period of 10 years are more. • In 2005, Scurfield was selected by Alberta Venture Magazine as the 2nd Greatest Albertan of all time, , behind only the legendary Grant MacEwan. • In June 2008, Ralph T. Scurfield was nominated as one of Alberta's Greatest Citizens, as part of their "Search for our Greatest Citizen Project. • In 2015, Ralph T. Scurfield was posthumously inducted into the Junior Achievement - Calgary Business Hall of Fame == Bibliography ==

• Mar. 29, 1980 - The Financial Post, p. W9 • July 13, 1981- New York Times, July 13, 1981, Late City Final Edition, Page D3, • May 19, 1982 - Brandon Sun (Manitoba) • February 20, 1985 - The Calgary Herald (Scurfield skied into slide), Front page; (Scurfield killed) page A2; (Legacy everywhere), editorial; (Scurfield wanted to be the best), page C1. • February 20, 1985 - Calgary Sun (Nu-West Boss Dies In Slide), Front Page; (Magnate dies in slide), page 2; (A great loss), editorial page 10; (Scurfield represented Calgary Spirit), page 11; (Developer missed) page38, • February 20, 1985 - Edmonton Journal (Nu-West kingpin dies as avalanche hits skiers) • February 20, 1985 - Vancouver Sun (Two skied into slide, operator says/Skiers didn’t hear shouts) • February 20, 1985 - Toronto Star (Obituary: Ralph Scurfield, 57, co-founder of giant Nu-West Group). • February 20, 1985 - The Globe and Mail (Nu-West chief part owner of Flames), page 15. • February 21, 1985 - Vancouver Sun (B.C. avalanche site probed after two killed on skiing trip) • February 21, 1985 - Calgary Herald (Scurfield’s son rejects claim), page B2; (Obituary), page D8; • February 23, 1985 - Calgary Herald (Man of vision given farewell) • February 27, 1985 - The University of Calgary Gazette (in memoriam Ralph Thomas Scurfield, 1928–1985), page 3 • March 4, 1985 - Alberta Report (Skiing into oblivion), page 16; (Carpenter to tycoon), page 16-17. • December 2, 1986 - Calgary Herald (Five citizens to get community award), page B6. • January 23, 1998 - The Calgary Herald (The Scurfield Legacy), page D1, D2 • December 2005 - Alberta Venture Magazine, Vol. 09 Issue 10, (The 50 Greatest Albertans) • June 8, 2008 - The Calgary Herald (125 Of Our Greatest Citizens) == References ==