Unique gift of the past from Dr. Kathleen Kerr creates future opportunities for U of L theatre students

Kay Kerr

University of Lethbridge press release

A unique donation from an iconic southern Albertan promises to expand opportunities for the University of Lethbridge’s Department of Theatre and Dramatic Arts for years to come.

Dr. Kathleen Kerr (LLD ’04), better known as Kay, has given the U of L’s theatre department a century’s worth of collectables, virtually the entire contents of the three-story home she lived in before moving to a lodge in Blairmore, Alta.

“I’m grateful to Kay for offering this to us. She could have easily put it all up for auction and given the profit to her children. But she wanted to see it used. And she knows we’ll give it a good home. She recognized the value of what we do here, and we’re thankful,” says James McDowell, the technical director for the U of L theatre.

The collectables are both unique and extensive – hardly surprising given the fantastical life that Kerr has lived. Now 94 years old, Kerr can look back on a rich life history.

Married in 1939, just a few days before Canada joined the Second World War, Kerr and her late husband John (Jack) went on to own four Kentucky Friend Chicken locations. She even personally developed the gravy recipe still used by KFC, while once staying in the home of Colonel Sanders himself.

Although she and Jack travelled the world, they made their home amidst the mountains in the Crowsnest Pass where they ran the legendary Turtle Mountain Hotel in Frank, Alta. Over the years, she has received numerous accolades including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and an honorary degree from the University of Lethbridge.

Among the collectables gifted to the University are: German-crafted wardrobes, a long cigarette holder kept in a roll top desk, an intricate Arctic oosik (made from the bone of a walrus penis), a cup and saucer received as a wedding gift, boxes of KFC memorabilia, a K-Tell plug-in coffee maker for your car (still pristine in its box), a red velvet couch and a vintage camera.

“People ask me if I was sad to see everything go, but as far as the stuff is concerned, I really don’t miss it,” says Kerr. “I think it’s just wonderful that my things will be used in a new way. It will just keep on giving, and that’s the best.”

Some of the items have already appeared in a U of L dramatic production, as they arrived just in time for the spring production of Courting Johanna.

For more on Kay Kerr’s fabulous life and gift to the University of Lethbridge, check out the following link: http://www.uleth.ca/unews/article/gift-past-creates-future-opportunities#.U59MrS8WecA.