In
March of 1919, the students of the Saskatoon Collegiate announced
that they would establish a memorial to those alumni who
had died because of the war. The memorial was to consist of large
photographs of the young
soldiers with their names on
brass plates on the frames. To
raise money for the project, the students
would form the Collegiate
Institute Memorial Stock Company
that would sell stocks
for fifty cents each.1 However,
almost as soon as they made
this announcement, someone
had a unique idea.
AW. Cameron attributed the
plan to AJ. Pyke, who
had been principal at Nutana
Collegiate
at the time.2 The memorial
would be an art gallery consisting
exclusively of paintings by Canadian artists. Years later,
Pyke explained
that the founders also intended the gallery
to be a
"living memorial" that would
foster patriotism in the students through
knowledge and appreciation of Canadian art.3
