Kirk Wipper
Canadian academic (1923–2011)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kirk Albert Walter Wipper, CM (December 6, 1923 – March 18, 2011) was a Canadian academic and founder of the Canadian Canoe Museum, which is located in Peterborough, Ontario.[1][2] He has been called a "pioneer in the development of outdoor education in Canada."[1]
December 6, 1923
Kirk Wipper | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kirk Albert Walter Wipper December 6, 1923 |
| Died | March 18, 2011 (aged 87) |
| Occupation | Academic |
| Known for | founder of the Canadian Canoe Museum |
Biography
Wipper was born December 6, 1923, in Grahamdale, Manitoba.
Canadian Canoe Museum
Wipper formed the Kanawa International Collection of Canoes, Kayaks and Rowing Craft.[1] His collection, which consisted of more than six hundred individual watercraft, including kayaks and canoes, became the basis for what would become the Canadian Canoe Museum.[1] In 1957, Wipper was gifted a dugout canoe, which is believed to have been crafted in 1890.[1] Wipper soon began collecting other watercraft, which grew to approximately one hundred fifty pieces by the late 1960s.[1] Wipper constructed a facility to house his collection at Camp Kandalore, a summer camp he owned in the vicinity of Dorset, Ontario.[1] However, his growing collection outgrew this building, necessitating a search for a new facility.[1] Wipper was contacted by a group of individuals, including several affiliated with the Trent University, who were interested in moving his collection to a permanent exhibition space in Peterborough, Ontario.[1] Wipper agreed to the proposal and a board of directors was formed for the project in 1989.[1] In 1994, Wipper donated his entire collection to the new Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough.[1] He remained active in the museum as a volunteer and consultant.[1]
Academic career
Wipper became a faculty member of the University of Toronto's School of Physical and Health Education in 1950.[1] He worked as an assistant professor at the University of Toronto until his retirement in 1987.[1] Wipper then served as the director of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award of Canada and the President of the Royal Life Saving Society of Canada following his retirement from academia.[1] Wipper also founded Camp Kandalore in Ontario and co-founded the Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association.[2]
Camp Kandalore
From the early 1950s through the 1980s, Wipper owned and led Camp Kandalore, one of Canada's leading camps that offered canoeing and camping experiences for boys.[3] Throughout his years at Kandalore, Wipper led an extensive canoe tripping strategy. Under new leadership in the late 1990s, the camp became co-educational, and began to focus on expanding in-camp residential experiences and activities.[3]
Honors
In 2002, Wipper was named to the Order of Canada and the Order of St. John.[4][2] He was also a recipient of the Ontario Bicentennial Medal and the Government of Canada Centenary Medal.[1]
Kirk Wipper died from a choking accident related to Parkinson's disease while eating dinner with friends and family near Peterborough on March 18, 2011, at the age of 87.[1][2] He was survived by his wife, Ann.[1]