HENRY DANIEL KALEN

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HENRY DANIEL KALEN It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Henry Kalen, Husband, father, and friend on December 25, 2004 at the St. Boniface Hospital. Henry was born of working class parents on January 20, 1928 in the north end of Winnipeg. He entered the University of Manitoba in 1951 and married Gloria Novak in 1955. In 1957, He received his Bachelor of Architecture Degree. He worked for the Federal Department of Public Works and for GBR Architects, received his accreditation in the Manitoba Association of Architects and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, but after three years of practice, decided that his first career love of photography held special opportunities and satisfaction. In 1960, he attended the summer session in Art Education at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, then joined the Faculty of Architecture, University of Manitoba. He also assisted in teaching Architectural Drawing, Graphic Presentation and Fundamentals of Design from 1960 to 1971. He was a founding member of the Professional Photographers of Manitoba. During his many years of membership, he held many executive positions, designed the PPAM logo which is still in use today and won many competition awards including the Photographer of the Year twice. He was also a member of the Professional Photographers of Canada where he earned his Craftsman of Photographic Art in 1970. One year, he was beaten by only one point from winning the coveted Canadian Photographer of the Year Award. He also belonged to the Professional Photographers of America where he also won several print competition awards. During the early 70s he taught at the Neepawa Festival of Arts. He was the first photographer to have a one-man show at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 1966. The 42 16x20 B/W and colour print show was then shipped to Toronto for a one month exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum. It was then sent to several other Ontario Galleries, then west to the Western Art Circuit where it showed in galleries from Saskatoon to Victoria . In 1967, he received a Canada Council grant to produce a major exhibit of Regina as a Centennial project. In 1973, he ventured into the post card distribution business. During the next 17 years, his company published over 400 post cards and sold over 12 million post cards across five provinces. His stock photos were filed with the Image Bank in Toronto and he was a stringer for several national magazines like Maclean's, Chatelaine, Weekend Magazine and Canadian Geographic. In 1982, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada awarded him the Allied Arts Medal for architectural photography. More recently, he was nominated and accepted for membership in the prestigious Royal Canadian Academy. His photographs have been reproduced in books and magazines around the world. His own solo book Henry Kalen's Winnipeg was launched in September of 2000 and has been on the McNally Robinson Booksellers Best Sellers list every week for the last four years and shows no sign of falling off. At the time of his passing he was working on a new book, Henry Kalen's Manitoba . It will be completed by friends and family in his honour. Photography started as a hobby for him and he was always amazed that people were willing to pay him for indulging in his hobby. Henry's passion extended to every facet of his being. He loved his family, loved his friends. Every chance he got he'd share that appreciation and enthusiasm for life's experiences with anyone willing to come along for the ride. He would try anything and everything that would renew and refresh his spirit. A hot air balloon ride, camping in the Whiteshell, Manitoba festivals, travelling and so much more. He was intensely curious about so many things. Nature, science, technology. He was an avid CBC listener, loving the information segments, laughing at the comedy, taking an interest in world events. He'd make it a point to learn things, like which berries are edible, or when the Northern Lights were at their best, and he'd share that knowledge. He played a lot. He loved places like the Ontario Science Centre, where he could let his inner child bust out and let loose. He'd swim with his kids and grandkids, getting as rambunctious as a 12 year old. They'd go bowling or miniature golfing or canoeing and he'd be right in there, playing and having a ball. He played badminton with his friends at the ReFit Centre. He laughed remarkably often. Henry loved life so much. He strove for excellence in every aspect of his life, and he motivated his family and friends to do likewise. He truly desired a fuller, richer life for us all. He encouraged us by example, lured us with enthusiasm, and enchanted us with hope and dreams of our own. To say that he will be deeply missed is an understatement. We thank you for sharing your life with us, your loving wife, Gloria (Novak); daughter Carlu and her family, Ron, Danielle and Aidan (Berard); daughter Marya and Jonathan (Heads); son Greg and Bee; his sister Nell and Bill (Bidell) and their family, reside in Ontario. He will also be missed by numerous friends, in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews all across North America. A memorial gathering (open house) will be held at the Millennium Centre on Saturday, January 15 at 389 Main St. at McDermot from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. A tribute will take place at 1:45 p.m. Flowers are gratefully declined. http://www.geocities.com/Henry_Kalen

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 10, 2005