Everett Baker Award for Saskatchewan Heritage
Everett Baker. Photo courtesy of the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan.
This award is named for the SHFS’ first president, Everett Baker. Throughout his life, Everett Baker was a strong believer in the importance of understanding the past to build a better future, and as such, he worked tirelessly to preserve local history.
In that spirit, the Everett Baker Award for Saskatchewan Heritage recognizes individuals, groups or organizations who have gone “above and beyond” to preserve and promote heritage in Saskatchewan. The award also recognizes efforts to call public attention to aspects of little-known Saskatchewan history.
Do you know a person or organization who has gone "above and beyond" for Saskatchewan's heritage?
Nominations for the Everett Baker Award for Saskatchewan Heritage are open year-round. Any person, group or organization who has worked towards promoting and sharing heritage in Saskatchewan is eligible.
Yearly deadline: April 30
2026 Winner: Joan Brewerton
Joan Brewerton was known for both her love of stories, and for the journey of discovery that is historical research.
Born in Northern Ontario, Joan’s family moved to California, followed by a move to Prince Albert in the late 1960s. She went to high school in Prince Albert.
Then, Joan’s love of history led her to study Western Canadian history at the University of Saskatchewan, where she earned a bachelor's degree. She started working in collections at the Western Development Museum (WDM) in the 1980s, then left for maternity leave. She returned to her studies as a mature student and was awarded a master's degree in 1990. Her thesis was on Arthur Silver Morton.
Her interest in history and her dedication to exhaustive, meticulous research ultimately led to a career at the WDM. She first worked in exhibit production and eventually became CEO of all four WDMs.
During her time at the WDM, Joan was instrumental in shifting the museums to attract new generations of visitors and volunteers. She was one of the key researchers and developers of the "Winning the Prairie Gamble" exhibit. Now retitled "A Saskatchewan Story" at the WDM Saskatoon and "100 Years of Saskatchewan History" in the three other museums, these remain some of WDM's premier exhibits.
In 2015-16, Joan helped develop the new "Saskatchewan Inspired" brand and logo for the WDM, steering the organization to reach out to new audiences both in-person and digitally.
Joan's retirement in 2016 began a new chapter of research and writing. She continued to meticulously document stories about Saskatchewan history, demonstrating an ongoing and active engagement with history.
Joan successfully carried her deep knowledge and passion into the digital realm through her Substack, "Shards of Memory," her work as a regular columnist for Saskatchewan newspapers, and more. Her widely read content continues to provide invaluable insights and narratives, carrying forward her work of sharing the province's complex history with a wide audience.
Joan wrote "Passages" for the Prince Albert Daily Herald, starting in 2017, sharing tidbits of history and memories from one of her home communities. Each article read like a story and drew readers into the era she was writing about. This work led to further research and writing on Nan Dorland, a New York radio star turned Saskatchewan prospector.
Joan also blogged extensively on Saskatchewan hotels in "Railway & Main: Small Town Saskatchewan Hotels." She was a frequent contributor to many other Western Canadian magazines and won several Saskatchewan Newspaper Association awards for best arts/history column.
In the early 2020s, Joan delved into the stories of the British Home Children who were shipped to St. Patrick's Orphanage in Prince Albert in the early 1900s. Her research brought to light what many did not know: that children of all ages were sent to Canada through "charities" to work as agricultural and domestic labourers. She highlighted and uncovered stories of individuals and families whose experiences had been lost to time.
Joan's love of learning about Saskatchewan history and, as importantly, her love of sharing stories came together to bring many stories of Saskatchewan to its citizens. In doing so, she demonstrated a deep belief in the importance of understanding the past to build a better future.
After a lengthy illness that she battled courageously, Joan passed away on July 13, 2026.
Through the legacy of her prolific and meticulous research, Joan continues to educate the public about Saskatchewan history in a way that makes an impact on all those who encounter her work.
This award recognizes Joan's remarkable contributions to bringing Saskatchewan history to life. Her research, her stories, and her dedication to uncovering the province's past remain a lasting part of Saskatchewan's historical record and continue to inspire those who learn from them.
Thank you, Joan, for everything you did to share Saskatchewan history with Saskatchewan people—and for the legacy of knowledge and stories you leave for future generations.
2026 Winner: Frank Korvemaker
Frank attributes his early interest in heritage to a life steeped in history and folklore. In 1954, as a child of new immigrants from Holland, Frank heard family stories told and retold again and again by his mother – some good, some bad; but all fascinating to him.
As a graduate of the University of Regina, Frank’s love of heritage eventually led him to apply for a Parks Canada summer internship at the National Historic site of Fort Lennox, SE of Montreal, and the rest, as they say, is history.
His interests eventually led him back to the west, and in 1979 he began working for Heritage Branch, Department of Culture and Recreation, at the government of Saskatchewan.
Frank was a frequent researcher at the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan when he was an architectural historian with Heritage Branch. He made a concerted effort to review all the photographs in the collections from beginning to end so that he could spot as many visual examples of heritage properties as possible. That kind of dedication to research is remarkable.
Later, Frank worked for the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan as an acquisitions archivist. This fit in well with his interest in preserving Saskatchewan's documentary heritage. He successfully transferred Heritage Branch's extensive photo slide collection to the Provincial Archives, where it became accessible to the public.
Today, Frank is an incredibly influential member of the Saskatchewan heritage community. He can be found researching, supporting, and promoting heritage almost every day of the week. He always goes above and beyond in his research, and his diligence is unmatched.
People who know Frank know him as an incredibly kind and conscientious person who is always willing to help tackle a difficult history question (or, more often than not, knows the answer off the top of his head).
Frank is well known for his concerted efforts to preserve historic buildings and sites. The Claybank Brick Plant and the Bell Barn at Indian Head are two outstanding examples of his tireless work in this area. His efforts to make these sites available for people to enjoy demonstrates his dedication to keeping history alive.Frank has written numerous articles and books, including Historic Architecture of Saskatchewan (1985) (principal photographer); Legacy of Stone: Saskatchewan's Stone Buildings (2008) and Legacy of Worship: Sacred Places in Rural Saskatchewan (2014) (the latter two with Margaret Hryniuk and Larry Easton). Legacy of Stone won Book of the Year at the 2009 Saskatchewan Book Awards.
Finally, we must mention Frank's long-standing expertise and keen interest in bricks. Employees of the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan still routinely receive questions from diverse members of the public either looking to get in touch with "the brick guy," "the construction historian," "the fellow who knows stone buildings," among many other names. All trace back to Frank due to his exceptional knowledge and consistent willingness to share with anyone interested. Frank has spent years, both during and after his professional career, making Saskatchewan history more accessible to the average Saskatchewanian.
Thank you, Frank, for going above and beyond for heritage in Saskatchewan.
Past Recipients of the Everett Baker Award
2024 Regina Mandolin Orchestra
2020 Kaley Evans; Friends of the St. Victor Petroglyphs; Les Oystryk
2017 Elder Cecile Blanke; Graham Guest; RIIS Commemorative Association Inc. and RIIS Media Project
2015 Adrian Paton (Inaugural Recipient)