A special ceremony in Calgary honored Ralph Klein with the return of an Olympic brick to his family, celebrating his legacy.
Teresa Klein, his daughter, expressed how much this means to the family. She said, “He cared, he loved Albertans, he loved Calgarians…this is his home.” It’s a touching moment for them to keep this piece of history in Calgary.
Ralph Klein was the city’s 32nd mayor and played a key role during the 1988 Winter Olympics. The brick is part of a collection that once had over 33,000 inscribed bricks, each representing a piece of the community’s legacy.
Residents paid $19.88 for these bricks to commemorate the Olympics, and they were recently invited to reclaim them after a push to return them to the community. Initially, the city had said it couldn’t return the bricks due to plans for transforming Arts Commons and Olympic Plaza.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek presented the brick to Teresa, highlighting its importance. “These bricks are not merely mementoes; they are reminders of the immense contributions that your loved ones made to our city,” she said.
Plans are also in the works for a dedicated space to honor Klein’s legacy. Teresa reflected on this, saying, “An amazing legacy… it just carries on forever.” The ceremony also included a brick returned to Charlene Love, the widow of Rod Love, who was a chief of staff to Klein during his time as mayor and premier.
