Stanley George Reynolds

Stan Reynolds, CM, was born in Wetaskiwin, Alberta on May 18th, 1923. His father, Ted Reynolds, "was a pilot "who had built a monoplane in the early 1920's. While in high school he worked at his father's garage after school, learning about cars and machinery. He also learned about airplanes and collecting, and these would become his life-long passions.

His fascination with airplanes prompted him to join the RCAF in 1942. He trained as a pilot and was posted to No. 410 'Night Fighter' Squadron flying Beaufighters and Mosquitos. After the war he returned to Wetaskiwin and built a three-car garage with his savings. He started his first business venture selling used cars which he repaired and painted himself, and he studied for his auto mechanic and welder's licences in 1946. He was 23 years old.

His used-car business grew rapidly - his motto was 'Stan Takes Anything in Trade' - and from 1948 to 1956 he was Alberta's top auto dealer, operating 13 lots. Wetaskiwin became known as a major automotive sales centre. He expanded his operations to include sales of new and used cars, trucks, farm machinery, industrial equipment, house trailers and airplanes. In 1953 he opened a new, spacious auto sales building on Highway 2 on the west side of the city, which is now known as 'The Auto Mile'. In 1954 he offered the first lifetime warranty on cars in Canada.

Reynolds was a perfectionist - everything he did turned out exceptionally well. As his business grew, he was able to pursue his interest in antique cars. His first, a 1911 Overland Touring car, was acquired as a trade-in which he decided to restore and keep. He saw that Alberta was losing an important part of its heritage when people discarded their old items in favour of new. In 1948 he began collecting, preserving and restoring antique cars in earnest, and in 1954 he expanded these interests to collecting antique tractors, steam engines, machinery and aircraft. Most of these appeared to be nothing more than junk, but he saw the possibility of restoring their beauty.

He never lost his passion for flying. In 1950 he received his pilot's licence with float and night endorsements and bought a Cessna 170. Needing a proper airstrip, he built the Wetaskiwin Airport in 1952 on his land west of his auto sales building. At the official opening he flew his 1940 Tiger Moth, putting on a display of aerobatics for the crowd of 7000. He kept the airstrip licenced and maintained until he transferred ownership to the City and County of Wetaskiwin in 1970.

Reynolds' interests were wide-ranging and his enthusiasm for exploring new ventures knew no bounds. In 1953 he incorporated Air Spray Ltd. for application of fertilizers and pesticides using two Stearman biplanes. That same year he formed Central Aviation Ltd. which ran a flying school and a training program for air cadets.

He was an avid sportsman. He enjoyed car racing, and in 1947 he won the Canadian Model T Ford racing championship in Calgary in a 1916 Ford that he had rebuilt. Whenever he could spare the time. he would fly into remote areas to hunt and fish.

He was keenly interested in Indian artifacts, which he began to collect in his early teens around his parent's farm, picking up arrow heads and other items. In 1965 he took an archaeological course with the University of Alberta and participated in the excavations at Peace Hills, just north of Wetaskiwin. He flew his airplane over the site and took photographs, then provided a bulldozer to restore the ground after the dig ended.

In the early 1950's Reynolds was known across North America for his extensive collecting activities through his advertisements. He used his airplanes to fly over areas where old, unused items were abandoned. When he found an interesting item, he would land and make an offer to the owner. On one of these forays, he located a derelict 1942 Hawker Hurricane which he acquired and restored to airworthy condition. This rare multi-million-dollar aircraft, now on display, conveys an important story about Canadian military history.

By 1955 he had built his own museum, the Reynolds Museum, to share with the public some of the extraordinary items he had collected. In just a few years, he had amassed almost unimaginable numbers: 2,000 cars, 1,100 tractors, 500 trucks, 200 steam engines, 300 threshing machines, 800 stationary engines, and 125 aircraft, as well as military artifacts, Indian artifacts and toys.

He kept meticulous records of his collection, detailing everything he knew about each item. He knew that his collection represented an important part of Alberta's social history as well as the technological progression of the machines that helped develop this province. Many of these articles would not exist today if he had not collected and preserved them.

In the early 1970's, Reynolds envisioned an even greater museum to be built in Wetaskiwin. In 1974 he offered his collection to the Province of Alberta and in 1981 he made his first substantial donation. Experts selected over 850 important artifacts which would become the foundation for a new facility to be built and operated by the Government of Alberta. Plans called for several theme areas: Transportation, Agriculture and Industry.

Reynolds said that his interest in collecting was not for investment but to ensure that future generations would have the opportunity to understand and appreciate how the development of our country, and Alberta in particular, was impacted by early machines. His donations ensured that these rare artifacts and the amazing stories they represent will be maintained for years to come.

The new museum opened in 1992 and was named the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in honour of the Reynolds family. Reynolds has given additional gifts over the years, such as his extensive library of original early catalogues, manuals, books, magazines, etc., and in 1999, made one of his most significant donations: 66 historic aircraft. This was the single largest private donation of vintage aircraft to a public institution in Canadian history. He continued to add to this collection which now totals 88 aircraft, second in size only to the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa.

Reynolds' acts of generosity go far beyond his donations to the province of Alberta. When Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame was moved from Edmonton to the new Reynolds-Alberta Museum in 1992, he supplied the trucks and staff needed for the move. He loaned several of his personal vintage aircraft to supplement the exhibits in the new Aviation Hangar. He absorbed the cost of restoring many machines for Reynolds-Alberta Museum, and supplied parts free of charge to them to assist them in the restoration of their artifacts.

Reynolds has served his community in many ways. He was an Alderman for the City of Wetaskiwin from 1952 to I960. He loaned planes and other artifacts to the Wetaskiwin High School. He loaned artifacts and antique cars for display during many events, and donated cars and other items to charitable organizations to be sold by them for their charitable purposes.

Reynolds was recognized for his many accomplishments and contributions to the citizens of Alberta and Canada. This is a partial listing:
1981 - Heritage Canada Foundation Community Services Award for preservation
1986 - Citizen of the Year Award from the Wetaskiwin Chamber of Commerce
1991 - Alberta Historical Foundation Award of Honour for Heritage Preservation
1992 - Government of Canada Lescarbot Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to regional cultural activities
1995 - Alberta Museums Association Contribution Award
1999 - Member of the Alberta Order of Excellence
2000 - Member of the Order of Canada, recognizing his lifetime achievements in heritage

Reynolds maintained his affiliation with many organizations, including the RCAF, the Legion, Chamber of Commerce, Alberta Museums Association, Antique Airplane Association, Guinea Pig Club, Historical Society of Alberta, Quarter Century Club. He continued to participate actively on the Reynolds-Alberta Museum's Advisory Board and in building and developing its collections. He went to work every day. He said he had too much to do and didn't think he would ever retire. Stan faithfully restored a Curtiss 'Canuck' (The Edmonton) formerly used by 'Wop' May in 1919. That aircraft now hangs in the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, Alberta. He died at Wetaskiwin, Alberta in 2012.

Stanley George Reynolds was inducted as a Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame at ceremonies held in Wetaskiwin on May 30, 2009.

Visit the Stan Reynolds Room, now open at the Reynolds Alberta Museum, a tribute to Stan Reynolds. Be sure and check it out!