Patrons of the Arts receive their long overdue due

It‘s probably a back door way of doing things, but finally after oh so many years the City of Prince Rupert is getting around to naming something after the iconic Peter Lester. And their choice probably couldn’t have been a better selection.

Focusing in on the love of the arts by Mary Lester, the Performing Arts Centre will undergo a name change on July 19th, when it becomes the Lester Centre of the Arts. During his lengthy tenure as mayor of Prince Rupert, Lester championed the need for a dedicated building for the arts in Prince Rupert, from the Capitol Theatre debate of old to the sparkling gem of a building on McBride of today, the issue of the Arts was always on the front burner when it came to the former mayor.

Mary Lester’s long involved in community activities justifies her inclusion and indeed provided the impetus for the renaming process and it’s without a doubt probably one of the easiest decisions ever made by a City Council in Prince Rupert.

The move was presented by Peggy Davenport of Volunteer Connections and championed at the Council level by Councilor Nelson Kinney. Noting that former mayor Lester never wanted to have anything local named after him, they found that by including Mrs. Lester in the naming process put him in the position of being unable to say no.

Sneaky, but effective and more power to the committee for their approach to honouring a couple that have given countless hours of devotion to the city. Many can argue about his politics while he was mayor, but without a doubt he was a major player on the local scene and should be recognized for his long standing contributions.

It just seems like the right thing to do and gives the credit due squarely where it belongs.
Below is the Daily News article on the celebration of the Arts and a most unique family in Prince Rupert.

PAC TO BE NAMED AFTER PETER AND MARY LESTER
By Sarah Fox
The Daily News
Friday, June 30, 2006
Page One

In honour of devoted Rupertites Peter and Mary Lester, the Prince Rupert Performing Arts Centre (PAC) is to be renamed the Lester Centre of the Arts.

A public celebration of the name change will be held at the PAC from 7 to 8:30 p. m., Wednesday, July 19.

“The celebration will be a dedication to Peter and Mary Lester, in their honour for what they’ve done for the City and all these years for the arts,” said Coun. Nelson Kinney who spearheaded the initiative to change the name of the PAC.

“They’re just wonderful and their whole lives have been devoted to the city, in the arts and everything.”

Peggy Davenport of Volunteer Connections first presented the idea to council. She said that after all these years nothing had been named after the Lester’s in recognition of their hard work and for Peter Lester being such an effective mayor for 36 years.

“He never wanted anything named after him in all these years as mayor so we got around it by having it named the Lester Centre of the Arts because May (his wife) was so involved, so he couldn’t say no,” she said.

Council voted unanimously on the decision to rename the PAC.

Both Peter and Mary have left their mark on the city of Prince Rupert in different ways.

“We’re naming the Centre after two individuals with the same last name that have both made a significant contribution to this community over the years,” said Davenport.

According to former North Coast MLA Bill Belsey, who was quoted in the Daily News September 17, 2003, during Peter’s time in public life, he was involved in building three important Prince Rupert structures: the Prince Rupert Hospital, the Performing Arts Centre and the Earl Mah Aquatic Centre.

He was also an integral part of making Prince Rupert the southern terminal of the Yellowhead Highway.

Peter was first elected mayor in 1957 after serving on City Council for two years. During his time as mayor Peter often lobbied the provincial government for funds to improve the quality of life in Prince Rupert.

In 1965, he successfully lobbied for the expansion of the Prince Rupert city limits to include the then new Watson Island Pulp Mill and once again in 1985 to include Ridley Island Coal Terminal.

Both of these industries brought in millions of dollars to the City allowing the long time mayor to spend money on building amenities such as parks; recreation facilities and the PAC.

In 2003, he received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal for his service to Prince Rupert and in 2004, he was appointed to the Order of British Columbia for his many years of service to the community.

Although he won awards and acclamations, Peter Lester will be remembered as the people’s mayor.

Never having owned a vehicle, Peter used to walk the one-kilometre stretch from his blue and white bungalow to City Hall, then to his business, Quadra Travel.

People would stop him in the streets, tell him their concerns and complaints and he’d write all of them down in his black book.

Mary Lester, who said she was “very honoured” to be having the PAC named after her and her husband, has also touched the city in various ways.

Her contribution to the arts has been significant, although she modestly wants to accept the honour of having the PAC renamed the Lester Centre on behalf of all the dedicated volunteers that help run the Centre.

“I’m very touched, but there area so many other people that should be recognized,” she said.

“The PAC is an expensive place to run and it relies on so many volunteers, but it’s an honour and we’re very touched.”

Mary was an active member of the Harbour Theatre board of directors since its beginning in 1981. She always found time to help with props and costumes in addition to her duties as a local actress.

She was the recipient of the Theatre B. C. Zone Award and, in the 1990’s helped start the Prince Rupert Children’s Acting Camp. She has also been a supportive patron of the Harbour Theatre for the last ten years.

For over 20 years, Mary helped provide Christmas entertainment for the residents of Acropolis Manor. With the help of the Hospital Auxiliary, May helped the Acropolis residents celebrate their birthdays with monthly parties. She spent time with the seniors, leading sing-alongs, calling bingo, telling jokes and visiting.

An active member of the Sons of Norway for over 30 years, she helped raise funds for the hospital and charitable organizations for the benefit of Prince Rupert.

She has also judged floats in the Seafest parades, and was on the board of the Prince Rupert Special Events Society.