Lois Hole Statue

Photo credit - courtesy of St. Albert Public Library staff members

At St. Albert Public Library stands a bronze sculpture commemorating Lois Hole – businesswoman, author, community supporter, education advocate, and politician who was the 15th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. The city of St. Albert commissioned the statue and unveiled it at the city hall on May 14th, 2009, officially proclaimed Lois Hole Day. In the future, it will relocate to Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park.

The statue, titled A Legacy of ‘Love and Learning,’ depicts Hole sitting on a bench hugging a child who holds a book. According to sculptress Barbara Paterson, who is famous for her sculptures of the Famous Five in Calgary and Ottawa, the statue pays tribute to Hole’s love of children and learning and commemorates her as her nickname Queen of Hugs.

Lois Hole (1929-2005) was born in Buchanan, Saskatchewan, and at 19, moved to Edmonton, Alberta. Two years later, she met Ted Hole. After their wedding, the couple moved to a farm near St. Albert, where they ran a market garden that became Hole’s Greenhouses & Gardens Ltd, one of the largest retail greenhouse operations in western Canada. In 1993, at 64, she published Vegetable Favorites, followed by 15 more gardening books and an autobiography. She was an active community member, served as a trustee of various schools, and promoted educational initiatives, such as the Lois Hole Library Legacy program. In 2000, 71 years old Hole was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. She died while in office at the age of 76.

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