A new home for Delta’s history will have a historical name attached to it.
Delta’s new Cultural Centre will be named the Douglas J. Husband Discovery Centre after the former mayor, a lifelong Delta resident.
Delta council approved the name in an executive meeting last week and formally announced it at Monday's council meeting.
The former courthouse in the civic precinct is being renovated to become a cultural space to replace the now-closed Delta Museum, and with the facility nearing completion, this was a good opportunity for council to consider naming the facility, according to Mayor George Harvie.
“When you look at the history of former Mayor Doug Husband, it is pretty outstanding what he has done for this community over these many years,” said Harvie. “Doug has played a huge role in the heritage and the museum development, so I thought it was very fitting that we honour Doug for his lifetime contribution to the community of Delta.”
Harvie along with Judi Stene, deputy director of parks, recreation and culture visited with Husband last week. Although the former mayor is going through some health challenges according to Harvie, hearing the news of the centre being named in his honour really lifted his spirits.
“He was extremely happy along with his wife Maureen,” said Harvie. “It was something I felt made his day and his families’ day and it was so fitting that we were able to do that.”
Husband is a fourth generation Ladnerite and descendent of a Pybus pioneering family dating back to 1875. He, along with the support of Maureen, also from a pioneering family, emerged from his family’s agricultural footsteps to build his own legacy in local politics.
He was elected to council five times, including serving as Mayor from 1987 to 1990 addressing issues related to transportation, housing, agriculture and heritage in Delta.
A respected local voice, Husband was a steadfast advocate for a counter-flow traffic system to be installed at the George Massey Tunnel.
While serving on council, his deep agricultural roots helped him to assist the farming community in addressing issues such as the building of dikes and improving drainage and the water supply to farmers.
After leaving local politics, he was appointed to the National Parole Board in 1992 and his ongoing service to the community of Delta and the country has been relentless.
Last year he was named Delta’s Citizen of the Year by the Delta Chamber of Commerce.
Volunteer organizations that he has given countless hours too include: Delta Hospital, Little House Society, Delta Sport Development Centre, Delta Museum and Archives, Delta Police Board, Delta Hospice Foundation, BC Arbitration and Mediation Institute, and the National Parole Board of Canada. He is presently a member of the Delta Heritage Society and was a member of the Rotary Club of Ladner as a director.
In 2002, he was the recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for Community Service.
In 2012, Husband started writing the Community Comment column in the Delta Optimist and recently turned those columns that he wrote for five years into a book called Community Comments.
In the past two years, he has also spearheaded a fundraising campaign to secure an original oil canvas of Port Guichon, circa 1903 painted by world-renowned marine artist John Horton, which was donated to the Delta Museum and Heritage Society last November.
