Stan Reynolds

Stanley George Reynolds (May 18, 1923 – February 9, 2012) was a businessman, collector, and aviation enthusiast. His contributions to the province of Alberta created the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin. During his life, Reynolds received many honours including a Heritage Canada Foundation Community Service Award in 1980 for heritage preservation, a Reilly Award from the Alberta Aviation Council in 1987, named Citizen of the Year by the Wetaskiwin Chamber of Commerce in 1986, inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 2009 and named to the Order of Canada in 1999.

Reynolds was born in Wetaskiwin in 1923. His father, Ted Reynolds, was a pilot and collector. Ted also operated a local garage where his son would work after school hours. In 1942, Stan Reynolds joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and served in Great Britain as a part of a night-fighter squadron. He became one of the youngest pilots to fly Beaufighters and Mosquitos.

In 1945 Reynolds was discharged from the air force and returned to Wetaskiwin. He started a business selling used cars and it became one of the most successful automotive dealerships in Alberta. Reynolds would repair and paint the cars himself and studied for his welder's and auto mechanic's licenses. From 1946 to 1958 he was Alberta's top auto dealer operating 13 lots. His efforts would eventually help in establishing the Wetaskiwin Auto Mile.

As the business grew, Reynolds expanded to sell new and used trucks, farm machinery, industrial equipment, house trailers, and airplanes.

Recognizing the growing importance of aviation and needing a place to land his plane, Reynolds built and operated the Wetaskiwin airport until he transferred the facility to the City and County of Wetaskiwin in 1969. Reynolds sold the airfield to the town for $29,875, less than half the market value. To avoid a plebiscite on the issue, Reynolds agreed to receive the money in five equal installments of $5,975.00 without interest. In return, he was given use in perpetuity of the airstrip and a taxi strip between the airfield and his property.

On July 13, 1970, the agreement was signed to transfer 52 acres of land, including the runway, to the city and county.

As Reynolds' business grew so did his enthusiasm for collecting. One of the slogan's of his business was 'Stan takes anything in trade' and Reynolds certainly did. His first acquisition was a 1911 Overland touring car that he acquired in a trade and decided not to sell.

Reynolds started noticing that many of the machines that helped built the province were gradually disappearing. Feeling that Alberta was losing a vital part of its heritage, Reynolds extended his collection to include tractors, steam engines and airplanes. Reynolds also kept detailed files on every piece he collected.

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