When Alfred “Alf” Alvin Hubbard was a youngster, his parents, Harry and Ada Hubbard, kept elk as pets on the family farm in what is now West Lethbridge. Perhaps that’s where young Alfred developed his appreciation for Alberta’s wildlife.

Born Oct. 22, 1920, the fifth child in the family, Alf knew the pleasures and hardships of farm life, helping with all aspects of the family’s operation. He pulled weeds from fields by hand, worked the summer night shift on the tractor, and helped haul water from the Oldman River in a horse-drawn, wooden water tank. These tasks helped Alf develop a work ethic that continued throughout his life.

He often bicycled to school over the High Level Bridge, and drove his father’s car by age 12. Alf served his country by enlisting in the Canadian Army in 1942, arriving in France a week after D-Day.

In 1949, Alf married Mary (Wilson) and with her raised three children: Linda, Kenneth and Phillip. The land they farmed contained the site of the original Fort Whoop-Up, upstream from the replica in Indian Battle Park.

Alf  also served his community as secretary-treasurer of the school board and president of the Coalhurst Home and School Association during his children’s tenure there. Alf was known for his sense of humor, which he used frequently to cheer up someone’s day with one of his many jokes.

In the 1980s, Alf developed an interest in taxidermy, a hobby that eventually grew to more than 100 wildlife specimens, including most mammals native to Alberta. His collection boasted grizzly, cougar, bison, bobcat, pronghorn, mountain goat, deer, wolf, black bear, badger, silver fox, lynx and several birds of prey. Alf built his collection in collaboration with local taxidermists, through auctions, and with examples from other collectors. Alf’s collection was significant to him, and he delighted in sharing it with everyone who visited his farm.

Eager to see his collection bring Albertans face to face with the wild things of their province, he offered his collection to Lethbridge College in 2004, on the provision that it be accessible to the public.

Alf’s legacy, then, is the Hubbard Collection, a highlight of the Cousins Building, Lethbridge College’s centre for the study of environmental science, which opened in 2007. It is for the enjoyment of all who find wonder in wildlife and recognize the need to protect our native species so that coming generations may also be filled with awe by its diversity.