Founder And Director Of The Mural Project

Inspired by the death of her great-uncle in Italy during the Second World War, Karen Storwick has become passionate about the preservation of Canadian Military History, honouring Canadian veterans and raising awareness of their dedication and sacrifice.

As a freelance Historian, Fundraiser and Project Manager, she works both as a volunteer and on contract with the Military Museums in Calgary. She is the Founder and Director of the Mural of Honour at the Military Museums and, through the project, raised over $650,000 for the Museum. Karen tours the virtual Mural of Honour through classrooms each year to teach students about 200 hundred years of Canadian history and the importance of Remembrance.

As well as her work at the Museum, Karen belongs to a group of historians, both Canadian and European, working toward the common goal of commemorating unmarked battlefields in Europe. As a volunteer, she assists in the coordination of annual Veteran’s Pilgrimages and Commemorative Ceremonies in Italy, producing plaques and fundraising to cover costs for the monuments.

Since 2006 she has traveled with over 70 veterans and their families on these pilgrimages, coordinated 5 plaques and monuments honouring Canadians in Italy and partnered in the unveiling of 5 others with her Italian colleagues.

As an extension to the work she does in Italy, Karen has developed an educational study program and tour itinerary for athletic teams and school children to honour the personal stories of soldiers buried in Villanova and study the battlefields of the Italian Campaign.

In a continuing effort to preserve the experiences and memories of veterans, Karen has an ongoing Oral History project, having completed over 300 oral histories of Second World War, Korean War and Afghanistan war veterans that will be donated to the Museum archives for research.

In 2012 Karen was awarded the Veteran's Affairs Commendation Medal for her work in the development of the Mural of Honour and the preservation of Canadian history in Italy. In 2017 Karen was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (civil Division).

When not devoting her time to her interest in Military History, Karen immerses herself in her other passions; her family, her dogs and making music.

Content and Software Developer

Ian began his career as a geophysicist in seismic exploration and has been a web developer for many years.

In 2005, Ian met Karen Storwick after hearing about the Mural fundraising project for The Military Museums, and shortly thereafter purchased what turned out to be the 6th panel Karen sold. He dedicated this panel to his two great grand-uncles who served in the First World War.

After hearing about Karen’s ambitious plans for the interactive version of the Mural, he suggested that if she ever needed help on the project, he’d be willing to volunteer. That phone call came shortly afterwards, and in 2006, Ian took on the task as primary content and software developer for the Mural Project.

Along with other volunteers, Ian considered this opportunity to be a privilege to help preserve the memories of selfless sacrifice of so many veterans and service personnel who have served our country.

Writer and Author

Rob Alexander is a journalist, author, and historian. He grew up in Canmore, Alberta, steeped in the history of the Canadian West and the sights and sounds of a coal mining town. With an affinity for ruins and abandoned sites, he gravitated towards story and sense of place, leading him to explore and share the history and heritage of Western Canada and of the Bow Valley in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains.

He is the author of The History of Canmore. Rob also has a passion for military history. In 2014, the Canadian Community Newspaper Association recognized his story about his grandfather’s experience in Italy during the attack on Motta Montecorvino as Best Historical Story.

Rob lives in Calgary with his wife and daughter.

Content Management

Marg was born and raised in London, Ontario and has lived there all of her life. Like most of the young girls at that time, she started work at London Life Insurance Company, intending to stay “just a year for experience”. Marg retired in 2006 after 42+ years; half of that time spent as an Executive Assistant – a role she thoroughly enjoyed.

Marg’s father, Albert Dorey, was a wireless operator/air gunner with the 431 Squadron of Bomber Command. He was KIA near the end of the Second World War. Marg’s Mother never talked about him and it wasn’t until her death in 1994 when Marg found a number of items related to her father, that her interest in the Air Force began to grow. Early in her marriage, and with her husband's encouragement, Marg visited his grave at the Becklingen War Cemetery in Germany while on a trip to Belgium in 1969.

By chance, Marg happened to see a tiny advertisement for a battlefield tour in November 2005 and jumped at the chance to go again. As it turned out, Ian Watson was also on that tour and in conversation, he mentioned the Bomber Command Memorial in Nanton, Alberta. He also mentioned the Mural project at The Military Museums in Calgary.

During her first trip to Calgary, Marg visited The Military Museums and became intrigued by the Mural. Marg has since sponsored two panels, one of which is in memory of her Father and the rest of the Lancaster crew that perished.

Proof reading had always been a great part of Marg’s work as an executive assistant and so she volunteered to help. The rest, as they say, is history. Marg became a full time volunteer with the Mural Project in 2008.

When Marg retired in 2006, she also started a project to build a database of all 431 Squadron members that had fallen and photograph their grave markers to submit to Veterans Affairs for their Virtual War Memorial. When she realized that there was a fallen soldier from London, Ontario also buried in Becklingen War Cemetery in Germany whose grave marker had not been photographed, the project changed course to cover all those buried in Belgium, northern France, southern Netherlands and a couple of cemeteries in Germany that were on the way to Becklingen.

Marg and her late husband traveled many times over the years to Belgium and she has become very comfortable there. Since then, she has taken thousands of photographs of grave markers which have been submitted to the Virtual War Memorial.

In addition to traveling and photography, Marg is also an accomplished and enthusiastic ballroom dancer.

Proof-Reader

Steven’s professional career spanned over 30 years in the Oil and Gas sector as a Geological Technologist working both domestically and internationally. Steven’s retirement in January 2017 afforded him the opportunity to pursue his lifelong interest in military history.

In the fall of 2018, Steven met Karen Storwick on a guided tour of Canadian WW1 and WW2 battlefields in Northern France and Belgium. Karen had a need for someone to catalogue her mentor’s expansive collection of audio/visual and written materials. Data management was one of Steven’s primary skills during his work career. Steven was happy to get involved in this project and subsequently Karen offered the opportunity to be a Proof-Reader for the Mural Project.

Steven has seen this as an opportunity to honour the men and women who have served our country in war and peace. In addition to aiding Karen S. with her numerous projects, Steven volunteers with the Field of Crosses and with the Calgary Mosquito Society to restore the Mosquito aircraft located at the Nanton Air Museum. Steven’s other pursuits include cycling, general fitness and walking his dog Kobe.

Steven lives in Calgary with his wife Shirley and have 2 grown children.