William Grosert Fowler, Dr.

William Grosert Fowler was born on February 10, 1886 at Teeswater, Bruce, Ontario, the second surviving child of William Grosert Fowler and Ellen Maria Hiscocks. He commonly went by the name Grosert.

Dr. Grosert Fowler graduated in medicine from the University of Toronto in 1907 at the age of 21 years. He began his career in Huntsville, Ontario. After two year, he was tied of the cold weather and he saw a C.P.R. poster showing two young people playing tennis on New Year's Day in Calgary, Alberta. He decided to move to enjoy the tropical weather of Calgary. He arrived at the Calgary rainway station with only 25 cents, and earned his first few dollars in Alberta by pulling some teeth for the Calgary hotel proprietor using a pair of pliers borrowed from the suffering patient.

While riding a one-horse buggy the horse was spooked by some coyotes and ran away, bouncing the Doctor out of the buggy. He badly broke his ankle when it got caught in a badger hole and he was taken to the Trochu hotel. It was ten days before another doctor reached Trochu and meanwhile Dr. Fowler's leg was so badly swollen it was impossible to set it properly with the result that he suffered from his ankle for the rest of his life.

In 1909 he opened a doctor's office in Irricana while his brother Bert opened a drugstore. Dr. Fowler married Pearl Edna Shier in 1911. They had dated during his university years in Toronto.

Both Bert and Dr. Fowler moved to Acme, Alberta in 1916 believing it had a great future on the C.P.R. rail line. Dr. Fowler set up small hospitals in the churches and schools in the surrounding districts during the terrible swine flu epidemic in the winter of 1918. At one time Dr. Fowler was the only doctor not stricken in the whole region, going without sleep for three days and nights without sleep.

Fire completely destroyed Bert's drugstore, Dr. Fowler's home and three other buildings on December 20, 1921.

Dr. Fowler served on the Acme village council many years and was mayor for several years. He was a member of the Acme Masonic Lodge for over 50 years.

Dr. Fowler and Pearl had three children:

Pearl Valerie Fowler

Edna Miriam Fowler

Robert Graham Fowler

Pearl Edna Shier died on August 5, 1964.

Dr. William Grosert Fowler died on March 29, 1969.

Pearl Valerie Fowler was a member of Canadian Girls in Training as a teenager in Acme. She followed in her father's footsteps and became a medical doctor. Pearl graduated from the University of Alberta in 1942. She married Murray Warren and they live in Edmonton, Alberta. They have two children:

Bill William Warren

Betty Anne Warren

Edna Fowler worked as a telephone operator at the Acme Telephone Exchange. She married Bob Graham of Coaldale, Alberta. He died and Edna sells real estate in Ottawa., Ontario. Edna and Bob had one son:

John Graham

SOURCES: Acme Memories, Acme and District Historical Society, 1979.

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