Memorable Manitobans: Alfred John Wallis Alcock (1920-2009)

Physician.

Born at Winnipeg on 6 December 1920, son of Alfred and Ruth Alcock, he attended Grosvenor School, Robert H. Smith School, Kelvin High School, and United College. In 1940, he enrolled in the University of Manitoba Medical School, interrupting his studies after two years to enlist in the Armed Forces. He interned at the Winnipeg General Hospital and the Fort Osborne Military Hospital, graduating in 1945 as a general practitioner specializing in internal medicine. He took additional training at Brockville and Camp Borden then served at a medical facility in England. He returned to Canada in January 1946 and was again assigned to Fort Osborne.

He completed his military service in late 1946, then took three years of graduate studies at Liverpool, England. On his return to Canada in December 1949, he worked at Deer Lodge Hospital until the spring of 1951. He then worked in the Tuberculosis Service in Municipal Hospitals until being appointed Assistant Medical Director and was active in the treatment of polio victims during the 1950s. In 1955 he became Medical Director of the Municipal Hospitals, a position he held until his retirement in 1990.

He was instrumental in helping develop a home care program for respirator patients, setting the direction for the Municipal Hospitals, and lobbying the provincial government for the construction of the Riverview Health Centre to replace the aging King George Hospital and King Edward Hospital. In recognition of his exemplary community service, he received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977) and was inducted into the Order of the Buffalo Hunt (1990). He was a member of the Scientific Club of Winnipeg.

He died on 6 May 2009.

Sources:

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 9 May 2009.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 5 May 2021

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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