EDMONTON — The name Grassland is familiar to many who reside in or pass through Athabasca County; located along Hwy 63, the main entry and exit to Fort McMurray, the hamlet is a common stop for travellers and is home to unique stories that make up the history of the region.
And as of Sept. 10, the name Grassland — and one of those unique stories — was put on the proverbial map after the University of Alberta (U of A) renamed their School of Dentistry to honour former resident and distinguished dentist Mike Petryk.
“I get a lump in my throat (over the naming),” said Mike during the renaming ceremony in Edmonton Sept. 10. “It’s overwhelming and I feel very proud.”
During the on-campus ceremony, Mike, wife Pat, and their children Bob and Susan made a donation of $10.3 million towards the newly renamed facility. The funds will help support dentistry research, student experiences, and increase access to pediatric dentistry.
“If there’s any way that we can help students to have a better life and be happy, that’s what we want because we’ve just had a fabulous life,” said Pat.
Paul Major, professor and chair of the School of Dentistry, said the Petryks’ contribution and others like it allow the university to continue providing pro bono dental care for underserved kids in Edmonton, as well as furthering improvements in care delivery.
“We’re really proud to have the Petryk name attached to our school,” said Major. “Mike Petryk’s focus was on providing high-quality care for his patients. It wasn’t about trying to make money.
“The patients come first, and serving the patients was his number one priority,” added Major.
A former U of A student himself, Mike graduated from the School of Dentistry in 1960, and he and Pat moved to Calgary one year later to open his own practice. He served the southern city with a smile for four decades before retiring from the profession at 69.
Over the years Mike cared for many individuals and their families, creating lasting connections through his practice. His most notable patient was famous country western singer Wilf Carter, who was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989.
Rural roots
In 1934, Ukrainian immigrants Anton and Mary Petryk welcomed their fourth child after settling on a 320-acre homestead along what is now Hwy 63 between Grassland and Atmore. Mike was the first Petryk child born in Canada — right inside their newly-built one-room house — to be followed by three younger siblings in later years.
“The running water was the creek nearby,” recalled Mike with a chuckle. “Dad always got up first in the morning to stoke up the stove. My brother and I slept together in the same bed to stay warm, and we studied by a coal oil lamp. I never used a telephone until I got to Edmonton.”
Son Bob Petryk recalled hearing stories of his father’s childhood in the Grassland area, memories of day-to-day living that highlight the stark differences nearly 100 years can make.
“When they wanted to listen to the news or any kind of entertainment, it was a radio,” said Bob in a Sept. 12 family interview with the Advocate. “They drove it or rode it on a horse to the Grassland gas station, charged it up, and brought it back.”
“That lasted for a week. They would sit around the radio and that was their contact with the world.”
Life on the homestead consisted of chores, but schoolwork offered an escape from the demands of physical labour, so Mike became invested in his scholarly pursuits. But the one-room schoolhouse was a five-kilometre journey from home on horseback, and at times, a treacherous one.
“During a blizzard we would just cover our faces, and the horse knew how to get home on his own,” recalled Mike. “He was as anxious to get there as we were.”
Over the course of his studies, Mike came to discover a passion for the sciences. He was interested in health in general, and was even accepted to both medical and dental programs at the U of A.
But after his own trip to the dentist — Dr. Gowda, as he recalls — to deal with a cavity, the career caught his fancy, and in the 1950’s he made the choice to pursue dentistry.
“He looked at both the occupations and said, ‘I think I’d have a better life in dentistry,’” Pat told the Advocate. “As it came to be, his (daughter is) in medicine and I think he picked the right thing,” she added with a chuckle.
A generational ripple effect
Mike would be the first in his family to attend post-secondary education; as was Pat, who was encouraged to pursue a degree by her father. The pair didn’t meet until they had both finished university at the U of A, but their independent steps towards better lives has made lasting impacts on their family and beyond.
“I didn’t even think not going to university was an option. It didn’t occur to me that you could not go,” said Bob. “A lot has been said about if even one parent goes to university, what impact (that has) on the probability of future generations going.”
Son Bob has a bachelor's, master's, and law degree, and daughter Susan attended medical school with a specialization in pediatrics.
All three of Mike’s younger siblings attended the U of A in his footsteps, and Pat’s younger sister was inspired to become one of the first women to complete the U of A’s dentistry program. Petryk cousins in subsequent generations have also decided to pursue the career, and all seven of Pat and Mike’s grandchildren have or are attending university.
And now, thanks to the Petryk family’s multi-million-dollar donation to the same program that catapulted his life far from his humble beginnings in Grassland, Mike and Pat will continue to make lasting impacts on the lives of Albertan children, students, and patients.
“It makes me feel good that I could give something back,” said Mike, holding back tears. “If it wasn’t for dentistry, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
