Harley Norman Hotchkiss

Harley Hotchkiss is a business and community leader who has made great contributions to health and sports development in Canada.

Harley Norman Hotchkiss was born in Tillsonburg, Ontario, in 1927. After World War II service in the Canadian Merchant Marine from 1944 to 1945, he graduated with high honours from Michigan State University in 1951 with a bachelor of science degree in geology. The same institution awarded him an Outstanding Alumni Award in 1989 and a Distinguished Hockey Alumnus Award in 1992. He received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Calgary and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1998.

Mr. Hotchkiss has worked as a geologist, manager, and president for several petroleum companies. He has also pursued business interests in oil and gas, real estate, agriculture and professional sports.

Harley Hotchkiss has played a major role in the development of professional and amateur sport in Canada. In 1980, he participated in purchasing the National Hockey League franchise that became the Calgary Flames Hockey Club. This led to the development of the International Hockey Centre for Excellence in Calgary through a commitment of $5 million by the Flames’ owners. In conjunction with Hockey Canada and the Canadian Olympic Team, the Centre for Excellence offers coaching clinics and videos, research in hockey development and sports injuries, and athletic scholarships to Canadian universities. His long-standing services a chair of the National Hockey League’s board of governors, has made him a strong supporter of Canadian NHL teams in smaller-market cities.

Mr. Hotchkiss has also made great contributions to the health sector as a volunteer. At a time when Alberta’s health system was undergoing tremendous change, his leadership and dedication helped raise awareness of the many exciting health initiatives occurring in Calgary, and focused attention on positive outcomes.

From 1994-97, he co-chaired the Partners in Health Campaign, a $50-million fundraising project to support health-related initiatives in the Calgary area. There were numerous challenges during the campaign, including the reorganization of the health system into regional health authorities, an initially slow economy, and competition from many other fundraising initiatives. Despite these obstacles, the campaign reached its target in less than three years. Funding from Partners in Health supported the development of the first intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging centre in Canada, helped attract world-class researchers and clinicians to Alberta, and bought state-of-the-art medical equipment that has enhanced health care for Albertans.

He is a member of the Foothills Hospital Development Council and a former chair of the Foothills Provincial General Hospital Board of Management.

Harley Hotchkiss is also a member of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta, the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and Petroleum, the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, the American Association of Geologists, the Geological Association of Canada, the Society of Petroleum Engineers of the American Institute of Metallurgical Engineers, the Calgary Petroleum Club, the Ranchmen’s Club, and the Griffiths Island Club.

His volunteer commitments have included the United Way, Calgary Family Service Bureau, the Alberta Paraplegic Association, the Independent Petroleum Association of Canada, and the Michigan State University Foundation Board. He served as governor and vice-chair of the Banff Centre, chair of the Manning Awards Selection Committee and as a governor and chair of the Alberta Governors of the Olympic Trust of Canada.