Former businessman and mayor of Estevan Gregg Trout died suddenly last Saturday in Regina at the age of 91.
Trout, who served as the chief officer for the City from 1968 to 1970, was also a long-time member of the Estevan Public School Board, serving as chairman for several years. He was also the first chairman of the Estevan Comprehensive School Board and was one of the instrumental figures behind the planning, development and construction of ECS which opened its doors in 1969.
Predeceased by his wife Gwenn, brother Allan and sister Elva, Trout is survived by his daughter Paula of Kelowna and grandchildren Karen and Andrea and great granddaughter Isabelle.
Trout was owner and manager of Trout Chev-Olds for many years, taking over the business from his father following his retirement.
He received an engineering degree from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and served in the Engineering Corps during the Second World War before returning home to the family business.
Those who knew him best in the community, point to his continuing interest in local social and political events as well as their regional, and national implications.
"One thing I can say emphatically is that Gregg Trout was a fair man, a very fair man, who could work through problems with a logical mind," said Art Matte who served as chairman of the Estevan Roman Catholic Separate School Board, the body that teamed up with the public and rural school divisions to enable ECS to be built.
"He also worked hard, behind the scenes, to get the Estevan National Exhibition Centre (now known as the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum) built and operating," said Matte.
Trout's engineering background and knowledge of the local area made him an instrumental member of the administration team at the Souris Basin Development Authority that was formed to steer the planning and construction of the Rafferty and Alameda Dams. He came out of retirement to add his skills to their endeavours.
"What I'll always remember about Gregg was the fact that if you held differing views, he respected your stance and your opinion," said Matte.
Trout was an active member of the Royal Canadian Legion and Matte said that he believed Trout had a lot to do with the design of the current Legion Hall, business offices and clubroom complex along Fourth Street, thanks to his engineering skills.
Current Mayor Gary St. Onge joined Matte in noting that Trout was "always a good person to chat with, because he was always interested in what was happening now and how it was being done.
"Whenever he'd come into City Hall, usually to pay a utility bill or property taxes or something like that, we'd inevitably end up talking about something to do with the city. He was always interested in how the city was doing," said St. Onge.
Matte said his working relationship with Trout probably peaked during the planning stages for the ECS .
"We finally got down to an agreement among the three school divisions and then the work started for the building, and he was one of the main contributors," said Matte.
Trout's run as mayor lasted for only one term as he was defeated at the polls by Ida Petterson, Estevan first female mayor who assumed office in 1971. His run with the public school board though, was more extensive having been elected from 1958 through to the 1970s before exiting that role a few years after ECS was built. The resource centre in ECS is named in his honour.
Funeral services will be conducted on Saturday, Oct. 2 from St. Paul's United Church in Estevan with Rev. John Ferrier officiating.
