“EDMONTON – To colleagues, Peter McCracken was an inspiring leader and teacher who never failed to show off his great sense of humour.

He was known for keeping his students on the edge of their seats at lectures, even when discussing topics considered dry and boring.

To senior citizens, he was a kind and caring physician who went out of his way to treat them. Visits to patients’ homes were not out of the ordinary, and he even developed a tradition of taking the time on Christmas Day to visit them at their bedsides.

In Edmonton, and to countless doctors across Canada, McCracken was known simply as the father of the study of geriatrics.”

By Alicja Siekierska, Edmonton Journal

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I was delighted to see this article in the Edmonton Journal last week, as the physician described, the late Peter McCracken, was my uncle who passed away last month at the age of 68.

In one of the last conversations that I had with my uncle Pete, he asked me about my new job from his hospital bed. When I told him that I had recently begun working for the Alberta Council on Aging, his face lit up as he told me that working for seniors is crucial and important work.

Since he passed away, I’ve learned a great deal about my uncle, who I saw mostly as a cheerful, supportive uncle. Instead, I’ve discovered that he was an inspired teacher, a caring physician and passionate about his work.

Kristina Belyea,

Community Relations Assistant