The Military Museums

Writer and Author

Rob Alexander is a journalist, author, and historian. He grew up in Canmore, Alberta, steeped in the history of the Canadian West and the sights and sounds of a coal mining town. With an affinity for ruins and abandoned sites, he gravitated towards story and sense of place, leading him to explore and share the history and heritage of Western Canada and of the Bow Valley in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains.

He is the author of The History of Canmore. Rob also has a passion for military history. In 2014, the Canadian Community Newspaper Association recognized his story about his grandfather’s experience in Italy during the attack on Motta Montecorvino as Best Historical Story.

Rob lives in Calgary with his wife and daughter.

Founder And Director Of The Mural Project

Inspired by the death of her great-uncle in Italy during the Second World War, Karen Storwick has become passionate about the preservation of Canadian Military History, honouring Canadian veterans and raising awareness of their dedication and sacrifice.

As a freelance Historian, Fundraiser and Project Manager, she works both as a volunteer and on contract with the Military Museums in Calgary. She is the Founder and Director of the Mural of Honour at the Military Museums and, through the project, raised over $650,000 for the Museum. Karen tours the virtual Mural of Honour through classrooms each year to teach students about 200 hundred years of Canadian history and the importance of Remembrance.

As well as her work at the Museum, Karen belongs to a group of historians, both Canadian and European, working toward the common goal of commemorating unmarked battlefields in Europe. As a volunteer, she assists in the coordination of annual Veteran’s Pilgrimages and Commemorative Ceremonies in Italy, producing plaques and fundraising to cover costs for the monuments.

Since 2006 she has traveled with over 70 veterans and their families on these pilgrimages, coordinated 5 plaques and monuments honouring Canadians in Italy and partnered in the unveiling of 5 others with her Italian colleagues.

As an extension to the work she does in Italy, Karen has developed an educational study program and tour itinerary for athletic teams and school children to honour the personal stories of soldiers buried in Villanova and study the battlefields of the Italian Campaign.

In a continuing effort to preserve the experiences and memories of veterans, Karen has an ongoing Oral History project, having completed over 300 oral histories of Second World War, Korean War and Afghanistan war veterans that will be donated to the Museum archives for research.

In 2012 Karen was awarded the Veteran's Affairs Commendation Medal for her work in the development of the Mural of Honour and the preservation of Canadian history in Italy. In 2017 Karen was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (civil Division).

When not devoting her time to her interest in Military History, Karen immerses herself in her other passions; her family, her dogs and making music.

Content and Software Developer

Ian began his career as a geophysicist in seismic exploration and has been a web developer for many years.

In 2005, Ian met Karen Storwick after hearing about the Mural fundraising project for The Military Museums, and shortly thereafter purchased what turned out to be the 6th panel Karen sold. He dedicated this panel to his two great grand-uncles who served in the First World War.

After hearing about Karen’s ambitious plans for the interactive version of the Mural, he suggested that if she ever needed help on the project, he’d be willing to volunteer. That phone call came shortly afterwards, and in 2006, Ian took on the task as primary content and software developer for the Mural Project.

Along with other volunteers, Ian considered this opportunity to be a privilege to help preserve the memories of selfless sacrifice of so many veterans and service personnel who have served our country.

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