Head and shoulders of Wesley G. Bolstad, professor of Commerce.

Born in Meyronne, Saskatchewan, on 5 February 1930, Wesley Gustav Bolstad spent his early years in Moose Jaw before earning a B.Comm at the University of Saskatchewan in 1953. He joined the Saskatchewan civil service in the mid-1950s as a budget analyst. He took a paid leave to earn a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard before returning to Regina to work for Premier T.C. Douglas, and later Premier W.S. Lloyd. With the NDP out of office between 1964 and 1971, Bolstad taught public administration to university students in both Saskatoon and Regina and became the founding director and eventually dean of the School of Administration at what would become the University of Regina. Following the 1971 NDP return to power in the province, Allan Blakeney, the new premier, appointed Bolstad as cabinet secretary and later Deputy Premier. The 1970's saw rapid growth in all provincial governments and Bolstad became a mentor to hundreds of men and women who joined the Saskatchewan civil service during that decade. In 1980 Bolstad was named the first executive director of the Meewasin Valley Authority in Saskatoon. Under his leadership, the MVA moved rapidly to conserve land along the South Saskatchewan River that flows through the heart of Saskatoon, helping to create the beautiful green space that remains today for the enjoyment of all. With the return to power of the Saskatchewan NDP in 1991, Bolstad headed Premier Roy Romanow's transition team. Bolstad retired from the MVA in 1988. A endowment fund in Bolstad’s name supports work in the Meewasin Valley, and particularly the Meewasin Trail, in perpetuity. Bolstad died in 2008 in Saskatoon.