Head and shoulders image of Dr. Reuben J. Mapletoft, professor of Herd Medicine and Theriogenology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM).

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Reuben J. Mapletoft was born on the Little Pipestone Ranch near Fort Pitt, Saskatchewan. His father, Edgar E. Mapletoft, was among the earliest importers of Simmental cattle in Canada. Dr. Mapletoft received his DVM from the University of Guelph before interning at the University of Saskatchewan in 1967-1968 – the first student to intern at the college. In 1970 Dr. Mapletoft accepted a position in Reproduction at the Veterinary School at Onderstepoort in Pretoria, South Africa, where he worked for three years. He went on to obtain his MS (1975) and PhD (1977) at the University of Wisconsin, and returned to the WCVM as a professor in the Department of Clinical Studies. He became head of the Department of Herd Medicine and Theriogeneology in 1998, and in 2002 he became a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry (Bioniche). Dr. Mapletoft was awarded an earned Doctor of Science degree in Large Animal Clinical Sciences in 2005.

Bio/Historical Note: Edgar Ewart Mapletoft was born 7 October 1920 in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. His father and uncle homesteaded in the Fort Pitt District, just north of Lloydminster, on the north side of the North Saskatchewan River, in 1911. Mapletoft grew up and remained in the Fort Pitt district all his life. He earned a diploma in 1941 from the School of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan. Mapletoft was an authority on Simmental cattle, first importing the breed to Canada in 1969 and was a successful breeder for several years. In 1983 he was given the Golden Book Award by the World Simmental Federation. Mapletoft was also passionate about history of the region he lived, especially the Fort Pitt, Frenchman’s Butte and Onion Lake areas, the First Nations, the Métis and the Northwest Rebellion. Mapletoft always had a strong interest in Indigenous heritage, especially as it applied to the history of the Northwest. He tape-recorded interviews with elders of the Onion Lake First Nation who were children at the time of the North-West Resistance. His involvement with the Onion Lake First Nation ultimately led to his becoming an honourary chief. Mapletoft died on 1 April 2006.