By A.P. Crawford, CSP Periodical Editor and Production Manager (5×5@skipatrol.ca)
In April of this year the CSP learned of the passing of John Leu, CSP Life Member No. 15. John joined the CSP in 1958 and patrolled at Val Morin, having been a skier since he was very young. He was chosen as Laurentian Zone’s rookie of the year and became the patrol leader at Summit Sauvage where he patrolled for many years.
By 1962, John had become involved at the zone level beginning with statistics and shortly thereafter set up the national accident statistics program. Through a series of quirks of fate, John’s role at the national level in the late 1960s rapidly expanded to include working in both the training and finance portfolios. At the time, the CSP was close to insolvency and John was responsible for the first national fundraising campaign.
By 1971, John had moved to patrolling in Eastern Townships Zone and also became the national executive vice-president. He was elected to the board of directors in 1975, again at a time when the CSP was close to bankruptcy, and it was under his leadership that financial and funding policies were changed to a sustainable model. He resigned from that position to apply for the newly created position of executive director, and subsequently became the first to hold the joint position of president and CEO until his retirement in 2012. During his tenure as a paid officer of the CSP, John continued to serve many hours as a volunteer.
John was the recipient of CSP Life Member No. 15 and the CSP Lifesaving Award. He always said that the lifesaving award took first place.
Much of what is familiar to CSP members today is a result of the initiatives that John put in place during his tenure. At the time of his retirement a celebratory video was created which can be accessed here.
This post is also available in: Français