Inspiring second chances and lifelong transformations

Published on January 21, 2025

As a kid, Ian Wallis struggled in school. He simply hated being cooped up in a classroom when he could be out exploring the banks of the Elbow River in Calgary where he grew up.

Ian going quadingHis love of the outdoors led to many adventures: skiing, ice climbing and canoeing. Although he tried to attend university, he had a difficult time homing in on what he wanted to study and dropped out twice after not finding the right fit.   

In his 30s, with a failed marriage and a drinking problem, Ian discovered the calling he was searching for on a fire tower near Valleyview and his whole world changed. After a few summers as a seasonal fire lookout – surrounded by nature, with only his dog and wildlife as company – Ian knew he had found his path. The first step was attaining sobriety (a state he maintained with great pride for more than 40 years). His next step was facing his biggest challenge: school. 

Ian enrolled in the Forestry Technology program at NAIT, having found his inspiration at last. He studied, worked and excelled both in the classroom and in the field, graduating in 1985. He loved his work, enjoying the freedom that being a forest officer gave him to make both a living and spend his life outdoors. When the subject of careers would come up with a new acquaintance, Ian was always happy to explain jokingly, "I'm in enforcement. If I catch a tree speeding, I can give it a ticket!" 

He knew early in life that he would not have children but after he retired from the Alberta Forest Service, he was sure he wanted to leave some sort of legacy. Drawing on his own experiences, Ian established an endowment for those studying in Forest Technology at NAIT. It was his wish that the scholarship be awarded to mature students looking to improve their lives and pursue a career in forestry as he had done. 

Ian’s wanderlust took him around the world. He died in November 2023 at the age of 78, shortly after returning from a European trip that ended in Greece, one of his all-time favorite places. 

The first Wallis Award will be disbursed in 2024/2025 academic year. As an endowment, it will be awarded annually in perpetuity.