Fred J. Stevenson

Frederick Joseph Stevenson (December 2, 1895 – January 5, 1928) was a Canadian bush pilot and aviation pioneer. Born in Parry Sound, Ontario, he moved with his family to Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1916 he joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and later serving in the British Royal Flying Corps he was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for destruction of enemy aircraft and observation balloons. After the war he became a commercial pilot for Western Canada Airways, most notably supporting mining development by flying 23 tons of cargo to a remote exploration site. Flying the material was less costly than packing it in overland, and helped establish the usefulness of aviation for the development of Canada's North.[1] He was killed in an airplane crash in the town of The Pas, Manitoba. From its opening in 1937 until the 1960s, the Winnipeg airport was named Stevenson Field.[2] Stevenson Lake and the Stevenson River in Manitoba are named after him.