Carl Safran

Carl Safran B.Sc. MEd Ed.D. LL.D. (1917–2005) was Alberta's first school psychologist and began the Special Education system in the province. As the Chief Superintendent of the Calgary Board of Education, he helped to bring mentally challenged children into the public school system. He authored several educational textbooks and culture-induced intelligence tests that are still in use today. He was a guest lecturer at a variety of notable universities. He was married to the late Mercia Safran (née Weitzman) and is survived by his two daughters, Dr. Jaclyn Safran and Laura Safran.

Biography[edit]

A descendant of 13 generations of rabbis, Carl Safran was the second son of immigrant parents, Jacob and Etta (Belkin) Safran, who emigrated from Belarus to Calgary in 1912.^[1]

Having obtained a Bachelor of Science in 1941 from the Montana School of Mines (renamed Montana Tech of the University of Montana), Safran began his career as a mining engineer. When World War II broke out, Carl Safran served overseas with the Royal Canadian Engineers, rising to the rank of Captain (Canadian army and air force), as he led mine-clearing and bridge-building units in N.W. Europe.^[2] During that time, he discovered his passion for teaching while giving physics lessons to fellow soldiers.

Upon his return from the war, Safran enrolled at the University of Alberta, where he obtained his Master of Education. Upon completion of that degree, he enrolled at the University of Colorado, where he obtained a Doctorate in Education.^[3]

In 1972, Safran was appointed as the Chief Superintendent of the Calgary Board of Education. He helped develop Canada's first learning centre for children with mental and physical disabilities (Christine Meikle School).^[4] According to his widow, Mercia, her husband got a big kick out of the fact that, as a young boy, he had been kicked out of school for six weeks of truancy, yet later went on to become a superintendent.^[5]

On the day of Safran's death, the Chief Superintendent of schools, Brendan Croskery, requested that all Calgary Board of Education schools fly their Canadian flags at half mast. In his letter to the schools, Croskery referred to Safran as a highly respected pioneer in the field of educating children with special learning needs. According to Dr. Croskery, "Dr. Safran was not just a former Chief Superintendent of the Board of Education, but a man of extraordinary vision and compassion for some of the most vulnerable members of our society. Through these qualities he left an enduring legacy of excellence and hope that made him one of Alberta's great heroes of public education." ^[6]

Awards[edit]

Dr. Carl Safran Special Class School (1972), later renamed Dr. Carl Safran Centre. ^[7]
Alberta Premier's Award (1976)
Honorary Doctorate, University of Calgary (1978) ^[8]

Selected works[edit]

Safran, Carl (1968) Decision Making, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston Publishing
Safran, Carl (1969) Safran Student's Interest Inventory, Thomas Nelson & Sons, Ltd.

Sources[edit]

References[edit]

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[1] "Pioneer Families, JHSSA".

[2] "Military, JHSSA".

[3] "Family Histories, JHSSA".

[4] "Christine Meikle School".

[5] "Carl Safran, PressReader, Calgary Herald, 2017".

[6] "Dr. Brendan Croskery Motion to Approve Dr. Carl Safran Project, Calgary Board of Education, 2007" (PDF).

[7] "Dr. Carl Safran Centre".

[8] "University of Calgary Honorary Doctorates".

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