Taking Legacy into Action: The Bodner and Wachowich Endowment Fund

Left-to-right: Allan H. Wachowich, C.M., A.O.E., KC, ‘58 LLB, ‘10 LLD (Honorary); Edward Wachowich, KC, ‘54 LLB; Edward Wachowich, KC; Harvey Bodner, KC, ‘52 LLB

The legal community in Alberta has long been built on a foundation of honest work, humility, and an unshakeable commitment to community service. This spirit is embodied across generations by the Bodner and the Wachowich families.

With deep, multi-generational connections to the province and the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, these two families have recently joined forces to establish a meaningful new legacy: the Bodner and Wachowich Endowment Fund.

Guided by Chereda Bodner, ‘83 LLB and Jim Wachowich, ‘85 LLB, this shared family fundraising initiative has mobilized an extraordinary collective giving effort, raising more than $75,000 in less than a year. The new endowed award is designed to support Juris Doctor students starting in the upcoming 2026/27 academic year, focusing on those with satisfactory academic standing and demonstrated financial need, with a special preference for students showing strong leadership, community engagement, volunteerism, and extracurricular involvement.

More than just a financial resource, the award is a living tribute designed to honour three pillars of the Alberta legal landscape: Harvey Bodner, KC, ‘52 LLB, Edward Wachowich, KC, ‘54 LLB, and Allan H. Wachowich, C.M., A.O.E., KC, ‘58 LLB, ‘10 LLD (Honorary).

While Harvey passed away in 2007 and Edward in 2012, Allan continues to celebrate his family's enduring legacy alongside them — making this a gift both in loving memory of and in proud honour of their collective impact.

From Humble Beginnings to the Halls of Justice

To understand the impact of these three men, one must look back to the rural Alberta communities that shaped them. Their roots trace to places like Mundare and Opal, Alberta, where the challenges of recent arrival, the Great Depression, and the Second World War forged a generation defined by resilience and humility.

"When my paternal grandfather came to Mundare from Russia and married my grandmother whose parents were immigrants from the Ukraine, they were as poor as poor can be," recalls Chereda, daughter of Harvey.
Her grandfather worked tireless hours running an array of local businesses, including a barber shop, a bowling alley, and a confectionery shop. Despite their own lack of formal higher education, they had an unwavering vision for their children to go to obtain a post secondary education.

When Harvey made his way to Edmonton to attend the University of Alberta, the family networks were already tightly knit. Chereda’s grandmother and Jim’s grandmother were affectionately known as the “Stepchuk sisters”. Upon arriving in the city, Harvey lived in the home of his aunt, Jim’s grandmother.
Interestingly, the path to a distinguished legal career wasn't a straight line for either Harvey or Edward.

Harvey initially enrolled in the sciences.

"Which was funny because he didn’t have a scientific bone in his body," Chereda says with a laugh.
"He decided the sciences were not for him and unbeknownst to his family, dropped out the first year and was working at The Bay. When my grandfather found out, he marched into town and told him, ‘You are going back to school right away.’ And so he did, enrolling in Arts and ending up in law school.”

A remarkably similar, serendipitous twist of fate occurred for Edward. Edward grew up in Opal, moved to Edmonton and initially pursued engineering, followed by arts. One day, Edward connected with Harvey, and with one simple conversation, the course of Alberta's legal history was altered: “come to law school.”
As Jim notes, "Harvey opened the door for my dad to become who he was."

Shaping a Community by Example

The three men built reputation-defining careers across diverse areas of practice. Harvey navigated a mixed bag of corporate commercial law, foreclosures, and wills and estates. Edward ran a robust general practice, balancing criminal defence with detailed solicitor's work. He was ultimately appointed as a judge, culminating his career as the Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Alberta. Allan built his practice around insurance law, eventually embarking on a highly distinguished judicial career that culminated in serving as the Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta and receiving the Alberta Order of Excellence and the Order of Canada.

Yet, no matter how successful they became, they never forgot their history or the jobs that preceded their legal success.

"They were very connected to the fact that they had done other work and they weren’t always lawyers," Jim emphasizes.

"These are men who recognized the importance of public service and led by example. They didn’t tell us what to do, they showed us the way."

This deep-seated humility left an indelible mark on their children.

“My dad and Jim’s family came from very, very humble roots. They were humble people with a passion for the law," Chereda shares.

Harvey carried a profound, lifelong reverence for the core values of the profession.

"My dad genuinely loved the law,” adds Chereda.

“He loved mentoring young lawyers. He would sit with a gaggle of young lawyers and talk to them about ethics and responsibility. If he didn’t think something was right, he would always articulate it and suggest a better path."

A Shared Vision for the Future

Decades after Harvey, Edward, and Allan first walked the campus halls, their families are ensuring that the door remains wide open for others who share that same determination, integrity, and community spirit. For both Chereda and Jim, the University of Alberta remains the place where vital community connections are forged.

"So much of what I have and who I am is credited to the University of Alberta," Jim explains.
"Post-secondary education and the experiences people have there is a crucible for so many people’s personalities. Law seems to bring students together as a group. It’s not just a school; it’s being part of a community. Universities are important institutions in our community, and this is our family’s small way of supporting that."

The families wanted to ensure that this new endowment removes barriers for students who show great character and community promise, rather than just rewarding the highest academic averages. They designed the criteria to mirror the real-life journeys of Harvey, Edward and Allan.
"It was important to us that this award go to someone who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford this," Chereda explains.

"They don’t have to be the smartest person in the room. Our dads were intelligent, but they weren’t at the top of their class. We wanted this help to go to people like them who needed a leg up and didn’t have anywhere else to get it."

Started in August of 2025, the rapid success of the family fundraising effort serves as a powerful testament to the impact of collective giving. It proves that a community of dedicated individuals can come together to create a large and lasting difference.

As Jim perfectly summarizes: "You don’t have to give millions of dollars, a smaller amount can be put to good use and help someone in need."

With the inaugural award set to be presented for the 2026/27 academic year, the legacies of Harvey Bodner, Edward Wachowich, and Allan Wachowich will continue to shape, guide, and inspire the next generation of humble, community-minded Alberta lawyers.