Kirker Endowment for Mental Health Research
James “Jimmy” Gilbert Kirker was a bright, sensitive and caring young man, with a love for books, photography and his family. Born in Montreal in 1967, Jimmy moved to Calgary with his family four years later and attended Strathcona Tweedsmuir School just south of the city. After high school, Jimmy enrolled at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, where he graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. He came back to Alberta to work as a reporter for the High River Times and later as an editor of the Chinook Arch.
Jimmy also suffered from depression, which led to his tragic passing on May 7, 1997, leaving behind his parents, Corinne and Merv Kirker, and brothers Douglas, Michael and Andrew. More than two decades later, Jimmy’s loss is still felt by his family and friends.
Towards the end of Merv’s life, the Kirker family set out to honour Jimmy and help others like him by establishing the Kirker Endowment in Mental Health Research, supporting the Mental Health Initiative for Stress and Trauma (MIST) at the University of Calgary.
Based out of the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, MIST is responding to the gaps in our understanding of mental health conditions to improving education and treatment.