Prairie Rose, composed and written by Mary Mercer, with Biography of Mary Mercer Nightingale WI

              MARY MERCER
Mrs. Mercer , an Alberta resident since
1910, came to teach school in Strathmore in
1927. While Music Supervisor for the County
of Wheatland, she was asked by many teachers
for an Alberta song to add to their study of
the province . In late spring of 1969 while on
a trip to the little town of Rosebud, Mrs. Mercer's
" PRAIRIE ROSE" was conceived as she viewed
the blooming roses along the roadsides. Upon her
arrival she wrote out the words and music of the
chorus and taught it to the children that day.
Since its completion, " PRAIRIE ROSE" has been
used in all schools in the Wheatland County.
Since 1959 Mrs. Mercer has been with the
Audio Visual Branch of the Department of Educa­tion
as radio music teacher for the elementary
school program LISTEN AND SING. The broad­casts,
carried on a provincial network by the CBC
have shared " PRAIRIE ROSE" with singing young­sters
from the N. W. T. to Alberta's southerr
border. Students and teachers alike have de­lighted
in singing Mrs. Mercer's tribute tc
Alberta's floral emblem.
In 1928 the Albert Women's Institute, in con­junction
with the Department of Education, orig­inated
a project for choosing a floral emblen
for their province. They asked the Alberta schoo
children for their ideas and the children chose
the prairie rose so commonly seen growin;
wild in the fields and along the roadsides. Ii
1930 The Floral Emblem Act was passed giving
the ' Rosa acicularis' official status as Alberta*!
emblem.
Mrs. Mercer dedicates her " PRAIRIE ROSE'
to the Women's Institute and the senior citizen;
of Alberta.