SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Friends and former colleagues gathered last weekend to remember a man who bore many titles: police sergeant, collector, historian, hunter and photographer, just to name a few.

Lorne Schollar died on January 23 at the age of 72. He was a member of the city's Heritage Committee, the NWT Mining Heritage Society, the Canadian Wildlife Federation and was actively involved in Yellowknife's annual Geoscience forum.

For this year's Heritage Week, which wrapped up last Sunday, Schollar had wanted to reopen the Wildcat Cafe - the famed Yellowknife eatery first opened in 1937 by Willie Wylie and Smokey Stout, and now a summertime tourist attraction that closes for the winter.

Friends felt it was only appropriate to hold his wake there. On Saturday, Feb. 13, they all met at the cafe to share stories about him.

"He fell in love with the North," said Brock (Rocky) Parsons. "With the RCMP he would travel 100 km by dog sled to meet Inuit people living in remote communities to make sure they were OK."

Originally from Craik, SK, he served with the RCMP from 1956 to 1982.

During that time, Schollar was stationed in Grise Fiord, Fort Liard, Yellowknife, and also in the Yukon.

Bill Saunders who worked for the RCMP in Pond Inlet communicated over the radio with Schollar for a year and-a-half.

"When we finally met it felt like we had known each other for a long time," said Saunders. "He was a hard working gentleman who never raised his voice."

Mayor Gordon Van Tighem also shared fond memories.

"We had an amazing friendship for 20 years," said Van Tighem. "If you wanted to have a successful hunting trip you brought Lorne."

Schollar guided many hunting trips at Point Lake Lodge. He was also known as an avid collector of things and a frequent visitor of "Tiffany's," otherwise known as the dump.

"He was a collector," said Walt Humphries. "And when he collected something, he collected it big."

Keith Thompson was an avid collector of bicycle parts to his wife's dismay. One day she made him go to the dump to finally get rid of them. The next day Schollar appeared at his doorstep with a grin on his face and said, "You won't believe what I've found for you."

In the early 1970s when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau visited the Nahanni River Schollar was hand-picked to escort him.

"He met Trudeau by canoe," said Parsons. "And the prime minister was quite impressed with him."

Although Schollar had many interesting stories, Humphries said he was unassuming and modest.

At the wake it was suggested the new salvage area be named in Schollar's memory. Something everyone agreed he would be OK with.

Schollar is predeceased by his wife Joan. He is survived by his daughter Geraldine, his grandchildren Colt and Cody, his son Dale, brothers Murray, Sterling, and Glen, his sister Velma, and in-laws Rose, Bob and Joe, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.