Comments:
Below is a summary of the milestones in my career since graduation in May 1959;
May ’59 – Aug’ 06: Assistant Field Engineer with Texaco Exploration Co. In Cynthia, AB., (Drayton Valley Field)
Sept ’60 – Sept ’61: M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (Control Systems) at the U of S
Sept ’61- Sept ’64: Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (Control Systems and instrumentation), Case Institute of Technology, Cleveland Ohio.
Sept ’64 – June ’97: Assistant Associate and Professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering at the U of S.
Summer ’65: Research Engineer, Aviation Electric Ltd., Montreal, Quebec
Summer ’68: Research Engineer, Atomic Energy of Canada, Pinawa, Manitoba
July ’97 – Present – Professor Emeritus, Department of Mechanical Engineering at the U of S.
I taught undergraduate and graduate classes in system dynamics, control systems, instrumentation communications and engineering design.
My research and development activities involved graduate students, research professionals and technologists with a spectrum of industries but primarily in the agricultural and mining sectors.
I was honoured to have received the following awards:
1991: Government of Saskatchewan High Tech Entrepreneur Award for ‘Outstanding Contributions to the High Tech Community’
1992: CSAE Glen Downing Award for ‘Outstanding Contributions in Teaching, Research or Extension in the Area of Agricultural Machinery’
1998: Citation and Plaque from the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan for ‘Contributions to Mining Automation Research’
One of the most memorable years of my career was the sabbatical leave of 1977-78 which our family spent in Uppsala, Sweden. I was a ‘guest’ at JTI (abbreviation for Swedish Institute of Agricultural Engineering). Our three oldest daughters, then in their early teens, went to Swedish school and became quite fluent in Swedish by Christmas. We did some travelling and sightseeing in Scandinavian countries and some in Northern Europe. It was a great year for the family and not too ‘shabby’ technically.
In summary, I consider myself fortunate to have had the career I did. The undergraduate education received at the U of S opened doors which otherwise would not have been possible. A Saskatchewan farm background with associated work ethic, resourcefulness and practical outlook was a valuable asset which helped me throughout my career.
I am grateful to the U of S for providing a challenging environment in which I had the opportunity to serve for over 3 decades.
