INNOVATION July-August 2013

fea t ure s

Two Neighbours Share a Profession and a Lasting Friendship

Steve Hall, P.Eng. (left), met Ed Richardson, P.Eng., when his family moved next door in 1965.

Jean Sorensen

C ivil engineers are often known for building enduring structures such as bridges, buildings, dams, towns, and highways. But, one West Vancouver professional engi- neer, Ed Richardson—now 103 years old—has been instrumen- tal in building a life-long relationship with a neighbour that inspired a career. “I was six when we moved next door to Ed,” says Steve Hall, P.Eng. The Hall family bought the house in 1965 starting a friendship that would span nearly five decades. “Ed was consult- ing from his home when my family moved in next door. Ed, who was Mr. Richardson to me back then, retired nine years later in 1974, at age 65, when I was 15.” Hall’s father, in furniture sales, became a fast friend of Richardson, who had taken up woodworking as a hobby. Damaged furniture, rejected by customers, ended up in Richardson’s workshop. Together the pair also undertook various home projects at their West Vancouver properties. “We were a good team,” said Richardson, speaking of Hall’s father. “He had a lot of good ideas.” Richardson, with an engineer’s mind, was the one who would figure out how to get the job done.

It was this special ability to close the gap between concept and reality that first attracted the younger Hall to engineering as he tagged along, listening to their conversation and stories. Over the years, that intrigue only deepened. “It was his ability to solve problems,” recalls Hall. Richardson would sketch out a diagram and then create a plan showing how to achieve a project. “He was always so logical in his think- ing.” Hall’s father, on the other hand, was a great salesman, who could promote and move goods. “My father wanted me to go into sales with him,” tells Hall. But, he admits: “I couldn’t sell anything, I was too factual.” Instead, he was drawn more and more to Richardson’s stories of working in rural BC, overcoming challenges, creating structures, and the satisfaction of leaving something behind that would serve a community. When it came a time to choose a career, he chose civil engi- neering, entering the University of British Columbia (UBC) for the five-year program in 1977. “In some ways,” tells Hall, “Ed was an advisor to me.” University didn’t exactly pan out as expected. The first year, Hall commuted from West Vancouver to campus, but then decided to move to residence. He had problems adjusting

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