INNOVATION May-June 2019

L E T T E R S

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COLLEAGUE PAYS TRIBUTE TO PASSING OF “A GENTLEMAN” Robert F. (Bob) Gerath, P.Geo., FGC, FEC (Hon.), a longstanding Engineers and Geoscientists BC member and contributor, chose the spring equinox, March 21, 2019, to pass away

joined Thurber Engineering in 1976 as an Engineering Geoscientist, first in Victoria and then in Vancouver. Bob completed his career with his own firm, Qcd Geotechnics, before retiring in 2014. His consulting projects were varied and always interesting. His work with landslide hazards and risk assessment was well respected. Many of his colleagues, and a number of

Committee on which he served for many years. In 2003, Bob received the C.J. Westerman Memorial Award for excellence in geoscience. Bob was always a gentleman. His sense of humour and mischievous ways, combined with his sound practical knowledge, endeared him to many. He was a keen hiker, an avid reader, a scientific writer, an educator, and a passionate supporter of his profession. Bob is survived by his wife of almost 50 years, Tese, their two children, Guy and Tanya, and a grandson, Logan. Doug VanDine, P.Eng./P.Geo., FEC, FGC Victoria, BC

peacefully with his family by his side. Bob was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1944, and grew up in New England where he obtained an undergraduate degree in geography with a minor in geology. He then obtained an MSc degree in glacial geomorphology from McGill University in Montreal. He was introduced to western Canada in the mid-1970s, when he worked for the Alberta Hail Suppression Project. He

clients, became close friends. Bob was very active with the

association. For a short period, he worked on professional practice matters, assisting with the implementation of the Practice Review

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