INNOVATION November-December 2016

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Submit letters up to 300 words to the editor, at innovation@apeg.bc.ca. Letters are published as space is available. Opinions expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of APEGBC.

Former Port Manager Fred Spoke, P.Eng., Passes Fred Spoke, P.Eng., passed away peacefully on October 1, 2016. Born in 1920, Fred grew up in colonial Indonesia and in Holland. A member of the Dutch Underground during the Second World War, he escaped occupied Holland on foot, then served in the Dutch Army as an engineer officer in Surinam and later in the Dutch East Indies. Emigrating to Canada in 1951 with his wife and three children, he eventually settled in Vancouver. With his student days interrupted by the war, his qualifications as a cadet engineering officer were not recognised in Canada. He studied at night and, in 1959, qualified as a professional engineer in BC. He worked as an engineering draftsman on the Kitimat– Kemano Project, then for H.A. Simons, where he helped design pulp mills. In 1954, he became project engineer for BC Electric’s new Vancouver head office building, then the BC Engineering Building and the Burrard Thermal Generating Station. When BC Electric transitioned to BC Hydro, Fred was named senior project engineer for the Peace River Power Project. He later became design engineering director, then assistant construction manager of the Duncan, Mica, and High Arrow (now Keenleyside) dams on the Columbia River.

He returned to Holland in 1967, where he became the Port of Rotterdam’s deputy managing director in 1970. Four years later, he was back in Canada, serving as the Port of Vancouver’s manager until his retirement in 1983. His contributions there were significant: he pushed for the port’s autonomy, was a key player in the development of the Canada Ports Act , led development of the Vanterm and Lynnterm terminals, as well as expansion of the Roberts Bank terminal,

and promoted the port internationally. His was a long professional life, well-lived. — Robert Allan, P.Eng., FEC Vancouver, BC

Mission: Innovation As APEGBC’s official publication, Innovation aims to publish information that is of interest and relevance to the professions, is balanced, objective and impartial, affects the conduct of members, and showcases innovative engineering and geoscience work of members. A secondary aim is to provide a forum for the exchange of views among APEGBC members through the publication of letters to the editor.

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Walter Gage: Stories and Contributions Sought Walter Gage touched the lives of many former BC

Chemical · Civil · Construction · Electrical · Environmental · Industrial · Mechanical

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engineering and geoscience students as a math professor, dean of Inter-Faculty and Student Affairs, and later as president of UBC. A number of UBC alumni have joined together to develop a book project to recognise Dean Gage’s impact on students, faculty members, and staff at UBC. They are collecting stories, letters, and images to capture his story, and request contributions from those who worked or studied with him. The collection will lead to a book and a dedicated online website at waltergagebook.engineering.ubc.ca To participate or learn more, contact alumni@apsc.ubc.ca.

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