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Gordon Olsson
(By
Ken Allred, on the occasion of the
presentation of the Professional Recognition Award to Gordon
Olsson, 1999)
- Personal:
Alberta Land Surveyor #352 recorded on his biographical
information form filed with the Association states that he was
born in Rossland, BC in, believe it or not - 1987.
I have it from a good source however, that he was actually born
in 1941.
Educational:
As a new graduate of SAlT and full of pee and vinegar, this
young surveyor sought adventure roaming the world, surveying in
Australia and New Zealand in order to meet some of his expenses.
Career:
Upon returning to Canada, he soon landed a position in Ottawa
with the Legal Surveys Division of the Department of Mines and
Technical Surveys, as it was then called. He also met his lovely
wife Sheila in Ottawa. Gordon Olsson rose up through the ranks
of legal surveys earning his DLS in
1968
and in
1972, after receiving his ALS, he
was appointed Regional Surveyor for Alberta.
As Regional Surveyor, Gord worked closely with the Department of
Indian Affairs in Western Canada. He researched some of the
natural boundary problems on the Belly River which forms a
boundary of the Blood Indian Reserve in Southern Alberta.
Gordon was instrumental in the initiation of a unique orthophoto
mapping of First Nations' lands in the early 1980s which led to
the development of one of the first spatial database GIS models
used for the cadastral management of Canada Lands. This
initiative brought significant recognition in the Geomatics
community. His work on land claims and self-government
activities with First Nations has earned him (and surveyors in
general) a high degree of respect from native leaders.
Professional:
Gord has always been an active member of the ALSA, serving on a
multitude of committees over the years. Gordon Olsson was one of
the driving forces behind the re-formatting of ALS News in
1977
from a typed, stapled series of pages, to the impressive typeset
version with the attractive layout and photographs that we now
take for granted. Gordon served as the first editor of the new
style ALS News from
1977
until
1979. (Actually, he was writer,
editor, graphic and paste-up artist, and publisher-all in one.)
His editorial aptitude assisted him as publisher of the third
edition of the Manual of Instructions for the Survey of Canada
Lands.
- Gord served on numerous ALSA
committees, Council from
1979-1981
and
1987-1990,
including a term as president in
1988-1989.
Gordon has also been active in the Canadian Institute of
Geomatics, was CISM Edmonton Branch Chairman in
1974,
and URISA, and has served on many national committees in the
federal Legal Surveys Division. He was instrumental in the
restructuring of Legal Surveys Division and the formation of the
Western Regional Operations Centre which consolidates all of the
operations of legal surveys for Western Canada in Edmonton.
Conclusion:
One thing that stands out about Gordon is his willingness to
face up to a challenge. Gordon is an avid tennis player, rock
climber, and skier. He plays hockey, soccer, and basketball -no
challenge is too great for him.
Similarly, when asked to take on a role in the ALSA or the
surveying community, Gordon is prepared to take on the most
daunting and sometimes, unrewarding tasks. He always produces a
product that goes beyond anyone's expectations.
-
- On the occasion of his retirement
from the federal government, honorary life member
Dunc Gillmore roasted Gord Olsson
as follows:
-
- Ladies and Gentlemen and guest of
honour, Gordie Olsson, hereafter referred to as the roastee:
I want to thank you for this opportunity to express some
thoughts on Gordie Olsson, Canada land surveying and the federal
government which, in the interests of being politically correct,
I would have had to otherwise refrain from saying.
First, I want to clear the air and lay to rest that old myth
that if you work for the federal government, it's a fairly easy
life. You come in late in the morning, have a few coffee breaks
and lunch, leave early in the afternoon and not really do much
of anything. I can personally vouch that this is not the case
because in
1959
and
1960, I actually did about six months
work for Legal Surveys while they had me employed for two years.
When the invitation to Gordie's retirement initially came out in
the mail, I glanced at the split line field notes on the left
hand side of the invitation and mistakenly assumed that if this
was a retirement party for Gordie, these were a copy of his
field notes. However, I later noticed that the line was run on
the 20th of October, 1908 and realized my mistake. This means
that between 1908 and
2001 (if
you'll just bear with me for a moment, they teach surveyors
calculus and trigonometry, but only about 50% of us can add and
subtract) would be 93 years. Assuming he was approximately 20
years old when he ran the line, this would make him 113 years
old today. And you only have to look at Gordie and the shape he
is in to realize he is probably two or three years younger than
that.
I haven't seen Gordie for a few years so the first thing I
noticed when I met him tonight is that his hair line is receding
a bit. I've always thought of it not so much as going bald, but
as a depleting natural resource. However, I've never actually
come out and said this because the last thing a senior wants is
a bunch of environmentalists in his hair. Basically, I don't
think Gordie has to worry because in one of the federal
government acts there is a section which says in effect "that
area so long covered as to wrest from it any vegetation or
growth or to mark a distance change on same, automatically
reverts to the Crown." So even though he has left the
Government, they may always own a small piece of him. How much
they will own will have to be computed by a Canada Lands
Surveyor, all of whom had to pass an exam.
I don't know how well Gordie ran his department but just as a
matter of interest, I noted that when Gordie started with the
federal government approximately 35 years ago, the federal debt
was 17.2 billion dollars and today it is 582 billion dollars.
Although at first I assumed it had nothing to do with him, I did
become suspicious when, this year, which is the year of his
retirement, the Government is showing its first ever surplus of
15 billion dollars.
I would like to congratulate Gordie on his 35 years of surveying
which has taken him all the way from transit and chain or tape
surveys right up to global positioning. I might add here that I
have never agreed with the name global positioning and have
always figured it would be something more suited to an
international prostitute than to a land surveyor.
In closing, I would like to say that I am certain that I speak
for everyone present this evening when I wish Gordie and Sheila
a happy and healthy retirement. Retirement isn't so much giving
up something old as it is a new beginning. It's a time to start
projects you have always wanted to do, but never had the time.
I'm sure both Gordie and Sheila will be very happy in the years
ahead.
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