Ilmar Pals, ALS was born on August
30, 1907 in Harku, Estonia, and passed away in Edmonton on April
25, 1997. He leaves four children: Anne Vali and Einari Pals of Estonia, Maia Mekk of Edmonton, Ann (Al)
Holtz of Vancouver; step- children Heidi Kass of Edmonton and
Vello Kass of Kansas; his grandchildren lurgen, Liina, Kaila,
Sander, Aleks, and Matthew, as well as other grandchildren and
great grandchildren. Mr. Pals also leaves one brother Raimond
(Lya) Pals of New Jersey. He was predeceased by his wife Lydia,
in 1983.
Following his early education in Estonia, Ilmar took his
technical training in Estonia, Finland, and Germany, graduating
in
1944
at Hanover, Germany with a degree in civil engineering.
After emigrating to Canada in
1950,
Ilmar worked in northern Ontario and in northern Saskatchewan
before settling in Alberta. He and his wife Lydia, lived in
Edmonton from
1953
to 1982,
when they moved to Spruce Grove.
Ilmar joined the staff of the Surveys Branch, Alberta Department
of Highways, in
1952
where he served articles under Albert Tonsoo, ALS. He received
his commission as an Alberta Land Surveyor in
1954
and worked as a district surveyor in central and northern
Alberta until his retirement from government in
1972.
He continued surveying in private practice for another ten
years.
Ilmar's experience in Europe, with geodetic survey networks, and
his enthusiastic discussion with his colleagues of the benefits
of coordinate systems, significantly contributed to the
implementation of the Alberta survey control program. Ilmar was
one of the early users of electronic measuring systems. He
applied the first commercial model of the
Tellurometer to a
survey control traverse network in the foothills of Alberta in
the mid 1960s. His penchant for accuracy is reflected both in
the field measurements and in the drafting style of the
registered plans of the many hundreds of miles of road surveys
bearing his name.
Ilmar remained in good health and enjoyed the family cabin,
first at Sandy Lake, and later at Lake Wabamum, gardening at his
Spruce Grove home and, especially, ice fishing. He was seriously
injured in a car accident on April 11,
1997
and died from complications on April 25,
1997.
