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BY Tara Madden
Public Relations Coordinator
When you think of volunteering for APEGGA, it could well
be our successful Outreach program that first comes to mind.
But there's another type of volunteering, one that's key to
APEGGA's self-regulatory function.
More than 300 volunteers work behind the scenes every year
at APEGGA on various committees, boards and task forces. Steve
Hrynew, P.Eng., is one of those dedicated volunteers. He has
served on the Edmonton District Meetings Committee, the University
of Alberta Student Liaison Committee and the Ballot Counting
Committee, and as a professional exams invigilator.
After graduating from the University of Alberta with a degree
in electrical engineering, Steve joined AGT (now TELUS) in
1958 and remained there until his retirement in 1993.
Why did you join APEGGA?
In 1960 when I joined, anyone who wanted to work at AGT as
an engineer had to be a member of APEGGA, but joining was
something I wanted to do on my own. At the time I was also
a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,
Inc.
Why did you decide to volunteer
with APEGGA?
AGT management, in particular Jim Barnes, P.Eng., Bob Taylor,
P.Eng., and Dennis Brooks, P.Eng., P.Geoph., were very supportive
of staff becoming involved in the community. Their example
made is easier for us to fall into the trap of volunteering.
What value do you receive from
being an APEGGA volunteer?
Volunteering is a way to share my work experiences and expertise
with my associates. I get a feeling of satisfaction working
with APEGGA staff on a volunteer basis. Over the years, APEGGA
has provided excellent service to its membership. I have been
able to use these services to keep communications channels
open with the engineering fraternity.
What are your other hobbies and
interest?
I maintain a hobby farm in the St. Michael area. It is the
farm that I was born and raised on, and I still use my father's
old open-air equipment. As an active member of the Edmonton
Antique Car Club, I own and operate a 1926 MacLaughlin Buick.
I also take pride in having been the editor of our district
history book, Pride in Progress, for the Alberta Rose Historical
Society.
Have you received an award or
special recognition that is important to you?
For several years I have worked as an invigilator for the
professional practice exams. When one of the candidates successfully
completes the exam and earns the right to practice, we all
feel successful.
Do you have a dream project, one
that you have worked on or would have liked to be involved
with?
I felt we were leading in the introduction of the digital
phone, but I didn't really get in on being a pioneer. However,
telemetering was something we did that not many other companies
got involved in. I worked for one of my supervisors, Dr. Lansing
Lee, in a division called corporate policies. He used to write
papers for the Teletraffic Congress, of course he wrote in
English, but thought in Chinese. I had to take his papers
and condense them into two pages. I had a tough time because
I didn't always understand his traffic theory. That was a
very interesting job, because you had to interface with engineers
all over the world to coordinate these papers.
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