St. Albert MLA Ken Allred took home two honours within the last two weeks from his chosen profession — surveying.
A registered surveyor by profession, Allred received a lifetime honorary membership in the Alberta Land Surveyors’ Association, of which he’s been a member for 45 years.
Lifetime membership is reserved for those who’ve given “signal service” to the organization, through serving on the board and being otherwise active in the profession, said Brian Munday, the association’s executive director.
“I can’t think of anyone who would exemplify signal service more than Ken,” Munday said. “When his name came up as a potential person for an honorary life membership, it was an easy decision.”
Allred served as the association’s registrar from 1977 to 1991 and was president in 2001/02. He’s also led seminars and written numerous articles, including chapters of two books: Survey Law in Canada and The Law and Practice of Land Surveying in Alberta.
Until 2008 he was vice-president of the International Federation of Surveyors, which also honoured him with a lifetime membership two weeks ago.
Alberta’s association has been around for 100 years, Munday said. During that time it has awarded only about 30 or 40 life memberships.
The association lured Allred to its annual general meeting in Jasper last Thursday. At a certain point during a tribute speech, Allred realized they were talking about him.
“They kind of connived to get me there,” he said. “It’s certainly a very distinct honour.”
Allred began his surveying career in the 1960s. He’s remained active as a consultant even since entering provincial politics in 2008. He said he enjoys the profession because of the variety it offers, from working outdoors to the legal aspects, problem solving and interacting with others.
“Going into the surveying profession is one of the best decisions I ever made,” he said.
