Past-Presidents

APEGA has existed for more than 100 years, and for every year of its existence, there has been a president of Council to uphold the pillars that APEGA stands for: integrity, accountability, innovation, and service. Through the decades of change and growth, the men and women listed below led APEGA’s Council.

They have worked across the globe, from Mississippi to Venezuela, but all settled their talents here in Alberta. Each came from different walks of life, from serving in the Second World War, to teaching aeronautics, to instigating first-time overseas ventures. This incredible group of outstanding people made their mark on the world and helped make APEGA what it is today.

1931: R.S. (Russell) Trowsdale, P.Eng.

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A native of Crapaud, P.E.I., Russell Trowsdale attended Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown and was hired in 1904 by the Robb Engineering Company of Amherst, N.S.

In 1909 he moved west and engaged in power plant construction and later sales for the company's Calgary branch. Three years later he joined the Canadian General Electric Company in Calgary, working as a sales engineer. By 1933 he had advanced to the post of district manager for Calgary and eastern British Columbia, a position he held until retiring in 1951.

Trowsdale was elected to council of the Association of Professional Engineers of Alberta (APEA; now The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta) in 1922 and served the association for many years, including as representative on the faculty of engineering council at the University of Alberta. He was elected vice-president in 1924 and 1930 and president in 1931. He was subsequently awarded Honorary Life Membership.

Trowsdale served as chair of the Calgary branch of the Engineering Institute of Canada, president of the Calgary Downtown Kiwanis Club and was for many years on the board of governors of Mount   RoyalCollege. Widely known throughout the Canadian electrical industry, Trowsdale was also a member of the Canadian Electrical Association and of several Calgary business clubs. He passed away in 1966.