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.

1965: Dr. Ralph McManus, P.Eng., FCAE, FEC

ralph.mcmanus

Dr. Ralph McManus graduated from the University of Alberta in 1942 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. He earned his PhD in 1952 at the University of Illinois at Urbana.

In 1957 he entered full-time consulting and formed a company specializing in structures and bridges, T. Lamb, McManus & Associates, where he was resident principal in the firm. In 1959, he became the president of McManus Engineering Ltd. in Edmonton.

McManus has been a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Alberta (APEA; now The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta) since 1946 and was elected to council in 1957.

He served as Engineering Institute of Canada representative (1960-63) and University of Alberta engineering faculty council representative (1965-66). He was elected the Association’s vice-president (1964-65) and president (1965-66). He was subsequently awarded Honorary Life Membership and he received the Centennial Leadership Award in 1977.

He also served as Alberta director (1971-74), member of the executive (1974-75) and president of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (now Engineers Canada) from 1977-78. In 1981 he was made a fellow of the CanadianAcademy of Engineering and in 2009 he was named a fellow of Engineers Canada.

In addition, for several years he served as the technical representative for the University of Alberta on the Canadian Standards Association. McManus died in March 2012 at the age of 93.