The Old Timers Take It!
User Story
By Kim Scheie
With so many fond thoughts for all the people who have proudly worked for the City of Edmonton in my 30-year career (and counting), where do I start thanking all of our old timers? Many good men and women have contributed to the life we all take for granted in our fantastic city. We’re a city chock full of talented craftsmen, athletes, heroes, scientists, and parents. Such a humble group…I just want you to know lots of us notice, and we remember you!
My own journey with our civic brotherhood began with the now historical utilities company called Ed Tel (Edmonton Telephones Corporation) where I trained in maintenance and installation of copper wire – the guts of our telephone system today. The "gang" of men who mentored me included the original pioneers of our telecommunications, many of them originally pulling thousands of tons of underground copper phone wire by horse to hook up Edmonton to the world.
Later, in the 1990s, with the City on a mission for a total underground wire system, the Ed Tel gang set a frenzied pace! Ordinary guys like my dad Sid Scheie invented equipment on the fly that could locate broken wire, allowing the guys to dig more accurately and keep the pace. These same fine men improvised and retrofitted their own tools to pull and install the much smaller fiber optic cable of today, which by the way helped make Edmonton the first North American city to usher in such technology. Did you know we also pioneered the first cellular network? (Eat that cow town!) I know Sid did this for the betterment of our city and not for his wallet or ego. Now, at 86 years old, my dad still keeps the pace by proudly urban farming. I love this city and all its splendid people.
Sid’s quiet exuberance gives me such joy, and he makes me appreciate things we often all take for granted. Apropos, one day last winter while sharing ski adventure stories with my cousin and him, Sid again reminded me of our powerful past. My father used to love to tie on the boards and shush. Dad and Hugh were both all ears to hear about my recent skiing in the west of this great land, the 2 old timers listening intently about “revolutionary” skis. "Did you know we’ve got smart skis now? Electronic vibration control allows skiers to achieve a much smoother and faster ride by maintaining edge contact with the snow. How about that?"
As I told of the amazing capacity of these skis to generate and store electricity, my cousin’s expression brought me to a halt. After a long even stare, Cousin Hugh, slowly blinked twice and smiled. With a professor-like ramble he matched my story with one of his own. He helped develop this same technology in the 90s with a group of scientists from Edmonton. I was spellbound….what a city! So quiet, so talented – we are truly a blessed place.
