Keith Walker:  

Long ago, in a galaxy far, far, away (McMasterville, QC) ... Interesting to reminise about times from 40 years ago. Actually quite strange since I tend to focus on the present and future aspects of my life, not the past. And I don't feel any different than I did when I was 18 years old (and, from the neck down, I really don't look any different!) So, in a nutshell, what's my story for the last four decades ... Some things remain the same, my wife Sue (Gibbons) and I started going out in December, 1970 in grade 9. We are still an "item", as much now as in Grade 9. Sue and I both went to Champlain College after RVR after which I continued into a Civil Engineering Technology co-op program which started my career in the consulting engineering fileld for 25 years in western Canada. Sue graduated from McGill with her BSC and works with special needs kids that are integrated into the public school system. In 1979 we temporarily moved to Edmonton for my last co-op year of my engineering education, returning to Montreal to finish up school in 1980. In 1980 we permanently moved to Calgary which has been home ever since. Despite the boom and bust cycle famous to Alberta, life has treated us very well indeed. Fortunately I have always loved the challenge of project type work. Every day has been a new challenge and opportunity, especially over the last decade with a 180 degree career change and a new company (more later). We have two children, now grown up and out on their own. Our son, Jason, was born in 1982. He lives in Calgary, graduated from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technolgy and is involved with freight logistics and planning with Canadian Pacific Railways. Our daughter, Kristen, was born in 1986, and is working with an environmental engineering/ remediation company, after graduating from the University of Calgary with her degree in Urban Planning. She really enjoys her career and has been fortunate to be working with a very progressive, growing enterprise in Calgary. As a family, skiing and snowboarding have always had an important place in our lives. Sue doesn't get out as often as she used to, but over the last two years, she has worked very hard on her fitness levels and is now in better shape at 56, than she has ever been at any age. I am very proud of her achievements and her new svelde figure. I still can blast down just about any mountain at warp 10, just need a little more time to recover after a hard weekend of skiing. Still love the moguls, although waist deep powder is a close second. Hopefully I will follow my Dad's footsteps in Montreal, who at 79 years old, often gets out to ski 3 or 4 days a week, as well as his annual ski trips to Europe and Western Canada. My mom, Barbara, passed away in 1997 after many hard years of coping with a devasting stroke, 17 years earlier. Sue's parents, Tom and Edith Gibbons, moved to Calgary from Chambly about 10 years ago. Despite a few body part replacements over the years (Tom's hips), they are doing well and we see them often, despite living at the opposite end of the city from us. Jason is an amazing snowboarder, who can board anywhere I can ski, including steep, narrow, gnarly mogul runs, glades, and anything that our usual Lake Louise, Kicking Horse or Fernie ski areas can challenge us with. Kristen is a terrific skiier, even though most of her attention to sports has been ...Expand for more