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My Brother Fred Shumas, By Vi Smith (Co-founder and Past president of the Lebanese canadian society of BC)

My Brother Fred Shumas

Uncle Fred


A brother is a special friend.  Fred was very clever, he spent one week in Kindergarten, then he was put in Grade One.  He was an artist and would draw pictures of Tom Mix on his horse, mother would put these pictures on the kitchen wall and when I would get cross at him I would tear a leg off the horse.  He started drawing when he was 6 years old.  When he was around ten years old, he would walk to the Carnegie Library and bring home books; he was always interested in reading.  At a very young age he told me that paper was made from wood, I could hardly believe it.  He went to Sacred Heart School for one year, then to Seymour School, Templeton Junior High, and then to Vancouver Technical School.   He did many drawings and paintings which hung on the school walls.  He also did the Landing of the Romans which was a large sheet of paper about ten feet by four feet; he did it on the kitchen floor.  It was beautiful and very colourful.  It hung on the school wall for many years and they were in the process of redecorating the wall, they asked him if he wanted the painting.  He had it hanging in his recreation room for many years.  When was ready to graduate, the Principal phoned my mother and told her that Fred was university material and should have taken an Academic Course.  He then went to Britannia High School and received his Academic Diploma in a single year.  He then took his first year university at King Ed and went on to U.B.C.   While at UBC he tutored students in math at our home.


Fred graduated from UBC with his Bachelor of Applied Science on May l2, l944.  On Monday May l5th he was on the train going to Montreal, he had a job with Northern Electric.  Mother arranged for him to live with a very good friend of ours, Goldie Barrack.  He lived in Montreal for three years, while there he attended McGill and worked on his Masters Degree.  On his arrival back in Vancouver in l947 he instructed at UBC.  After receiving his Masters of Applied Science, he was hired by H.A. Simons (International) Ltd., where he was Manager of the Water and Wastewater Treatment, responsible for all water supply and effluent engineering including water intake.


Typical Project Responsibility included Pulp and Paper outfalls at Gold River, construction in Prince George, Skookumchuck, Crofton, all in B.C., Ticonderoga in New York, the Pas in Manitoba, outfall studies in Sitka, Alaska and in the Philippines.  Fred designed most of the pulp mills and dams in British Columbia.  He was a very modest man and never told us what he was doing. I looked up these projects on the papers printed by his Company.


1973-1986 H.A. SIMONS (INTERNATIONAL) LTD., VANCOUVER, B.C


Senior Consultant involved in an advisory level with Outfall, and Diffuser Systems in oceans, lakes, estuaries, and rivers; water intake systems; Foam trap tanks, Pumping stations, Water supply systems; Slurry pumping systems; Grit colletion systems; Frazil ice considerations; Hydraulic transients; Vibration analysis.


1957-72 H.A. SIMONS (INTERNATIONAL) LTD., VANCOUVER, B.C.


Manager of the water and wastewater treatment department responsible for all water supply and effluent disposal engineering including: water intake systems; outfalls, frazil ice considerations; dams; water wells; pumping stations; pipelines; water treatment plants; wastewater treatment; sludge handling; incineration; foam traps; and effluent disposal.


1953-57 H.A. SIMONS (INTERNATIONAL) LTD., VANCOUVER, B.C.


Design Engineer engaged in various hydraulic studies and designs including Fishways, Dams, Outfalls, Water Intake, Water Supply, and Effluent Disposal.


1952-53 Canadian Bechtel Co. Ltd., Vancouver, B.C.


Design Engineer involved in the design of Oil Pipelines, Booster Stations, Storage Tanks, and Unloading Dock Facilities for Trans Mountain Pipeline Co. Ltd., Vancouver, BC.


1947-51 University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.


Instructor involved in teaching courses in: Engineering problems, strength of materials, hydraulic and material testing.


PUBLICATIONS;


F.J. Shumas, “Chemicals in effluent Control:  The Efficiency, the Economics, the Future”, Canadian Pulp and Paper, June, l969.


Our son Michael received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Applied Science because of his respect and admiration for his Uncle Fred.  He remembers fondly being quizzed on challenging calculus problems that his uncle would pose.  Fred had an amazing mind, remembering in great detail the intricacies of Advanced Math and Physics a great many years after he first learned them.  He was held in high esteem.


Fred with his wife May Ray), joined the Lebanese Canadian society since its inception. (May is  the daughter of K.A.Ray who was the Lebanese Counsel in BC)


Fred died on October l2, 20l2, which was the 93rd anniversary of our parents’ wedding.                                       


                                                                                       By Violet (Shumas) Smith,


   One of the founders, and Past president of the Lebanese Canadian Society of British Columbia.


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