Engineering Spotlight
Bob Waldron
Showcase of superior mettle
Reprinted with permission from
Ingenuity | Fall/Winter 2008
Sitting in his warehouse in Richmond, surrounded by recent wreckages under investigation, Dr. Bob Waldron takes a moment to reflect on his student days at UBC—but first can’t resist noting a pile of twisted metal that was once a helicopter. “After doing this work for so many years, I sure am careful as to what I fly in,” he says solemnly.
An expert on the forensics of helicopter and small-aircraft crashes, Waldron (Metallurgy BASc ’65 and PhD ’70) founded R. J. Waldron & Company, a Richmond-based consulting firm. He was awarded the prestigious Transport Canada Aviation Safety Award in 2003 for his contributions to aviation safety.
Now semi-retired and living in the Vancouver metro area, Waldron lives an enviable lifestyle as a result of his successful career, balancing golf and fitness with an active social life and a few consulting cases.
Recalling his days as a student, he credits both his university education and social life for his success.
“When I came to UBC and was unsure of my career path,” Waldron says, “I studied engineering because I didn’t know what else to do.”
He struggled financially as a student and was offered a free apartment at one time. It was there that he met the Honorable Donald (Don) Brenner, who is now B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice and a close friend of Waldron’s. Brenner, who was going to law school and flying for Canadian Airlines at the same time introduced Waldron to aviation and airplanes, and thus began Waldron’s lifelong passion for aviation safety, which has involved the investigation of hundreds of aircraft failures.
As the social coordinator of the Engineering Undergraduate Society in the early 1960s, Waldron was part of some of UBC’s wild parties, including an event at the Scottish Hall that caused him to be reprimanded by a smiling Walter Gage.
Sporting the grin of a good-hearted yet mischievous engineering student, Waldron also confirmed another UBC legend. He and his friends once created a master key that could open almost any UBC building. Waldron confirms that it was used responsibly, and that upon their graduation, it was destroyed.
“The key sure came in handy when I ran out of money and slept in the Civil Engineering building, but we destroyed it because we didn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands,” said Waldron.
When it came time to think about graduate school, Waldron did not have high enough grades to qualify, but he completed a special exam and was granted entry.
He went on to earn a PhD, and his career has taken him all over the world. For several years Waldron served as a member of the UBC Materials Engineering advisory council, and he is glad to still see some well-rounded, generalist students graduating from UBC—especially those who combine engineering training with commerce, because they are well-suited to the country’s largest employer, the small-business sector.
“The best thing my career has done is to introduce me to plenty of enjoyable, interesting people, many of whom we still enjoy seeing,” said Waldron, “and that all started at UBC.”
