I’m a better person personally and professionally because of him

Eulogy from Steve.Tritchew, friend and co-worker.

I first met Lawrence at McMaster University in 1978, where we were part of a small group of 2^nd year students in the Engineering Physics stream.  We both became interested in optics and lasers, and ultimately a lot of other areas in engineering also.   He was smart and humble, and had a remarkable gift of energy and perseverance.  In university, most of us goofed off a fair bit.  Not active fun, just doing a lot of nothing.  Lawrence seemed to do very little of that.  For him it was active fun, studying or work, to an amazing degree.  At university he also honed his renowned capability to apparently sleep with his head upright and unsupported.  I say apparently because as many people at Wescam discovered, when he did this he was really multitasking:  somehow he could rest and listen at the same time, bursting back to full consciousness when he wanted to speak up.

 I joined Spar Aerospace in 1985 where Lawrence was already working. It seemed like it would be interesting work and a good friend was there.  The major project at the time was a state-of-the-art infrared sensor system.  People at Wescam have commented on Lawrence’s breadth of technical knowledge.  That span of knowledge was built up throughout his career because he was always striving to understand how to solve problems in whatever area they occurred.  During this big project at Spar, Lawrence’s area of responsibility had challenges that ranged from optics polishing to electronic circuit manufacturing through to vacuum sealing.  In each one he’d thoroughly research the underlying technologies to try to help the manufacturers through the problems.  I remember that on the vacuum sealing issue, he dug up a world renowned expert in the materials science of soldering.  That expert’s advice helped solve what would otherwise have been a complete show-stopper.  This example also illustrates a number of his traits:  he would tackle anything, was never too shy or too proud to get help when he thought he needed it, and he tried to get the best.

 I left Spar to join Wescam in early 1994 and I convinced Lawrence to join in the summer of 1994.  We both were excited by the work because the products involved optics and a variety of other technologies and because it was a dynamic company.  In the beginning he was the lead in the lens and camera area, with the major effort being a product that helped launch Wescam in the military market.  We really pushed the envelope, and actually a few times we were so far out we couldn’t even see the envelope.  His innovative ideas and hard work were an essential contribution to our success.

 Lawrence’s responsibilities increased and eventually he led our engineering department through our largest growth phase, a quadrupling in size from about 30 to 120 engineers.  The intelligence, fearlessness and perseverance that he had previously focused primarily in the technical disciplines were then applied to becoming an outstanding leader.  He demonstrated the soft skills that people often don’t associate with engineers.  He encouraged people to do their best, was calm and clear-headed in helping to solve issues, built teamwork within his department and throughout the company, strongly supported his staff, and bugged the heck out of them, his peers, his boss, and anyone else who would listen when he saw something that he thought needed changing. 

 Lawrence’s energy level amazed me and everyone who knew him, both before he had cancer, and even more so when he was fighting cancer.  He would often be seen going for an evening run after a full day’s work.  After the run, if deadlines required it, he would continue working afterward.  Many of us recall receiving e-mails that were sent at strange times of the night and just shake our heads wondering how he did it.  For me, it was just like back in university.  No idle mode:  just fun, family and work.

 In preparation for this speech, I solicited the thoughts of people at Wescam to try to better understand how he affected those that he worked with.  The memories were all fond and spoke to his passion for life, his dedication, and the inspiration that he was to them.  I’d like to give a few examples:

• “Best boss I ever had”
• “He would stay with us as long as it took to solve a problem”
• “Anything can be solved with a flowchart”
• “Best resource I had for places to ski”
• “He explained technical issues in a way that was understandable to someone who wasn’t an engineer”
•  “Visionary”
•  “A great role model”
• “A great mentor”
• “A great runner”
• “Easy to get along with”
• “If we committed to a task or project, he was relentless”
• “Lawrence memorized all of our cell phone numbers”
• “One of the main reasons I came to Wescam was that when Lawrence showed me the products during my interview, I had never met anyone who was so passionate and excited about what he was doing”

 We knew each other for 31 years.  When we spoke, we could complete each other’s sentences.  I’m deeply saddened that he’s gone.  Mary Lou, Giuliana, Patrick and the rest of Lawrence’s family, you have our heartfelt condolences.   I feel lucky to have known Lawrence and I’m a better person both personally and professionally because of him.  I am sure that each person who knew him also valued their relationship with him and we’ll all cherish our memories of Lawrence for the rest of our lives.

 

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