Image of Oliver Symes, professor, Agricultural Engineering, seated at his desk.

Bio/Historical Note: Oliver Symes was born in 1913 at Pense, Saskatchewan, and raised on his family’s farm. He attended public and high schools at Pense and went on to Teachers’ College in Regina in 1931-1932. He taught in several Saskatchewan schools before enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941. Following the war he enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan, earning a BA iin 1948 and a BEng (agricultural engineering) in 1949. He was hired by the Ford Motor Company in Regina as tractor and implement sales representative for Saskatchewan. He left Ford in 1950 to become acting head of the department of agricultural engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. He became full department head in 1953 and served in that capacity until 1955 when Ford Motor Company hired him back, giving him world-wide responsibility for tractors and implements. Two years later he returned to the agricultural engineering department as a professor. In 1981 he was once again department head. In 1985 he established a research and development section which added an important dimension to his department. Symes died in 1986.