Movers & Shakers
LATITUDE
Movers & Shakers
COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY GILLIAN BENNETT Content Developer
LIFE MEMBER’S LIFE OF ADVENTURE
He has borne witness to, and taken part in, some of the most influential events of the past century. A Member of APEGA for 58 years, Thomas Morimoto, P.Eng. , was honoured for his 97 years of life adventures with an Alumni Honour Award from the University of Alberta on September 24. Born in 1918 in Edmonton, Mr. Morimoto grew up in Fort McMurray, where his father had a barber shop, and later he farmed potatoes and hunted muskrats there. Fort McMurray at that time was a gathering place for eccentrics and adventurers, the U of A reports. He met his fair share, including two governor generals, bush pilots and Mountie Alfred King, famously shot by the Mad Trapper Albert Johnson. While trading muskrat skins near Fort Chipewyan, Mr. Morimoto found a position as a radio operator with Canadian Airways’ northern operations. He had learned Morse code and manned the radio at a small-scale plant at Bitumount, where the first oil sands separation plant was developed by private industry. Later, he worked in Robert Fitzsimmonses’ oil sands plant, where he began to consider a career in oil and gas. In the 1930s, Mr. Morimoto travelled to Yellowknife to stake his claim after gold was discovered. He worked in the Negus mine for a while, sampling rock and supplying rock to the miners. With the escalation of the Second World War, Mr. Morimoto felt it his duty to enlist. He tried to join the air force, but at 5-2 and 119 lb., he didn’t meet the height and weight requirements. A friend, who was a lieutenant, suggested his radio skills might be of use in the signal corps. He applied, and with the lieutenant’s help, had an extra couple inches added to his height record to meet the 5-4 minimum requirement. The weight requirement was overlooked — the doctors conceded he was from the North and probably hadn’t had much to eat. Mr. Morimoto joined the 3rd Canadian Division as a radio operator. To this day, he is believed to be the only person of Japanese descent to have taken part in the D-Day landings on Juno Beach. Despite his war contributions, Mr. Morimoto faced discrimination for his Japanese heritage, both during and after
the war. At a rehabilitation course, he was told he wouldn’t get into university because of his ethnicity. He applied anyway and was accepted into chemical engineering at the University of Alberta. After completing a bachelor's degree, he was hired by the fuels division of the Research Council of Alberta to work on reducing the ash content of coal. He continued his studies, obtaining a master of science degree in chemical engineering while also working as an assistant research engineer. After university, Mr. Morimoto worked as an engineer at the Canadian Celanese plant in Edmonton, Polymer Corporation in Sarnia, Ont., and Brown and Root in Calgary. He then became Chief Process Engineer at a new company called Mon-Max. It was a joint venture of Fred Mannix’s construction company and Montreal Engineering, Canada’s largest engineering firm. Mr. Morimoto left Mon-Max to work as a consultant until 1977, when he was invited to join a project in Dubai. Canadian oilman Angus Mackenzie had established Scimitar Oils Ltd. as
24 | PEG WINTER 2015
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