Alan Goldworth ( Joe ) Bland 1963 – 1985
Joe Bland was Dick Johnson ’ s successor and DCL ’ s second President . Born in Ottawa in 1926 , he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Queen ’ s University in 1949 , and spent the following two years with a consulting engineering firm in Cornwall , Ontario . After working his way to Europe and back on a freighter , he worked with Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation from 1951 to 1954 , officially joining DCL on January 14 , 1954 . He was appointed Engineer-in-Charge of Navy and Defence Research Board Projects , and was promoted later that year to Engineer-in-Charge of RCAF Projects .
The projects control area in which he worked dealt with troubleshooting such issues as design errors , omissions and changes , including tracking the problems through appropriate channels and getting the answers back to the sites as promptly as possible . In June 1956 , Joe was loaned to the Northern Ontario Pipeline Crown Corporation , where he was responsible for the general supervision of construction and the engineering administration of contracts , along with phasing the work to meet completion deadlines .
Joe returned to DCL in July 1959 , at which time he was appointed Head Office Administrative Engineer . Three years later , he was promoted to Assistant Chief Engineer ( Construction Planning ), and shortly thereafter was chosen to attend National Defence College in Kingston , Ontario — a one-year program designed for Senior Military Officers and a few select civilians . While at home on leave one weekend , he received a call from Dick Johnson , asking to meet with him . It was during this meeting that Dick told Joe of his recommendation to have Joe succeed him . ( Coincidentally , Joe was 37 years old at the time .)
On June 28 , 1963 , Joe Bland was appointed President and General Manager of DCL , a position he would hold until his retirement in 1985 . These years were a key time for the Corporation , filled with projects such as Expo 67 , the move of DCL ’ s European operations from France to Germany and the building of new ship repair facilities at CFB Halifax . Joe passed away on March 15 , 2008 . Those who worked with Joe recognized his legacy in Lorne Atchison ’ s description of him as “ a great man and a great mentor .”
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