From the President
Lorna McIlroy | President, ARTA
My Journey with Technology
“Number, please” was my
mantra during an early career
choice more than half a century
ago. I was a telephone operator
or as I like to say, a ‘Call Girl’ for
Alberta Government Telephones,
and that job was as far from
today’s technology as you could
get. It was just a matter of
connecting two phone plugs into
the appropriate jacks. When
Fairview became automated,
I moved to Westlock until
automation there moved me to
Peace River where I advanced to
supervisor and a trainer of new
telephone operators.
When a posting appeared for
computer programmers in AGT’s
Edmonton offi ce, I pounced on
it, passed my aptitude test, and
was trained in Fortran, Cobol,
RPG, and PL1. You might think
that this was my foray into
technology. Not really! I just
wrote my program on squared
paper, sent it to the keypunch
operators, who delivered it as a
stack of cards to the computer
operators, who fed it into a
computer larger than the harvest
gold refrigerators of the era.
My working day became a
playday of puzzles as I wrote
my programs. Working alone
in silence, I had to admit that
I missed the camaraderie of
working with others. After
starting a family, I did not return
to computer programming but
started taking every university
course off ered by evening,
weekend, or correspondence.
As my term paper preparation
progressed from pen to manual
typewriter to word processor, I
came to appreciate the role of
technology in the application of
scientifi c knowledge for practical
purposes. The goal of technology
is to create products that solve
problems and improve human
life. Today, technology can
also create, sort, and transmit
information and that is where
my control issues appear.
With my shelves full of
gardening books, I take pride in
identifying plant material. Now,
my young friends take a quick
cell phone photo, access the
appropriate app, and name the
plant before I can. My friends
rely on GPS and a stilted voice
for directions while I still want to
know everything about the area
that I am driving through.
As I begin my presidential
journey with ARTA, I promise to
relinquish a bit of that control. I
will make technology my friend;
never my master but more than
a slave. Since I do not have
20/20 vision, I do not know
what lies ahead, beyond the bend
in the road. However, I do know
that there will be growth and
new developments. Fortunately,
I have a competent executive
team beside me, and I know
that I have the
support of the
best possible
Executive
Director
and CEO
along
with his
effi cient
staff .
In
closing,
this season
reminds us of
the transience of life
and all living things. Recently
we have lost precious members
of our ARTA alumni. I would
encourage you to hold your own
family members a little closer
to your heart and to appreciate,
also, everyone who plays a role
in our ever-expanding ARTA
family. ●
news&views WINTER 2019 | 5