Obituary S.R.L. (Stan) Harding 1912 - 1996

Born in 1912 to a family in straitened circumstances, Stan Harding grew up as a farm boy, spending summers with threshing crews. He recalled the stock market crash of 1929 when penurious pittances paid to the teachers were slashed. He also was a witness to the 1935 Regina riots. Harding attended public school in Regina, not only excelling in his academic studies but also developing a special interest in gymnastics. He joined the YMCA and maintained an interest and association throughout his active life. "... I went to Normal School in Regina ... and received a first class certificate to teach, in 1931." There then followed a number of assignments, his first one being a one-room school just east of Maple Creek for two years. He returned to Maple Creek where he taught for four more years, during which time he made many lifelong friendships. Imperial Oil hired Stan upon graduation in 1941, and he reported to Dr. Sproule who put him in charge of catching samples on a seismic shot hole rig not far from his home town. Stan returned to the University of Saskatchewan receiving his B.A. degree with honours in 1942. It was during this time that he married his school teacher friend, Jean Coutts. "Dr. Mawdsley, who was at that time Head of the Geology Department, ... later Dean of Engineering ... always encouraged people to take geology through engineering (you could take your geology through arts or you could take it through engineering), and Dr. Mawdsley pushed people to take the geology through engineering. His reasoning was this: he said, ‘half of you fellows will never make geologists, so you might as well have an engineering degree.’" Mawdsley continued to advise Stan, ‘... well, you know, you are a pretty good student and you should continue.’ This involved going to McGill, the only school which could offer him an instructorship, under Dr. Tony Clark, plus a modest stipend. Upon receiving his Master's Degree, Harding went on permanent staff, still under Sproule. He worked as a wellsite geologist for two years. At that time, Norcanols, a partly owned subsidiary of Imperial and a Calgary and Edmonton corporation, would drill a series of dry holes across the prairies. By this time, Harding had become a father. He, his wife and baby lived in whatever accommodation was available, some of it quite primitive. On one occasion, he found living quarters in an abandoned stone house, a good part of a mile away from the rig, "and the company provided me with a truck ... " but when Cam Sproule found out about this "... he decided that transportation units were in short supply and that he could use my truck somewhere else-so he took my truck away ... there was a surveyor by the name of J.A. Armstrong who needed a unit, and J.A. Armstrong (later to be Imperial Oil's president) got my truck!" So Stan ended up walking to work every day.