Paul Riemer, F.CSCE

The Society regrets to report that Paul Riemer, F.CSCE, passed away on July 26 at age 88 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Paul who had been a member of the Engineering Institute of Canada and later the Society for over 60 years had been deeply committed to his profession and community.

Paul Riemer was born in Poland in 1924 and a year later the family emigrated to Canada. His father died soon after leaving his mother with two infant boys, whom she raised on a rented farm near Borden, SK. He attended schools in the district and and later the Saskatoon Technical Collegiate prior to enrolling in the University of Saskatchewan in 1943. Upon graduation Paul joined the Saskatchewan Department of Highways as a bridge engineer. But soon thereafter he was invited to become a member of the academic staff of the Department of Civil Engineering retiring in 1988 as a Professor Emeritus after 41 years of service.

Professor Riemer was a gifted educator who knew well the practice of structural engineering. In the late 1950s Howard Douglas and Paul formed a partnership which was part of a consulting practice which provided the full engineering expertise required for the design of buildings. They and subsequent firms did the structural design for several well-known building in Saskatoon including the extension to the Engineering Building on the campus in the 1060s, the Saskatoon Public Library, the former City Hospital and City Hall. Later Paul served as co-chair of the building committee that oversaw the design, construction and renovation of the Engineering Building in the late 1970s. He was also very involved in developing the concept of assisted living facilities for seniors, which manifest itself in the construction of Luther Tower in the mid-1970s.

Paul Riemer’s service to the profession included work for the Association of Professional Engineers of Saskatchewan; he was its president in 1965. For his contributions to the profession, Paul was named a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering in 1983, and a Fellow of Engineers Canada in 2009.

In later years Professor Riemer became an avid photographer especially of the flora and fauna of the South Saskatchewan river valley. He shared some of this work with the Fellows and Life Members of the Society at their dinner held just after the Annual Meeting in Saskatoon in 2004.

A full obituary can be found on the website of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix.