Five years ago my dad passed away. He was a founder of our firm, a devoted family man, a beloved friend, and a contributor to his community. We miss him dearly.
One of the values that my father cherished was the importance of education, including lifelong learning. At his 60th birthday party I recall his words “Don’t let the clock dictate your future”, as he had just recently fulfilled a lifelong goal having graduated from law school.
Bob created an atmosphere for learning wherever he was.
At home, my siblings and I were directed to take school seriously. There was an expectation that we would pursue some form of post-secondary education, which we have all done.
At the office, staff members were told to frame their degrees and certificates and hang them on their office wall. For Bob, formal education was an opportunity, an accomplishment, and a source of pride.
My father, equipped with a university degree in Mathematics, began his career in the late 1960s as a general contractor in construction. He would later serve as Chair of the Board of the Alberta Construction Association (1981) and the Canadian Construction Association (1984). During the economic downturn of the 1980s, he educated himself in computers in order to pivot professionally into developing accounting software for construction companies. In his late 50s, he challenged himself again by returning to university to study law.
Bob worked as a construction lawyer for the rest of his life; however, he remained dedicated to education as an instructor and course developer. He participated in the CPLED course for articling lawyers, presented at various seminars, taught a course on Construction Law and Documents for the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Continuing Education, and initiated a Construction Law course at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law.
Bob recognized that not everyone has access to the encouragement and support they need to succeed at school so he tried, when he could, to fill that gap. We would like to continue Bob’s practice of promoting confidence in students and advocating lifelong learning. As such, Goodfellow & Schuettlaw has established the Bob Schuett Memorial Foundation to support students of all ages in their pursuit of a construction-related education.
I would like to extend my personal gratitude to the members of the board of the foundation for accepting their roles and their support of this initiative.
Goodfellow & Schuettlaw will make an inaugural donation to the foundation of $25,000. We invite Bob’s friends and former colleagues, to also donate. Please contact me for more information on the foundation. If you would like to make a donation to the foundation, please contact Olene Andrew-Taylor at oandrew@gfslaw.ca or 403-668-4746.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Schuett