After a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, ASTTBC registrant and Past President, Ronald (Ron) Green, AScT, passed away in Kelowna on August 7, 2020. He was a registrant for 51 years and served as President from 1977-1979.

Ron was at the helm of ASTTBC since its early years and was a true pioneer for technologists and technicians in British Columbia. Ron was involved is many aspects of the organization but was especially committed to his role as Chair of ASTTBC’s Legislative Committee. In this position he supported efforts in writing a report that would lead to the organizations first proposal to seek government approval to become a self-governing professional statute in the mid-1970’s.

Although unsuccessful at first, Ron spent the next eight years working with members of the Legislative Assembly to better understand the critical role of ASTTBC registrants and the importance of professional regulation. In 1985, with Government support, ASTTBC put forward a Private Members Bill which ultimately resulted in the ASTT Act.

Ron championed initiatives to support foreign trained professionals in the industry. He was recognized in provinces across Canada for his work assessing foreign qualifications. His assessments were highly regarded and became the main content of the Foreign Qualification Data Base (FQDB) used for several years by the Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists (CCTT) and now the International Technology Recognition Database. He made huge contributions to the industry on a national level including the co-development of a protocol for performing accreditation audits on Biomedical Engineering Technology programs, and ensured that the discipline was recognized separately from Electronics.

During his 51 years with ASTTBC, Ron was the recipient of 10 awards including the R. Littledale Memorial Award (1982), a Life Membership Award (1989), Service Awards (1985, 1986, 1996, 2005), a Certificate of Appreciation (1993), a Special Award (2001), a 40 Year Award (2009), and a 50 Year Award (2019).

Described as a ‘statesman’, Ron was an inspiration and mentor to many. Long after leaving ASTTBC Council, Ron, as with most Past Presidents, stayed engaged with the organization, usually attending meetings in Kelowna, often accompanied by his wife Pat who shared Ron’s interest and passion for ASTTBC.

ASTTBC is grateful for Ron’s lifetime dedication to the organization. He left a great legacy and will be fondly remembered as a colleague and friend.