Obituary: George W. Sander

George Wolfgang Sander, founder of one of Canada’s most successful geophysics surveying companies, passed away peacefully at his home in Dunrobin, Ont., on Aug. 23, 2008. He was 84.

Sander, who started Sander Geophysics Ltd. (SGL) in 1958, made his mark on Canadian geophysics as a pioneer and innovator in the field of airborne geophysics throughout his more than 50 years in the industry.

Born in Berlin in 1924, Sander earned a M.Sc. in geophysics at the Institute of Technology in Stuttgart in 1949 and went on to earn a PhD in geophysics there in 1951.

After obtaining his degree, Sander emigrated from Germany to the United States, where he worked at the Gulf Research and Development Co., a branch of the Gulf Oil Corp., near Pittsburgh, Penn.

In 1953, he immigrated to Canada, where he worked as an oil geophysicist with the Western Canada-based Western Geophysical Co.

He then moved to Toronto, where he worked in mining exploration with Technical Mine Consultants, and was part of the team that located the Elliot Lake uranium deposits in northern Ontario.

In 1956, he started an independent practice in mining geophysics, and two years later, he incorporated SGL.

From 1960 to 1965, Sander worked with Canadian government on the Polar Continental Shelf Project and the Dominion Observatory (now part of the Geological Survey of Canada). The project conducted seismic surveys in the Canadian Arctic, the Canadian Shield and at sea.

In 1965, after keeping SGL dormant for five years while he was in the Arctic, Sander reactivated the company and took the reins as president. He remained the head of the company until 2002, when he stepped down as president and assumed the role of chairman.

In 1967, with Sander’s guidance, the company went airborne, purchasing its first helicopter. In 1975, SGL purchased its first airplane and began its exploits in the field of fixed-wing surveying.

Throughout his history at SGL, Sander helped to keep the company’s equipment updated and encouraged it to break new boundaries in the field of geophysics.

Sander is survived by his wife Lorly; his three sisters; his children Jim, Helen, Stephan, Luise, Bernie, Michael; and 15 grandchildren. Today, Stephan and Luise serve as Sander Geophysics’ co-presidents.

Friends are invited to a celebration of Sander’s life planned for Thurs., Aug. 28, at 7 pm at SGL’s head office in Ottawa at 260 Hunt Club Rd.

Donations may be made on Sander’s behalf to the Canadian Exploration Geophysical Society (KEGS) Pioneer Scholarship Fund. www.kegsonline.org