Disciplined and hard-working, he woke up at dawn to deliver the Vancouver Sun. After his promotion to delivery manager, he worked nights at an ice plant—all to pay for his civil engineering degree at UBC.
Distinguished alum and supporter Leslie (Les) Edgeworth (BA '48, BASc '49) passed away in late January 2025, several months before his centenary birthday. He was an esteemed civil engineer with a distinguished career in fisheries and environmental protection, and an ocean of hard-earned knowledge sought across Canada and the globe.
In the early 70s, Les worked for the Pacific Region of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), serving first as Chief Engineer and then Chief of the Resource Development Branch. Soon after, he moved to Ottawa to join the Department of Environment, assuming the role of Assistant Deputy Minister for the bureau’s Water Management and Environmental Protection Services. Les reported to Federal Liberal Environment Minister Jack Davis.
Having earned this valuable experience thanks to his characteristic drive and industriousness, Les returned to BC in the late 70s. Leading DFO’s newly created Salmonid Enhancement Program, he presided over the design and construction of provincial fishways, spawning channels, aquaculture projects and hatcheries. Consultation work followed, including the Canadian Pearse Royal Commission and the Salto Grande Project in Argentina. As a member of the Mekong Committee secretariat for the UN, Les provided environmental assessments of the Mekong Basin.
In the words of the Edgeworth family, Les always showed “empathy, kindness, patience, humility and understanding,” a description that also applies to his relationship with members of the UBC Civil Engineering Class of 1949. A dedicated alum and exemplar of the value of perseverance, he regularly attended reunions to celebrate his fellow graduates and their achievements.
Near the end of his life, Les established the Les Edgeworth Bursary in Civil Engineering. His extensive contributions to the Applied Science community—and achievements in promoting thriving communities and a healthy planet—were recognized in 2019 with the Dean’s Medal of Distinction, the Faculty of Applied Science’s highest honour.
