Obituary of Oscar Seawell

SEAWELL, Oscar

Oscar Drumheller Seawell will be sorely missed by his beloved wife Bonnie; their children Marian of Regina, John of Lincoln, Nebraska, Susan of Las Vegas and Jane of Whitehorse. Oscar was born in 1923 in Yakima, Washington. His mother was from the Drumheller family of pioneers to the Western United States and Canada. His father was an airplane pilot and mechanic.

In 1940, Oscar graduated from high school in Walla Walla, Washington. He delivered morning newspapers for a year to earn money for college. His study was interrupted by nearly three years in the U.S. Army, including a year of civil engineering study in the Army Specialized Training Program and duty as a cryptographic technician in the South Pacific and Japan. After graduating from Whitman College in Walla Walla he received a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Then, commissioned an officer in the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army Reserve, he participated in military training on weekends, at summer camps, and through correspondence lessons.

Oscar’s work experience was in engineering, engineering education and systems analyses. His 11 years of nuclear engineering emphasized design and safety of nuclear reactors. He was Chairman of the American Nuclear Society’s Los Angeles Section in 1963-64. After moving to Regina in 1971 he has been a Professional Engineer in Saskatchewan.

While teaching at the University of Idaho from 1952 to 1956 Oscar met Bonnie Scott, who was secretary to the head of Oscar’s department. They were married in 1953. In 1971 the family moved to Regina where Oscar helped develop new engineering programs at the University of Regina. He taught a variety of engineering subjects. Further he planned, initiated and taught classes in a new Industrial Systems Engineering program.

Oscar was Chairman of the University of Regina Faculty Association’s Executive Committee when the Faculty Association became a union. Also he served as Chairman of other committees, including the University President’s Budget Advisory Committee one year. Retiring in 1989 as Professor of Systems Engineering, he taught four more years part-time. Then he was an active member of the Regina Gyro Club, a men’s friendship club. Being interested in war cycles, he wrote a book, Pulse of International War, published by Benchmark Press.

The family would like to thank the staff on 4C at the Pasqua Hospital for the respect and compassionate care Oscar received while he was there.