Dr. A. Ernest Pallister has helped Albertans and Canadians appreciate and seize this country’s enormous potential. He has shown extraordinary foresight not only in recognizing the changing needs of industry, government and society, but also in meeting them.
Born in Edmonton in 1927, Dr. Pallister received his B.Sc. in 1948 from the University of Alberta and a diploma from the Banff School of Advanced Management in 1962.
Dr. Pallister was one of the first Canadians to have conceived of the idea of consortia among government, industry and academia as a superior means of conducting exploration and research. He initiated interdisciplinary exploration for petroleum in Alberta, the Northwest Territories and the Arctic Ocean in the early 1950s. He continued his interest in the Canadian north, by serving as chairman of the Arctic Institute of North America, and the Science Institute of the Northwest Territories and as vice-chairman of the Inuvialuit Arbitration Board.
Dr. Pallister has shown how the formidable challenges posed by climate, geography and society can be turned to advantage. He has been able to identify and implement novel, practical solutions to overcoming barriers. While research and development consortia are now commonplace, Dr. Pallister was one of the first to recognize that progress and development are best achieved through multi-sectoral partnerships.
Dr. Pallister has served on numerous boards, committees and councils, providing leadership across a broad spectrum of professional and community organizations. He has served as vice-chairman of the Science Council of Canada and the Banff School of Advanced Management; a designer of the Petroleum Resources Communication Foundation; a director of the Calgary Philharmonic Society; a member of the Federal Task Force on the Canadian Ocean Industry; committee chairman for the Royal Commission on the Ocean Ranger; and president of Casa Higuera Inc. in Mexico.
Dr. Pallister was awarded a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta and a Doctor of Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland. He was given Honorary Life Membership in the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists and the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. He is a Life Member of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1990.