8 l ROOFINGBC l SUMMER 2018 RCABC UPDATE BRYAN WALLNER Chief Executive Officer, RCABC IN MEMORIAM R CABC staff were shocked to hear that long-time roofing instructor David Rice passed away suddenly on May 17, 2018, after a short struggle with cancer. Our thoughts and prayers go out to David’s wife Gloria and his family and friends all over the country and particularly in the B.C. roofing industry. David got into the roofing industry in New Brunswick as a young man. In 1970 at just 20 years old, he got on a train to B.C. on a Friday and started work the next Monday with Jacksons Sheet Metal and Roofing, where he apprenticed under his foreman (and brother) Gary Rice. As a certified Journeyman, David worked for Bollman Roofing and Sheet Metal, Martell Roofing and Transwest Roofing as a foreman. In 1994, David became the first roofing instructor for the newly established Roofing Educational Foundation (REF) for the RCABC. When the school started, the classroom was a trailer on an open gravel lot. Training materials were very limited and David worked hard to develop the classroom resources, quizzes, exams and practical projects to prepare his apprentices for a career in the roofing industry. Much of what we have in the roofing apprenticeship program is a result of his hard work. To improve his instructor skills, he attended Vancouver Community College and received the Provincial Instructors Diploma. In the REF department at the RCABC there is a hallway with photos of all the graduating classes from RCABC since 1995. Many of the photos clearly show the impact that David has had on the trade in this province, having trained thou- sands of apprentices in his more than 20 years working as an instructor. His influence will be greatly missed. T he RCABC golf tournament at Northview Country Club took on added significance this year as the roofing industry was saddened by the unexpected passing of David Rice, long-time Instructor at the RCABC Educational Foundation. While I worked with David for only a short time prior to his retirement in 2015, it was clear from the beginning that he had left his mark. David was “the guy” that executed the RCABC vision that ultimately became the Educational Foundation as we know it. His influence was felt in the classroom by over 3,000 appren- tices. I asked him how he kept things fresh over the years, and he told me that every class was different, and his job wasn’t to answer questions, it was to get the student to figure out the answer themselves. He stopped in regularly to check on things and catch up with everyone. David will be missed, but not forgotten. Beginning next year, the RCITop Apprenticeship award will be named in his honour, and fittingly for an avid golfer like David, RCABC will continue to sponsor the Hole-in-One contest in his name. Now if we could only guarantee a Stanley Cup for the Canadians… Our deepest condolences, and prayers are extended to his family, along with sincere thanks for his influence on the people in our industry. THANK YOU, DAVID