BC Tel- Plant- Terrace- Test Desk

Some Test Desk Equipment on Display at Prince George Railway and Forest Industry Museum

We started with one Test Desk in Terrace, but in the late 1970's it was expanded to 2.
They were always located in the Service Center area, close to the large connector card rotary

They were the department that took all the trouble calls, and tested the lines, to determine if it was a cable fault, CO fault, or Customer Set fault.

The test desk was moved from 3236 Kalum, to the 2nd floor of Manuel DaSilva's building, 4241 Lazelle Ave. then finally to the Primary center, where the original Operator Room was.
Not exactly sure what year they closed it down, but Larry Sippel went into Engineering, and Maureen was transferred into the Facility Department.
I would guess end of the 80's or early 90's. Will correct this when I find out for sure.

• Larry Sippel (went into engineering. later moved to Kelowna)
  See Engineering Section for more info
  
• Maureen David (moved into facilities, then Kelowna)
  
• Pat Duncan (hired 1981- moved to Vancouver in 1986)
  
• Terry Paton (moved to Surrey in 1986, ended up in Vanderhoof)
• Herb LN?, I remember he smoked a pipe
• Gary Callfas
• Ken Klippert (left in Apr 1980 for Denver CO to make contact lenses)
  
• Terry Prinz (was I&R before this)
• Terry Hewitt (went into I&R, quit 2002, went to Ont)
• Maureen Olson (nee Palahicky) (left in 1991 to PG)
  

Terry Paton will never be forgotten as the man that got electrocuted through his headset. It's a story Terry will have to tell one day.

Gary Callfas was actually born in the town I grew up in, in Estevan Saskatchewan. He was a DJ at CFTK radio in Terrace in the early 70's, when I first ran into him after many years.
Actually heard his name while sitting in my trailer at the time, in “The Motel” park. I called him to see if it was him, then went down to the radio studio to see him at work.
CFTK TV and Radio was where the business Development bank building is now (2017)
It was an old house, and everything they used was old. The radio booth was about 5' square.
2 of us in there and it was overcrowded.
The next time I seen Gary, was 10 years later over lunch at the Aiyansh Radio Living Quarters.
The guys used to show up for a place to eat their lunch, and this one day Gary came in and we sat for our lunch.
We talked, he left and it wasn't until a couple days later, I found out it was the same Gary Callfas I knew from years before.
He later left I&R, and went into test desk before moving on.

Pat Duncan is remembered by me, since it was him that arranged though a friend in Vancouver for a group of BC Tel employees to buy an Apple Clone Computer.
64K of ram, no hard drive, no color monitor, I had an amber one. Other choice was green. I learned some code, learned the basics of computers, and here I am today,
on a machine that has more memory than me!! I think they called them Pineapple machines!! I still have a selection of the old 6“ floppies they used.

Maureen David became a good friend working with her in Facilities. She did a good job on test desk also. Maureen was the very FIRST Test Desk Woman in BC Tel!

Larry Sippel ended up as a Technician before him and his wife Linda, moved to sunny Kelowna, then Vancouver, and last I heard from him they were in Atikokan Ontario, June 2019 .
Larry is a member of the Mormon Church, and chats with him, got me on the never ending road, of Family Genealogy. Linda helped with the research center in town.
Linda was a clerk in Terrace and they met while Larry was a Tech.

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