Many years ago I was playing around on one of my wife’s school computers while waiting for her to finish up some weekend school chores. I put in some string of words including surveyor and education and Heaven knows what else in the search bar and up popped the opportunity to explore the original RPLS.com. I had no idea what it was exactly, but dove right in reading posts by land surveyors from a little bit of everywhere. I was hooked. Wrote down the URL for future reference. Not sure if that was in 2000 or earlier.
Some time later I saw that note and decided to tune in again to see what was going on. There was a moderator who checked in routinely to delete inappropriate posts. His name was something similar to Garry McGray. I probably have that wrong and welcome any oldtimer to correct me on that. Most of those who were active at that time have faded away through the two decades or more since my discovery. By the way, I started out under the pseudonym, Hole Digger.
Times changed and the name of the best site changed a few times. Eventually, Wendell Harness grabbed the reins and drove the site to the successful place we have found to be the best resource for all things survey-related.
This resource has provided a ton of education for me and I’m sure for many, many others, as well. As I am the only license holder, I spend the vast majority of my office time by myself. For an extrovert, that is downright painful. Sharing knowledge and gaining knowledge are two of my favorite things in the world. Fortunately, there have been thousands of others who have shared their knowledge with me (and many others) via the site we now enjoy. I’m guessing it will only be a few days now until Wendell switches over to the NEW RPLS.com site.
I would encourage others who have been along for the ride for at least a decade to share some of their own memories from their participation here. This might include any personal contacts they may have had with others that they would have never met without the site or its predecessors. Ol’ Jim Petty from Arkiesaw (proprietor of the Road Kill Cafe) met up with me one day in the Fall of 2001 in Fayetteville where we each had a daughter enrolled at the University of Arkansas. A little over a year ago, Ridge Line (Leon Day) from Utah and I finally met up when he moved a herd of cattle from his drought-stricken area to a pasture less than 15 miles from my own cattle. In between there have been a few others that I have had the pleasure to meet. Several years ago, one of the posters here from North Carolina commented as to how he needed to come up with a mini-vest as his young daughter enjoyed working with him. My wife is an excellent seamstress, so she took a new vest and turned it into one that would work for Adam’s daughter. My closet holds two of the tee-shirts that were being sold by Scott Zelenak in honor of those who built the replacement for the World Trade Towers. Somewhere there are photos of Heidi, one of the balls traveling around the world in support of the fund raising for an organ transplant for a fellow land surveyor in Lawton, OK. As soon as I find it again, I intend to offer up one of his survey books that I purchased during that fundraiser.
It has been a great ride so far. Learning from people all over the world: RADU JOBO, Bill McComber, Ted Dura, Christ Lambrecht in Belgium, Kent McMillan, Paden Cash, Nate the Surveyor, Richard from Wisconsin and Richard from Tasmania, John from Ohio who lived on a boat, Rankin File, Mighty Moe, Paul Cook, Paul Plutae, Jim Frame, Spur4$, Monte, (a name that shall not be mentioned from Houston), Jim Cox in New Zealand, FL/GA, Bill93 and many, many others. Looking forward to finding more, new contributors to the site as we move forward from here
Holy Cow
