My former boss presented a retiring surveyor / county engineer a statue of a bygone era surveyor and transit (the gentleman surveyor) with these words:
The term "gentleman" has taken on many meanings in its evolution of definitions. From a man of noble birth belonging to a nobility or aristocracy, to a man whose conduct conforms to a certain standard of propriety or correct behavior, to a formidable or dangerous opponent not to be trifled with or underrated. As Edmund Christopherson wrote: " I must confess I do not like the gentleman and would rather fight two Indians than one of these bears."
The gentleman surveyor, however, finds himself belonging to a class of unusual and misunderstood people, who after rigorous training and testing is christianed with a license by the state in which he resides; tries to adhere to a certain standard of mathematics, codes and ethics but at times becomes the formidable foe of attorneys, judges, irate property owners, county officials and even his fellow surveyors - not to mention a few of his ongoing conflicts with dogs, swarming yellow jackets, poisonous snakes, disease bearing ticks and deer flies, the ever invasive thorns of multiflora rose, impassable underbrush, howling wind, deep snows, ice slopes, frigid temperatures, blistering heat, sinus-clogging pollen, unexpected downpours, steep hills and deep valleys, mosquito infested swamps, flooded waterways, dangerous and disruptive traffic, deeds that lack mathematical closure, scanty records, lost and obliterated monuments, equipment failures, and so on it goes.
Such is our dilemma: always striving for the mathematical perfection in a world full of imperfections and always trying to perfect that evasive quality of character known as a gentleman, and yet, somehow, to make a living by being properly remunerated for our services.
As we observe the appearance of this statue of a surveyor we are reminded that it is an image of a mere man "coming to grips" with the technology of his time. But inwardly, it represents a man who is constantly struggling with the imposition of a seemingly perfect map upon an obviously irregular earth.
And, like the rough, wooden platform on which this statue stands, we surveyors of the present must always endeavor to retrace the ancient footsteps of past surveyors however encumbered they were with the crude devices of their situations and era. This is our plight, but also our delight. For, a retracement survey well done, is the satisfaction of uncovering the evidence which contributes to unraveling the hidden and mysterious solution of past calculations and measurements.
May all those who receive and observe this "gentleman surveyor" humbly honor the responsibility for which he stands.
Excellent. Thanks for posting.
