Jan Daniel TerHart

SLS, ALS
Commission #138
(1956.05.15)
Articled to:
A.I. Bereskin | A. Stewart

Jan Daniel TerHart was born in Haarlem, the Netherlands, in 1927. He attended high school and afterwards, Nautical College, both in Amsterdam. Jan qualified and served as a 4th, 3rd and 2nd officer in the Dutch Merchant Navy.In 1953, he immigrated to Canada where he worked for the Department of Natural Resources in Regina, Saskatchewan. Jan travelled to Paris to marry Sophia Maria Vittali in January, 1956 and the young couple settled briefly in Regina before moving to Saskatoon. Jan articled to Al Bereskin and Alex Stewart from 1953 - 1956 and was granted his SLS commission #138 in December of 1956. Subsequently, he worked for Underwood, McLelland and Kent Philips and Associates.

TerHart Surveying Services was established in Estevan, Saskatchewan in 1958. Jan was the first Commissioned Surveyor in that region. He was granted his ALS commission in 1961. The firm was engaged in legal, oil field related and some engineering surveys, mostly in Southeastern Saskatchewan.

Legal surveys consisted of parcels, subdivisions, surveyor's certificates, right of ways for the Department of Highways as well as some boundary dispute surveys, building locations and several cemeteries. Indian Reserve boundary locations as well as internal subdivisions of reserves were performed for the Federal Government.

Oil field surveys consisted of well site surveys, battery sites, access roads, oil flow lines, saltwater disposal lines, plant layouts and elevations. TerHart Surveying Services Ltd was involved with many companies such as Esso, Gulf Oil, Placid Oil, Kissinger Petroleum, Upton Resources, Adanac Resources, Trilink, Canadian Fina and others. Considerable work was done for Canadian Engineering Surveys (W. H. (Bill) Jones).

Engineering type surveys were performed for the Saskatchewan Power Corporation including the foundation layouts at the Boundary Dam Generating Station, Coronach Power Station and the Shand Power Station. Significant surveys were done to determine ash storage, both past and future, for the above power stations. At the Estevan Brick Plant, surveys were done to determine the location and volume of clay deposits from the Estevan area as far west as the Willow Bunch area. Foundation layouts were prepared for the Estevan Regional Nursing Home, and several schools with the largest being the Estevan Comprehensive High School.

Jan served on several committees of the SLSA, including being a Councillor and, from 1967 - 1968, was elected President. He served on the Advisory Board for the Survey Drafting Courses at the Saskatchewan Technical Institute in Moose Jaw and in addition to being a member, was also the Vice Chairman from 1967 - 1984.

Jan established a TerHart Surveying Services Swift Current office, which was operational from 1963 - 1996 (it later became R. J. Loran and Associates).

As an active community citizen, Jan was a member and Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Board (City of Estevan), Chairman of the Judo and Cross Country Ski Clubs, member, Chairman and area director of the Saskatchewan Air Cadets (Wylie Mitchell Squadron #30, 1971 - 1984), and a member of the Masonic Lodge and Kinsmen associations.

Jan and Sophia had four children; Jan Anthony (Edmonton, AB), Bert Adrian (Gabriola Island, BC), Stella Claire (Inverary, ON) and Leah Christine Elizabeth (Esquimault, BC). In 1984 Jan retired and he, Sophia and Leah moved to Victoria, BC, where he presently lives. Sophia passed away in 2016. Jan was, and continues to be, a well respected and admired citizen in both Estevan and Victoria.

Bio courtesy of J. D. TerHart