T.A. McLaren

Thomas Arthur McLaren (1919-99) was the son of Scottish shipbuilder William Dick McLaren, who, in search of new opportunities, brought his family to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1928. WD became managing director of West Coast Shipbuilders, established on False Creek at the outbreak of World War II. Arthur joined the company in 1941 after graduating in mechanical engineering from the University of BC. He had always wanted to build ships, and in 1948 he launched his own company, Allied Builders (later renamed Allied Shipbuilders Ltd.)-against the advice of his father, who suggested a business with "more future." Over the next half century Arthur went on to build more than 250 vessels, always leading by the example of common sense, honesty and hard work. He served as president of the Association of Professional Engineers of BC and was a fellow of both the Society of Naval Architect & Marine Engineers and the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, among other professional and public activities. He and his wife Dorothy raised three sons, James, Douglas and Malcolm, who continue with Allied Shipbuilders.