After over 37 outstanding years of dedication to our WalterFedy family, Mary Anderson, Senior Architectural Technologist, is retiring at the end of this month. Mary’s professional journey spans continents, disciplines, and decades of technological change, leaving a lasting impact on both our firm and the people she worked alongside.
Mary began her career in England, studying Cartography at Oxford Polytechnic, before taking an opportunity to work in South Africa. There, she held various cartographic roles in Pretoria and Johannesburg.
In the early 1980s, Mary transitioned into Architecture, becoming one of the early adopters of CAD technology. She was sent on specialized training and went on to support and train architects and technologists who were new to digital drafting, an enthusiasm for innovation she carried throughout her career. After moving to Canada with her family, Mary joined WalterFedy (then Horton & Ball, Walter, Fedy, McCargar, Hachborn) in Kitchener. At a time when computers were scarce and drawing boards were still the norm, she once again helped lead the transition to CAD, researching systems, training staff, and supporting the firm’s gradual move to AutoCAD and later 3D modeling tools like Revit.
Mary’s career at WalterFedy also included time with the Business Development team, where she worked closely on RFPs, proposal graphics, and presentation materials, bridging design, communication, and technology. She later returned to a dedicated Architectural Technologist role, supporting a wide variety of building types and projects.
When reflecting on her career, Mary points not to a single project, but to the success of strong, collaborative teams across multiple projects along the way. Mary is proud to have contributed to projects that have made a meaningful impact in our communities.
Among her greatest challenges was adapting to North American construction practices, materials, and building codes, an experience that pushed her to continuously learn and grow. Her advice to others facing change is implicit in her own career: embrace learning and stay curious.
Mary says she will miss the social and intellectual aspects of work most, conversations about architecture, design, and problem-solving with colleagues. While she won’t miss deadlines, she will miss the challenge of figuring things out alongside a team.
As Mary steps into retirement, she plans to take time to explore what comes next. We thank her for her many contributions, her mentorship, and her adaptability through decades of change, and we wish her all the best in this next chapter.