From Calgary to Edmonton to Red Deer, my father’s two fountain pens raised a family.

Robert Evans Ford would not have such an opportunity today. But 70 years ago, his skill, speed, expertise and extensive vocabulary made him valuable to the Alberta justice system and its courts. He could take shorthand as fast as the most voluble orator, regardless of the elegance or simplicity of the language.

He was a court reporter at a time when it was a job mostly featuring men. He and his colleagues would sit through trials or any judicial matter, writing in elegant shorthand exactly what was said as it was uttered. Later, he would transcribe the proceedings onto a Dictaphone and hand it to a stenographer to type up. The transcripts would promptly be made available to the lawyers and court officials.

Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features.

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Now, the job that once supported a wife and three........

© Calgary Herald