Calvin Evans was born on the 13th of July 1935 in Withrow, Canada to Ralph and Ruth Evans. He started his career on his father's saw mill in Seebe, Alberta at the age of 16, and on the same year won the Governor General Medal for the highest school mark in the province. After this, Evans studied Geology and Physics at the University of Alberta, completed his Master's field work in Jasper, Alberta, and then went to England on scholarship completing his PhD in Geology and Geochemistry at Oxford, Oriel College. His thesis contributed to confirming the theory of tectonic plates. He did some fieldwork in Scotland with his wife Doris and then two-year-old son Tom, researching the rock formation around Lochinver.

Once he completed his PhD in two years instead of the usual four, he declined a post offer at Oxford and returned to Canada where he worked for Imperial Oil for 25 years in Calgary, ultimately as Vice President of Exploration. After this he moved to London, England, as Manager of Esso Europe where he retired in 1986. His retirement did not last long before he started up a company called Pemoco Resources with some of his colleagues where he continued to work until 2010.

Ralph Evans stayed passionate about geology and was for a time president of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) and of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG). He was also awarded the Frank Spragins Award.

Calvin Evans died in Maui, Hawaii on the 24th of April 2017, at the age of 81 years.