Jodi and Earl sharing a quiet moment at a CH2M HILL retiree get-together in Baker City, Oregon
Earl Reynolds — former Chairman of the Board and Boise Regional Manager for 30 years — died June 22nd of heart failure at his home in Boise. He was 88. Earl was one of the 12 partners of CH2M. The WWII veteran and Oregon native joined the firm in 1947 as its eighth employee after graduating with honors in civil engineering from Oregon State College (now OSU). After earning a Master’s Degree from Yale University in 1948, he returned to CH2M.
In 1950, Earl was involved in the firm’s first geographic expansion by opening the BOI office. He served as chairman for 3 years beginning in 1980 and retired in 1983, but remained an active senior consultant well into the 1990s. Under Earl’s direction, more than 1,200 projects were successfully accomplished in BOI. A few of his projects of note include the first liquefied natural gas peak-shaving plant in Idaho, the largest sewage collection system and sewage treatment plant in Idaho, and the first waste stabilization ponds in Utah (the largest in the West).
Last year, BOI employees honored Earl for his role in opening the firm’s second office by purchasing a park bench on the Boise River greenbelt in his name. Earl wrote in his note of appreciation, “Thank you for honoring me with a very personal, priceless gift…It represents a lifetime of knowing and working with outstanding employees of the Boise office who shared a goal to succeed in all endeavors through excellence, hard work, and dedication.”
Earl is survived by his wife, Jodi; sons, Jim, Andy, and Joe; and grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife of 39 years, Harriett.
Earl’s career is a positive example of a worthwhile life, well lived by a great man.