David L. Raby
Dave Raby was born in Ironton, Missouri, in 1948. He attended Mineral Area College (MAC), in Park Hills, Missouri, where he received an Associate of Arts Degree (1968), and the University of Missouri-Rolla receiving a B.S. Degree (1970) and an M.S. Degree in Civil Engineering (1974). Dave received a full scholastic scholarship to MAC and was a member of the Xi Epsilon and Tau Beta Pi honorary societies at Rolla. Between getting his B.S. and M.S. Degrees, Dave worked for Banner Iron Works in St. Louis as a fabricated steel estimator (1970-1972), and for PPG Industries in St. Louis and Topeka, Kansas, in installed window wall sales (1972-1973).
Dave joined CH2M HILL in 1974 in the Corvallis office as a project engineer in the Wastewater Business Group. After rising to Assistant Project Manager, Dave moved on to become the Resident Observer at the Turlock, California, Wastewater Treatment Plant (1978-1979); Project Manager/Department Manager, Wastewater Group, Denver (1979-1984); Area Office Manager (start-up office), Tucson (1984-1987); Division Manager, Water/Wastewater Groups, Denver (1987-1990); Area Office Manager, Charlotte, North Carolina (1990-1994); and Area Office Manager (re-start office), Minneapolis (1994 2000).
Dave was and remains active in professional societies holding major offices at the chapter and state level including the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the Water and Environment Federation (WEF) for whom he authored the Alkaline Stabilization Chapter of MOP-11, and the Central States Water and Environment Association (CSWEA, a member organization of WEF). In 2003, he was elected to the Central States Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers (7S).
After leaving CH2M HILL in 2000, Dave spent almost 14 years with the Howard R. Green Company, retiring from full-time employment as president of the water business in late 2013. He and Dotty now spend winters in Tucson, AZ, and summers and winter holidays in Minnesota with their three daughters and families including seven grandchildren.
John Ramage
John Ramage was born in Wellington, New Zealand. He earned his B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering at Washington State University in 1970 and his M.S.C. Degree at the University of Illinois in 1971. He was employed as an Engineering Technician by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Walla Walla District for 3 years between 1965 and 1967.
John joined CH2M (PDX) in June 1969 as a Junior Engineer. He transferred to CVO as a Staff Engineer in August 1971 and returned to PDX in August 1972 to become the Geotech Department Head. In mid-1976, he was made the Discipline Director of the Geotech Discipline. From June 1979 to December 1982, John served as the Manager of Underground Engineering at the Milwaukee Water Pollution Abatement Program. From January 1983 through June 1987, he was in the Reston Office to serve as the Director, Eastern District Civil Engineering Discipline. Between June 1987 and April 1995, he was back in the Milwaukee Water Pollution Abatement Program, serving as the Manager of Underground Engineering until1989, as Deputy Program Manager-Construction until 1991, and as the Program Manager until 1995.
In April 1995, John moved to the San Antonio Office to assist in Design/Build work with Zachry Construction. He served as the Program Manager on the major Chevron Project at Port Arthur, Texas, between April 1996 and October 2000, when he went to Germany to serve as Upgrade Manager on a major project.
In between this busy career, John found time to serve on the CH2M HILL Board of Directors between 1985 and1987 and again from 1995 to 1997. He retired in 2001, and currently serves on the Dispute Review Boards, Detroit, Las Vegas, and New York as well as assisting Zachry Construction with Design/Build Procurements.
Harry C. Reeder
Born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma (capital of the Cherokee Nation), in 1933, Harry Reeder moved to Dayton, Oregon, in 1947 with his family, and graduated from Dayton High School. He attended Portland State his first year of college and then transferred to Oregon State University, where he received his B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering (1955) and his M.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering (1973). Following graduation in 1955, he joined The Boeing Company. In 1966, after approximately 11 years at Boeing, he joined CH2M in Corvallis as Employee No. 158.
In Corvallis, Harry worked as a Mechanical Engineer for the design of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC), mechanical, and instrumentation and control (I&C) systems for water and wastewater collection and treatment facilities. Some of his projects included new water treatment plants in Yakima, Medford, and Lake Oswego. He also helped establish the I&C group. Harry was transferred to the Denver office in 1973, where he assisted in the project management of the Denver Water Board’s Foothills Water Project. He also worked on the City of Colorado Springs wastewater treatment plant and was Project Manager for the Colorado Springs R.D. Nixon Water Supply and Recycling Facility.
Harry was active in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) throughout his career. Harry also served as President of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Oregon.
Harry left CH2M HILL in 1977 and moved back to Oregon. He plans to retire when the stock market reaches 14,000 again or when it is no longer fun to be involved in engineering projects. Read More…
Richard S. (Rick) Reid
Born in Corvallis, Oregon, in 1940, Rick attended Oregon State University (OSU) where he received his B.S. Degree in 1962 and M.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1965. Prior to attending Graduate School at OSU, Rick served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1962 to 1964 as a 1st Lieutenant in a combat engineering battalion. After graduation, Rick was a motor oil research associate with the Chevron Research Corporation.
Rick joined CH2M in 1966 where he served as a design engineer, air pollution control engineer, project manager, department manager, and Mechanical Discipline Group Director until 1984 when he left to become one of the Founders of the Industrial Design Corporation (IDC), a CH2M HILL subsidiary. At IDC, Rick served as a Project Manager, Chief Engineer, Director of Operations, and Vice President before his retirement in 2002.
Significant project work included project management for the design and construction of wafer semiconductor fabrication facilities including Wacker Siltronics in Portland; National Semiconductor in Texas; Digital Equipment Company in Massachusetts and Scotland; Intel in Portland and Albuquerque; and ST Microelectronics in France, Singapore, and Italy.
Over his career, Rick’s community activities included serving as President of the Corvallis Lions Club; Chairman, Willamette Valley Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME); Chairman, Northwest Chapter, National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS); National President, NCRS; and Board member of the Corvette Museum.
Rick passed away Monday, January 26, 2015, at the age of 74 from complications of Parkinson’s disease and heart problems with his wife, Mary, by his side. Read More…
Earl Reynolds, Jr
Born in Hot Lake (LaGrande), Oregon, in 1923, Earl Reynolds enrolled in Oregon State College in 1940. He left college in 1943 to join the Navy Seabees where he, among other things, provided on the ground engineering support for the military invasion of Okinawa. He returned to Oregon State in 1946, where he graduated with a B.S. Degree in Structural Engineering (1947). Earl joined CH2M for the summer of 1947 before moving on to Yale where he earned an M.S. Degree in Structural Engineering (1948). He joined CH2M as full-time employee Number 008, in 1948.
Earl opened the Boise office in 1950 and served as its first Office Manager. Over the next three decades, Earl would go on to lead the office to many “firsts” in project achievement, growing to more than 100 employees by the end of the 80s. During this time, he continually progressed to more responsible positions in the firm, ultimately being named Chairman of the Board in 1980. Earl’s contributions and achievements during this time were summarized in a presentation at the 2007 Retiree Retreat in Sun Valley where he was honored for his service.
See attached (PDF)
A Fellow and Life Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Earl also received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) and the G.W. Fuller Award from the American Water Works Association (AWWA) for contributions to the advancement of the water works industry. Active in the Boise community for many years, he received the Distinguished Community Service Award in 1988, in part for his leadership in the development of the Boise River Greenbelt. Earl is also a member of the Oregon State University (OSU) Foundation Board of Trustees, following several years of service to that organization.
Earl retired in 1983 after 36 years with the firm. He continued to work part time on special projects for another 15 years. After retirement Earl has enjoyed his passion for nature, the outdoors, and the mountains; his favorite places became the Stanley Basin and Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. Earl passed away June 2, 2011. Read More…
Archie Rice
Archie Rice had been a student of Fred Merryfield at Oregon State University, graduating with the class of 1941. Academically, his background included both chemistry and sanitary engineering; and he was very strong technically. In addition, he had an incisive, analytical mind and a deeply embedded streak of independence.
At the prompting of Fred Merryfield, Archie decided to apply for a position with the newly formed CH2M organization. Archie became a partner in CH2M in 1948. In connection with leading major water supply and treatment projects, Archie developed the Microfloc process that became the standard for high quality water treatment. He led the formation of a subsidiary company
(General Services Company) to market the process and build package water treatment plants. When the Microfloc operation was later sold to Neptune Meter Company, he stayed on and continued as president for 5 years but also continuing to serve on the CH2M board.
The concept for the matrix organization adopted in 1971, an operational structure that created the discipline system the firm followed for many years, was Archie’s idea. Archie also was instrumental in developing numerous other business policies that are still being adhered to.
Overall, Archie exerted tremendous influence on the shape and structure of CH2M HILL during its formative years, and was a powerful force in its continued growth and profitability. Read More… A Celebration of His Life (PDF)
Ramona Richards
Ramona Richards was born in 1933 in Corvallis, Oregon. Following her schooling, she went to work as an Accountant for Olsen & Olsen, a local accounting firm. She joined CH2M in 1969 as an accounting clerk, starting as a part time employee working only 1 or 2 hours a day, usually as a loaned out worker from Olsen & Olsen. Her frequent visits to CH2M eventually developed into an offer for permanent employment by Mike Fisher, which she accepted.
Ramona’s career with CH2M HILL coincided with the years of its initial spurt of growth during the 70s and 80s. At one time or another, she had worked at every position in the Accounting Department. She contributed a great deal to the growth of the Administrative & Accounting departments from a handful of 4 or 5 people to a modernized, automated, and departmentalized Section numbering over 75 people, all specialists!
Ramona is another example of the hard-working support staff that helped turn CH2M HILL into what it is today. Her versatility during those early years made her a pillar of support that was heavily relied upon during times when it seemed that the firm was constantly on the cusp of needing more Accounting assistance, and no one else was available. Again, time has proven that the leaders of the firm had to have strong and reliable followers to be effective.
Ramona retired in 1995 and spent much of her time doing volunteer work at a local Library. Ramona was also a huge sports fan; and she loved music, traveling, and reading. She took her family to a Seattle Mariners game to celebrate her 75th birthday, sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Portland, and traveled to Europe. When not traveling by car, boat, or plane, Ramona traveled through books. She had a lifetime love affair with books that she shared with her family.
Ramona died peacefully at home in Albany, OR, on December 21, 2018.
Glenn Richter
Born in Marion, Indiana, in 1939, Glenn Richter attended Tri-State College, Angola, Indiana, where he received a B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering (1960) and the University of Iowa, where he obtained an M.S. Degree in Civil Sanitary Engineering (1968).
Following graduation from Tri-State, Glenn joined the Indiana State Highway Department and worked in bridge construction as a Project Engineer (1960 1962). He moved on to the U.S. Army as a Missile Test Engineer (1962 1964), and then to Stanley Engineering Company as a Resident Engineer (1964 1967) before returning to the University of Iowa for his graduate work.
Glenn joined CH2M in 1968 in the Corvallis office as a Project Engineer in the Wastewater Group. After rising to Project Manager, Glenn moved on to the Boise office as a Project and Department Manager (1973 1978); the Gainesville office as a Senior Project Manager and Chief Engineer (1978 1991); and finally to the Louisville Area Office as a Program Manager for the Louisville MSD Program, Area Office Manager (1991 1996), and Vice President (1994 1996).
Glenn was very active in professional societies including the Water Environment Federation (WEF), The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), and the Florida Engineering Society (FES). In 1984, he received the National WEF George Bradley Gascoigne Metal for outstanding contribution to the art of wastewater treatment plant operation. Glenn has held Professional Engineer registrations in Illinois, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wisconsin, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico.
After 28 years, Glenn left CH2M HILL to join Bishop & Associates/George F. Young, Sarasota, Florida, as a Senior Design Engineer, Senior Project Manager. He is currently working for Sarasota County as a Program Manager in charge of capital improvement projects for treatment facilities, master pump stations, and major pipelines. Glenn planned to retire in 2010 and enjoy a relaxed life of traveling, photography, and sailing.
Dana Rippon
Dana Rippon was born in San Francisco in 1949 and still considers Northern California his home base, in spite of many travels with the firm. He received his B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering from Humboldt State University in 1971 and his M.S. Degree in Civil/Environmental Engineering from Stanford University in 1972. Dana joined CH2M HILL in 1971 in the Redding Office and remained with the firm for 43 years.
In his initial years with the firm, Dana worked on many design projects that directly resulted from passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972. Most notably, he was a member of the original design team for the Upper Occoquan Sewage Authority (UOSA) Water Reclamation Plant, as well as the Tahoe-Truckee Sanitation Agency (T-TSA) Water Reclamation Plant. Both of these facilities were modeled after the South Tahoe Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) Plant, which catapulted the firm to national prominence. During these early years, Dana developed a bent towards plant operations and authored several operations and maintenance (O&M) manuals and conducted operator training and plant start-up programs. In 1978, he relocated to the Reston Office to conduct the operator training program and to direct the plant startup and first year of operation of the UOSA facility. At UOSA, Dana became known as a “hands-on” engineer and enjoyed a very successful year of plant performance.
After a stint at the Milwaukee Program Management Office (PMO), Dana relocated to the Gainesville Office in 1980 to facilitate the integration of Black, Crow and Eidsness (BC&E) into the firm and to establish Gainesville as a major design center. He would remain there for the next 10 years. While in Gainesville, Dana managed several water-softening plant designs and developed expertise in lime handling and treatment. He also served as chief engineer for the Virginia Initiative Plant (VIP) design and subsequent expansions of the UOSA facility. During his stay in Gainesville, Dana authored design guides for wastewater treatment, a wastewater discipline quality assurance (QA) manual, and taught the Quality Control portion of the Successful Project Execution Seminar Series. He travelled extensively throughout the Southeast, troubleshooting projects, and conducting project reviews for the Southeast District and firmwide. Dana took up skydiving and flying an ultralight airplane to try to relax between assignments.
In 1990, Dana got a chance to return to the West, moving to the Emeryville Office to manage the design of the North Richmond Water Reclamation Project for the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) to serve the Chevron Refinery. He also managed to marry the program manager (Anne Kernkamp). Once back West, he returned to the Redding Office and managed projects for Santa Rosa, Thousand Oaks, and consulted on the Iron Mountain Mine Superfund Site. He was not allowed to remain home for long, however. In 1995, Dana relocated to the Austin Office and would split his time between Dallas and Austin for the next several years, supporting a number of wastewater projects. In 2000, he would find his way back in Redding………..for good, this time. Back in Redding, Dana managed major expansions for the T-TSA and City of Redding water reclamation facilities. While based in Redding, he travelled internationally and made several trips to Taiwan, Australia, United Arab Emirates, and Eastern Siberia (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk) to troubleshoot and assist on projects.
Dana retired in 2014 and was immediately hired by a client as a part-time technical advisor. While he lives in Redding, he still has an office in Blacksburg, Virginia, and travels there periodically. His unofficial title with his new firm is “Resident Genius,” or, at least, “Mr. Know-it-All.” Anne and Dana built a log cabin vacation home on the edge of Zion National Park and get out there periodically to visit the buffalo herd, which grazes in their back yard.
Kathy (Ritter) Phillips
Kathy Phillips was born in Dallas, Oregon. Shortly after high school, she attended the Salem (Oregon) Vocational Community College (now Chemeketa Community College) where she was the first female to receive an Associate of Science degree in Civil-Structural Engineering Technology in 1966.
About 3 weeks prior to graduation, she joined three fellow classmates on a job-hunting trip to Corvallis. She chose CH2M as the only place to personally deliver a perfectly typed resume noting an Associate of Science Degree in Civil-Structural Engineering Technology. She purposely made no mention of being the first female to complete a new engineering program. Her fellow classmates laughingly told how their resumes were returned from CH2M with a rejection letter.
They took Kathy to CH2M first and waited at the curb, engine running, for her to drop off her resume as they stifled chuckles. The receptionist took a long look at her one-page offering before saying, “Wait just a minute, please.” She then quickly made a hushed phone call and then asked, “If you have about 15 to 20 minutes, our Engineering-Drafting Manager, Niels [Swede] Nordquist, would like to visit with you.” She skipped out to the waiting car, told the guys they should come back for her in 30 minutes. They all laughed loud and long and told her to “Get in the car and quit playing jokes on them!”
Niels’s interview was politely relaxed with many questions about her college student government activities, her small high school (Perrydale), a Dairy Princess’ duties, and her 4-H Club Junior-Leader work. He eventually questioned her less-than 4.0 GPA. He seemed satisfied with her justifications of having to work summers and two part-time jobs to pay all her own college costs, and that her single D came from a transplanted New Zealand Calculus professor who didn’t speak Oregon-English.
There was a short office tour, down narrow halls, with a brief stop at Dr. Merryfield’s office for introductions. They chatted enthusiastically about company benefits, recent business growth, and planned changes to be more progressive. Kathy recalls that their words flew over her head. She remembers giving cheery “good-byes” and left with no expectation of a reply, which was also the expectation of her classmates waiting for her on the curb.
Three days later, she warily opened a CH2M envelope and was shocked to see a Fred Merryfield signature and her 1966 job offer with a salary of $425 per month. She showed the letter to her classmates who had discouraged her and, realizing it was not a joke, apologized and all congratulated her. Kathy was assigned employee No. 175 and was given a heavy ceramic coffee cup on Day 1 at the spacious Western Boulevard office in Corvallis.
A progressive decision made Kathy CH2M’s first female Engineering Tech-Draftsperson. It was a bigger progressive decision for CH2M to select Jacque Hinman as its first female Chairman and CEO. She was welcomed at the CH2M Retiree’s 2016 Western Reunion as an honored speaker. Kathy was humbled to meet with her at the 50th Anniversary year of CH2M’s incorporation. Kathy feels Jacque may agree that they both worked with and learned from the best mentors, the best engineers, the best team members …. the guys at CH2M.
Kathy notes that early progressive ideals produced a teamwork culture of CH2M’s guys and gals who continue to pursue and promote progressive solutions and delivery of outstanding projects.
E. Kent Robinson
Born in New Martinsville, West Virginia, in 1939, Kent Robinson attended West Liberty State College (1957-1961), earning his B.S. Degree in Chemistry and Mathematics, and the University of West Virginia (1961-1967), where he earned his M.S. and Ph.D. Degrees in Biological Chemistry. Kent was elected to the Chi Beta Phi National Honorary Science Fraternity, the Society of the Sigma Xi, and was a National Defense Education Act Fellowship Recipient.
Kent joined CH2M HILL in 1979 where, as Director of Marketing & Corporate Development (1980-1985), he contributed to the development of several new ventures for the firm including the establishment of Operations Management International, Inc., IOTECH, Inc., and the CH2M HILL’s offices in New Mexico and Texas. Subsequently, Kent served as: Program Manager, U.S. EPA REM/FIT and REM IV Programs (1985-1989); Regional Manager for the South Texas and Texas Regions (1989-1997); Program Manager, U.S. EPA RAC 6 Program (1994-1997); Operations Director for the Water Business Group (1997-1999); and President of CH2M HILL International, Ltd. (1998-2003).
Kent retired in 2004 and lived in Prescott, Arizona, where he did volunteer work at a local museum, played golf, and was an amateur astronomer. He also liked to do long-distance voyages by cruise ship.
Kent passed away on August 4, 2019. Read More…
Ralph Roderick
Ralph Roderick was a civil engineering graduate of Kansas State University and had worked for a number of years for a consulting engineer in Kansas in both water and in sewerage projects. He was familiar with the special techniques required to work with City Councils and the various governing bodies that made the decisions regarding the award process of engineering projects. In addition, he was extremely energetic in business development activities and had an excellent understanding of their importance. This experience contributed greatly to the strong background in consulting and city engineering, which he was later to bring to CH2M.
Before joining CH2M, Ralph had done a variety of things. In addition to the sanitary work, he had worked on electric systems in Kansas during the Depression years when people such as he were glad to work on any kind of project they could get. His work on rural electrification (REA) projects in Kansas for an engineering firm expanded the background he was able to bring to CH2M. As a result, Ralph was quickly able to head up numerous projects including work for CH2M’s then largest client, the City of Eugene.
One of the major contributions Ralph made was his deep involvement in the Lake Tahoe project. He worked closely with the Clair Hill organization on the application of the Hayes-invented Flomatcher to some of the pumping station problems in Lake Tahoe. This led to other projects, and ultimately to the design and construction of the now famous Lake Tahoe Water Treatment Plant, which spearheaded CH2M’s onslaught in the national scene.
Ralph was made a partner in 1948, at the same time that Archie Rice became a partner. His close association with the Clair Hill organization led to his involvement with the discussions regarding a merger, and he played an active role in the merger proceedings in 1971. Until his death, he continued to serve as a loyal and valuable member of the CH2M HILL management team, leaving behind a rich legacy of accomplishments and memories. Read More…
Dean Rue
Dean Rue was born in Miles City, MT, in 1945 and grew up in southwest North Dakota. He graduated from North Dakota State University in 1967 with a B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering and was commissioned into the Air Force for 4 years.
After separating from the Air Force, he worked for a consulting engineering firm in Fargo, ND, for 11 years. He then moved to Denver, CO, and worked for two consulting engineering firms for 3 years and then as a partner in a real estate land development firm for 3 years before joining CH2M HILL in 1988.
On his first day with the firm, Dean traveled from Denver to the Nashville, TN, airport field office for a 2-year temporary assignment on the firm’s program management team for a new Runway/Taxiway complex at the Nashville Airport. Vaughn Sterling (employee #39) was the Director of Aviation, and the firm had about 5,000 employees and did $500 million per year.
Dean returned to Denver after the Nashville assignment in 1990 and was the design manager for two new runways (12,000 feet) at the New Denver Airport, as the only aviation person in the Denver office. The aviation group in Denver started to grow. He became the aviation group leader and spent the rest of his career in Denver, where he was a project manager and Technologist Fellow on many aviation projects at small and large commercial airports and large military bases.
The large, significant projects were: Sixth new runway/taxiway complex at Denver, being 16,000 feet long, the longest runway in North America; a new runway and a reconstructed runway (15,000 feet) at Edwards Air Force Base, CA, where the Space Shuttle landed during the project, when bad weather restricted landing in Florida, and was a design-build project; a new runway/taxiway complex at Calgary, Alberta, Canada, which was the longest runway in Canada; and recently a large, complex FAA-recommended taxiway reconfiguration and reconstruction at the Honolulu Airport.
Dean is a registered Professional Engineer and Professional Land Surveyor. He has been a long-time member of the American Society of Civil Engineers Airfield Pavement Committee, has given many technical papers and presentations, and a few years ago received the Airfield Pavement Practitioner Award.
Dean retired on June 25, 2021, after 33 years with the firm. During retirement, he has been playing more golf and traveling.
Sally Ruggles
Born in Grand Junction, Colorado, Sally Ruggles attended high school in Santa Ana, CA. She later went on to take various college night courses. Her experience included management of the family construction business and the local telephone company before going to work for H. Zinder & Assoc. in Seattle, WA, as a bookkeeper. When this firm was purchased by CH2M in 1967, Jim Poirot asked her to come to CH2M’s Seattle office to supervise some of the office staff. At that time, CH2M had five offices and 350 employees.
From 1968 to 1975, Sally worked in the Seattle office in several positions. In 1975, she was asked to go to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to help open a new office along with Mike Anglea and Don Marske and hire and train a Receptionist, Word Processor, and Bookkeeper. Up to that time, the firm had always hired local people and trained them on the job without prior knowledge of the firm.
In July of 1976, Sally’s job was done in Milwaukee; and she was again asked to help another office in San Francisco. What was originally a 6-month tour turned into a permanent position as Office Administrator and Bookkeeper. With the help of Phil Hall, she was voted in as a Key Employee in 1978. At that time, Sally and another Corvallis woman were the fourth and fifth women to become Key Employees. They were all in the administrative ranks.
Sally was later reclassified as the Regional Administrative Manager (RAM) in San Francisco and helped move the office three times during her term there where she watched it grow from 40 to over 200 employees.
In 1993, Sally was again asked to transfer. This time, she went to the Redding office as their RAM was taking a medical leave. During that time, she also oversaw the South West Region (SWR) fleet and facilities.
Sally retired in Redding in March 2000 after over 33 years of service. She moved to White Salmon, Washington, to be near her family. She has since become a partner in a wholesale jewelry business and also worked part-time in a gift shop at a historical hotel in Hood River, Oregon. Sally is also an award-winning quilter shown here with one of her prized pieces.
Carl Ryden
Born in Cranbrook B. C., Canada, in 1923, Carl attended Oregon State University for two semesters before he was drafted into the Air Force during WWII. His training as a navigator on B-25s brought him to Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis. It was here he met his wife Holly at a USO dance. After he completed his training, he served in the South Pacific. On one occasion, he was wounded and later survived a plane crash before coming home from the war. When the war ended, he and Holly married in St. Louis in August 1945.
Following his wedding, Carl returned to Oregon State University and graduated in 1949 with a B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering. It was at this time he heard about CH2M, a fledging engineering consulting company, where he felt very fortunate to get a part-time job while continuing his education. During his early career years, he worked with McDonnell Aircraft Corporation as an Engineer in 1949-1950 and for Sverdrup & Parcel Inc., Consulting Engineers during 1950-1951.
Carl was an innovator, leader, and early pioneer of CH2M. He joined CH2M full-time in 1952 as Employee No. 18 and, until 1963, provided Mechanical Engineering design for Sewage Water Treatment plants, hydroelectric plants, U.S. Air Force base projects, the Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Navy. In 1963, he moved to Seattle and worked on Mechanical Engineering projects for Boeing Aircraft, and numerous power plants and wastewater projects. From 1966 to 1976, he served as Project Manager for various Mechanical Engineering Department water and waste treatment and hydroelectric studies and designs. He also was instrumental in the development of the firm’s hydropower business.
The 1950s were a period of unprecedented growth for CH2M. Most of the added staff were recent graduates with a very steep learning curve to becoming consulting engineers. Carl was the right man at the right place and time. He filled a much-needed mentor role for many and was a natural teacher.
One of the reasons for this growth was the success at becoming the pre-eminent consulting engineering firm in the Pacific Northwest. A significant reason for this success was Burke Hayes’ invention of what became known as the Flomatcher. This instrument consisted of a series of plates submerged in incoming raw sewage that adjusted (matched) the speed of influent pumps in response to the rise and fall of the sewage in the wet well. This gradual change in flow improved the treatment process. It also greatly reduced the size of the wet well. The downside was that it presented an ongoing cleaning problem.
Carl’s answer to this was to develop what became known as the Model B Flomatcher. This version replaced the submerged plates with a bubble tube in the wet well that varied the level of a remote electrolyte tank with the same result of variable speed without the mess and maintenance problem. This is the unit that was the basis for starting the spin-off corporation formally known as Flomatcher Inc. to market the unit nationwide.
Carl moved to Los Angeles in 1976 to provide services on a waste disposal study for a major sludge disposal project for the City of Los Angeles. He returned to the Seattle office in 1977 and managed firmwide business development efforts and served as a technical consultant on power projects.
Carl was a past chairman of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a member of Pi Tau Sigma and Sigma Tau. Carl was also a Sunday school teacher for high-school-aged boys and served on the Board of the Boy Scouts of America.
Carl retired as Vice President and Industrial Division Manager in 1986 after 32 years of service. He passed away on July 1, 2010.