All: I am deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Bob Lee who was on our faculty. I learned that he passed away while on a motorcycle trip over Labor Day weekend. I know many of you have fond memories of Prof. Lee. Below is information that was shared with me as part of the message. GS --------------------------
From his wife, Agency Bridge Reviewer Michelle Tragesser, we learned that Bob graduated from high school in Chicago at the age of 15, attended a local Purdue University campus until he was 18 and graduated from the main campus in West Lafayette, Indiana at age 19. In 1956, he began his engineering career as an intern at Oregon State Highway Division, headquartered from the La Grande office, and then moved to Oregon to work for Cornell, Howland, Hayes & Merryfield (later known as CH2M-Hill), where he designed a pipeline suspension bridge.
After moving back to Indiana to be closer to family, Bob earned his Masters and PhD degrees and joined the civil/structural engineering staff at Purdue where he was a beloved professor, Structures department head and Associate Head of the School of Civil Engineering for nearly 40 years. Bob was a great advocate for female engineers, including Sue Frey of CH2M Hill fame, and Pat Galloway also from CH2M Hill, who was the first and only female ASCE president and served on the National Science Board on appointment by President Bush and the Senate. Bob was also an avid kayaker (Rogue River, Class 5 by himself), sailor (Mackinaw 333 mile annual yacht race Chicago to Mackinac Island), motorcyclist, longtime chair of Tippecanoe County Historical Association, and Border Collie dog enthusiast & rescuer. During his 25yr tenure as the historical association, Bob took a local festival called the Feast of the Hunter's Moon to a globally-attended event that continues to grow. After retiring from Purdue in 1994, Professor Lee (Emeritus) continued to consult with INDOT, area consultants and contractors, as well as in surrounding states. He was one of the two original developers of de-bonded strands in prestressed concrete girders, designed elegant variable-depth bridges for the new interstate system, and wrote reinforced/prestressed concrete design programs for INDOT and others. Working closely with contractors and consultants, Bob was an expert in deck replacement on arch bridges to properly unload and reload the arches without overstressjng them, with many crossing the Ohio River. He was preparing to give a talk in October to ODOT's Bridge Section, which has several arch bridges. Bob found himself involved in many engineering endeavors wherever he was, such as teaching seismic engineering at the University of Washington and consulting on the Seattle Seawall project. He became embedded at WSDOT to help prepare veteran WSDOT employees (qualified by work experience through NCEES) to pass the FE and PE exams. Soon counties and WSDOT offices across the state had employees wanting the same support. Professor Lee's School of Engineering, as his students lovingly named, ran contractually for several years through WSDOT. These licensed engineers have served WSDOT in greater and greater capacities. In 2010, he began teaching at Tacoma Community College, where he taught physics, differential equations and electrical engineering. Professor Lee became a beloved professor in WA, too. In recent years Bob worked in Load Rating here, and he was impressed with his load rating team members. He would say that he came full-circle, finally living and working in Oregon. We are honored that he chose to be part of ODOT Bridge. Bob was on his annual trip to Meeker, Colorado for the National Sheepherding Trials, near Mountain Home, Idaho when he passed on Sunday, September 1, 2024. Please be respectful of Michelle's feelings, and if you need help dealing with grief please contact one of the Bridge managers or EAP resources at: PEBB Canopy Summary of Services<https://ordot.sharepoint.com/:b:/r/sites/EmployeeSafety/Shared%20Documents/Wellness/PEBB_Canopy_Summary.pdf?csf=1&web=1&e=P8g8aT&xsdata=MDV8MDJ8Q2NlLWFsbC1saXN0QGVjbi5wdXJkdWUuZWR1fGYzZTQxMjI4ODI5NDQ5MmQxZTBkMDhkY2NlMGI5MGU5fDQxMzBiZDM5N2M1MzQxOWNiMWU1ODc1OGQ2ZDYzZjIxfDB8MHw2Mzg2MTE3OTYyNjU0MzEwODh8VW5rbm93bnxUV0ZwYkdac2IzZDhleUpXSWpvaU1DNHdMakF3TURBaUxDSlFJam9pVjJsdU16SWlMQ0pCVGlJNklrMWhhV3dpTENKWFZDSTZNbjA9fDB8fHw%3d&sdata=dExSbWcxS3dZY2FtSG5hRjNycEYyWUVNT1F6N1dOUjV0Znp1aHJrdUMzST0%3d>.