I was born on 31 Aug 1944 in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was
second born and have 3 brothers and 2 sisters. One of my brothers is
deceased; my older brother lives in Rochester, NY. My other brother, 2
sisters, and father all live in Salt Lake. I moved to Rochester, NY, in May
2007. My mother passed away
in January 2005 at the age of 85.
I attended Judge Memorial Catholic School from kindergarten
through 12th grade. After high school graduation, I attended the University
of Utah for a couple of years without much motivation or success.
With the threat of being drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War
buildup in 1965, I enlisted in the Air Force for 4 years. During this time,
I was stationed at Stewart AFB, Newburgh, NY, for 3 years, and at Bien Hoa
Air Base, Vietnam, for 1 year. My job title was Information Specialist.
While at Stewart AFB, I wrote hometown stories and prepared radio spots for
enlisted men and officers stationed at Stewart.
In Vietnam, during 1968, my job title was Combat News Reporter, which
permitted me free access to fly on 11 combat missions and write stories on
the pilots and crew on these missions. In the latter part of my service in
Vietnam, I was the 3rd Combat Fighter Wing Historian. Two of my quarterly
histories were judged to be best in the Pacific Air Force (7th Air Force).
Upon discharge (Feb 1969), I returned to Salt Lake, where I attended the
University of Utah, majoring in Civil Engineering. I graduated with a
Bachelor of Science degree in June 1971 (GPA of 3.86/4.0). During this time,
I met and married my first wife, Barbara. Our marriage lasted 10 years, 1970
to 1980, and we produced two wonderful children, Johanna (1975) and Jacob
(1978).
On a full scholarship, I attended the University of Illinois at
Champagne-Urbana from Sep 71 to Jan 73. During this time, I was a part time
research assistant. I graduated with a Master of Science Degree in
Structural Engineering and a GPA of 5.0/5.0) in Feb 73.
I started work part time for E.W. Allen & Assoc., a consulting structural
engineering firm in Salt Lake City, in March 1971. Except for a short time,
from Sep 74 to Mar 76, when I worked for H.C. Hughes Company, I have worked
continuously for E.W. Allen & Assoc. I became a partner in 1977. The company
name was changed to Allen & Bailey Engineers in 1990. I became President of
the company in 1999.
Some of my more significant projects as a structural engineer include the
Eaton Tower, Skaggs Catholic Center, Salt Palace Expansion, Bridge over the
Green River near Vernal, Westminster College Giovale Library, and the
Cathedral of the Madeleine Seismic Retrofit. My most significant project,
for which I have received numerous awards for engineering excellence, is the
Restoration, Seismic Retrofit, and Base Isolation of the historic Salt Lake
City & County Building (built in 1890). This was the first historic building
in the world to be Base Isolated. This technique entails placing the entire
structure on rubber seismic isolation bearings, such that the building is
isolated from damaging earthquake ground motions.
I am past State of Utah Uniform Building Code Commissioner, and past
Commissioner on the Utah Seismic Safety Commission. I also served as a
member of the Salt Lake City & County Building Conservancy Use Committee,
and as a member of the Murray City Board of Appeals.
I sold Allen & Bailey Engineers to ABS Consulting, a large
international corporation based in Houston, in 2001. As part of the buy-out
agreement, I worked for this company as a Senior Engineer & Consultant until
December 2003, at which time I retired at the tender age of 59. This company came along at the perfect time; after over 30 years of
doing this type of high stress, high liability work, I was getting burnt out
and was ready for a change in my life. I've been having great fun ever since,
doing other things besides engineering, and have never regretted early
retirement.
In May 2007 we moved
to Rochester, New York. We've vacationed in Western New York and visited my
brother, who lives here, on numerous occasions over the years. My wife has
always loved the trees and greenery of this area and has urged me on many
occasions to move here. Finally, the timing was right and we packed up our
little doggies and drove out here for good. So far we have no regrets. We
both love our new home here and find it to be a pleasant change.
My current hobbies and activities include birding, computers, hiking, bird photography, antique radio and clock collecting &
repair, duplicate bridge (Life Master), guitar playing, and biking.
I met my wife Judy while hiking with the Wasatch Mountain Club in April
1993. We were married in July 1995. It is the best thing that ever happened to me. Life has never been
better.