Related Links: Obituaries of other industry leaders and innovators George A. Schaefer, 84, an accountant whose leadership at construction equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. in the 1980s guided it from red ink to profits and global growth, died on April 9 in Peoria, Ill., says the firm, also based there. SCHAEFERNo cause of death was provided.Schaefer's term as chairman and CEO, from 1985 until 1990, capped a 39-year company career.He took the helm amid Caterpillar losses of nearly $1 billion, United Auto Workers strikes at its plants and stronger foreign competition, such as from Japan-based Komatsu Corp., according to a Harvard Business

Cosanti Foundation A Scottsdale, Ariz., bridge exemplifies Soleri's unique design approach. Related Links: Legendary Arizona Architect Paolo Soleri Dies at 93 Obituaries of other industry leaders and innovators On April 9, the day architect Paolo Soleri died, high winds in Arizona caused his bronze-and-ceramic "wind bells," which were prevalent across the state, to ring loudly.To many Arizonans, it was a fitting tribute to a locally-based designer who spent a long career blending architecture and ecology.Soleri, an Italian immigrant who incorporated environmentalism and sustainability into designs long before it was trendy, was 93 years old. SOLERIWhile many of his urban environments reside

Related Links: Obituaries of other leaders and innovators in the construction industry GuytonWilliam F. Guyton, 95, a pioneer in groundwater hydrology study and founder of one of the first consultants in the field, died on March 2 in Austin, Texas.He was among the first employees in the U.S. Geological Survey's groundwater branch, beginning his career there in 1939.Guyton founded, in 1951, Austin-based William F. Guyton Associates, known for expertise in deep-well technology, large-scale water-supply development and hydrogeo-chemistry.The firm was acquired by consultant Leggette, Brashears & Graham in 1992 and now operates as LBG-Guyton Associates.Guyton was a past president of the

Related Links: Archives of obituaries on other industry leaders and innovators MooreMark E. Moore, a senior principal at forensic engineer Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc., Northbrook, Ill., and an expert in structural analysis and pioneer in use of nondestructive testing methods, died suddenly on Feb. 25 on company business in Washington, D.C., says a company spokesman. He did not disclose the cause of death for Moore, 55, who was based in Atlanta.Moore, a 34-year WJE veteran, "was involved in many of the firm's most significant structural investigation assignments," says President William Nugent.These include a probe of a partial 1999 parking-garage

Related Links: Archives of ENR obituaries of other AEC industry leaders and innovators KendallWilliam D. Kendall, a Houston architect whose soft-spoken passion for quality, discipline and service made his firm sought after as associate architects and architects-of-record by such design luminaries as Cesar Pelli, Norman Foster, Ricardo Bofill and Rem Koolhaas, died Feb. 25 in that city.Kendall, 70, who was serving as president of Kendall/Heaton Associates Inc. (KHA), at the time of his death, died of complications from melanoma, says the firm.Kendall co-founded the now 55-employee firm in 1978 with mentor and colleague James E. Heaton, who died in 1993.

Courtesy of CTLGroup Gene Corley (right) probes debris at site of World Trade Center after terror attacks in 2001. Structural engineer led numerous probes of major building failures in a 50-year career. Related Links: CTLGroup  CorleyProminent structural failure investigator W. Gene Corley, whose career spanned 50 years, died March 1 at age 77, after a battle with cancer.Corley was perhaps best known for leading teams that studied the collapses of Oklahoma City's Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, bombed on April 19, 1985, and the twin towers of Manhattan's World Trade Center, attacked on Sept. 11, 2001."Solving problems with structural

Related Links: Check ENR archives for obituaries of other construction industry leaders and innovators International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers website   JoyceJohn T. "Jack" Joyce did not spend much time as a jobsite union bricklayer, but he staunchly defended the craft against outside politics and changing market forces in his 20 years as president of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, the longest of any leader, and in a longer career pushing new ideas to serve its members.Joyce died on Feb. 14 in Washington, D.C., of cancer, says a union spokeswoman. He was 77.In a statement,

L. Gene Suhr, former director of water and wastewater engineering at CH2M Hill Cos. and an innovator of globally used advanced Suhrtreatment design techniques, died on Jan. 27 in Vancouver, Wash. He was 79.At CH2M Hill for 35 years, Suhr helped push it to become top-ranked in the fields, the firm says.Among Suhr's notable roles were managing and designing the first U.S. advanced wastewater treatment plant at South Lake Tahoe, Calif., in the 1960s and developing the master plan for a first-ever treatment program in Alexandria, Egypt, in the 1980s.He also was chief technical consultant for the Milwaukee Water Pollution

  SchirmerChester W. "Chet" Schirmer, 84, who led the engineering firm his father founded to pioneer approaches in sprinkler engineering and fire protection design, died on Feb. 19 in Pinehurst, N.C., of natural causes, says Aon Corp. The insurance giant acquired Schirmer Engineering Corp. in 2001 but maintained its brand for nearly a decade.The firm ranked at No. 289 on ENR's list of the Top 500 Design Firms in 2011. Schirmer was firm president from 1964 to 1991 and chairman until 1995. "His influence on many projects in fire protection include instrumental changes on sprinkler systems and the design of life-safety

Related Links: Check ENR archives for obituaries of other construction industry leaders and innovators Patricia Galloway and Kris Nielsen Foundation Managing Gigaprojects: Book Details and Ordering Information from ASCE Note: A service and celebration to remember Kris Nielsen will be held on Saturday, March 9, Noon, at Unionville Ranch Arena in Cle Elum, Wash. For more information, please contact Brenda Pearson, b.pearson@pegasus-global.com, or 509-857-2235.Kris R. Nielsen, a specialist consultant in best practices, risk management and mediation on global construction projects and chairman of Pegasus Global Holdings Inc., died on Feb. 16 in Cle Elum, Wash., of a rare soft tissue