PECG Fallen Colleagues Memorial

Since 1924, more than three dozen state engineers and related professionals represented by the Professional Engineers in California Government (PECG) have lost their lives serving the public.  This list is a sad-yet-inspirational reminder that the Golden State’s progress has always come from the selfless sacrifice of those who serve the public, even at the risk of their own lives.

YEAR	NAME	DEPARTMENT / AGENCY	JOB TITLE
2022	Ali Shabazz	Caltrans D6 – Central Valley	Civil Engineer
2022	Qanda McGadney	Caltrans D4 – Bay Area	Landscape Maintenance Worker
2022	Abeer Aqrabawi	Caltrans D4 – Bay Area	Transportation (Civil) Engineer
2015	Oscar Vargas	Caltrans D11 – San Diego	Transportation (Civil) Engineer
2008	Muoi Duc Tran	Caltrans D2 – Redding	Transportation (Civil) Engineer
1998	Hemul Patel	Caltrans D3 – Marysville / Sacramento	Transportation (Civil) Engineer
1994	Brad Lee Joss	Caltrans D4 – Bay Area / Oakland	Transportation (Civil) Engineer
1993	Robert J. Essenpreis	Caltrans D2 – Redding	Transportation (Civil) Engineer
1992	Callie Joel Buser, Jr	Caltrans D7 – Los Angeles	Land Surveys Supervisor
1990	Oscar Lanatta	Caltrans D10 – Stockton	Civil Engineer
1989	Tsutomu (Ben) Tani	Caltrans D6 – Fresno / Bakersfield	Assistant Transportation Engineer
1987	David Hoffman	Caltrans D11 – San Diego	Associate Engineer
1984	Byron Works	Caltrans Headquarters	Engineering Geologist
1983	Roland V. Keller	Caltrans D10 – Stockton	Assistant Transportation Engineer
1981	James C. Escola, Jr	Caltrans D3 – Marysville / Sacramento	Assistant Transportation Engineer
1979	Daniel C. Wong	Caltrans D4 – Bay Area / Oakland	Engineering Geologist
1978	David R. Tobey	Caltrans D9 – Bishop	Engineering Student Assistant
1973	Emory Price	Caltrans D7 – Los Angeles	Highway Resident Engineer
1971	Carl P. Tardito	Caltrans D4 – Bay Area / Oakland	Land Surveyor
1971	Jerry Corey	Caltrans D4 – Bay Area / Oakland	Land Surveyor
1969	William McLaughlin	Caltrans D10 – Stockton	Assistant Highway Engineer
1968	Richard McQuillan	Caltrans D4 – Bay Area / Oakland	Land Surveyor
1966	Bruce Cole	Caltrans Headquarters	Assistant Bridge Engineer
1965	Robert Adams	Caltrans D4 – Bay Area / Oakland	Associate Engineer
1964	Evan G. Bower	Caltrans D8 – San Bernardino / Riverside	Assistant District Engineer
1963	Arnold H. Lenox	Caltrans D11 – San Diego	Land Surveyor
1962	Frank James Smith	Caltrans Headquarters	Assistant Bridge Engineer
1962	Lylee E. Bilyue	Caltrans D2 – Redding	Assistant Highway Engineer
1958	Vaughn O. Sheff	Caltrans D7 – Los Angeles	Superintendent/Engineer
1957	John W. Spargo	Caltrans D4 – Bay Area / Oakland	Engineer
1956	George Leatherwood	Caltrans D1 – Eureka	Senior Highway Engineer
1956	Walter H. Johnson	Caltrans Headquarters	Assistant Bridge Engineer
1954	Donald W. Anderson	Caltrans D8 – San Bernardino / Riverside	Assistant Engineer
1953	Alan L. Robbins	Caltrans D11 – San Diego	Land Surveyor
1948	Frank W. Poast	Caltrans D8 – San Bernardino / Riverside	Assistant Highway Engineer
1938	Charles Pope	Caltrans Headquarters	Construction Engineer
1935	Raymond Buland	Caltrans D2 – Redding	Assistant Highway Engineer
1934	Fred Balsz	Caltrans D3 – Marysville / Sacramento	Land Surveyor
1933	William Krasevac	Caltrans D3 – Marysville / Sacramento	Land Surveyor
1931	Albert Castro	Caltrans D5 – San Luis Obispo / Santa Barbara	Land Surveyor
1924	Alfred Achtert	Caltrans D8 – San Bernardino / Riverside	Assistant Resident Engineer
1921	James Daniel Archer	Caltrans D1 – Eureka	Superintendent/Land Surveyor

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California State Engineer Memorial Interchange

State Highway Route 5 and State Highway Route 50 (Sacramento County)

If you are aware of a colleague – a Unit 9 state engineer or related professional – who has passed away on the job in public service to Californians, please let PECG know so we can honor them as well.  Thank you for your help.

The State Assembly Resolution (ACR 100 – 2012)
Officially Recognizing the California State Engineer Memorial Interchange

WHEREAS, The men and women who serve Californians as engineers and closely related professionals throughout state government are persons of skill, intelligence, and advanced training who deserve to be recognized for their dedicated service; and

WHEREAS, California’s state engineers and related professionals have paid a high price in serving our state with at least 37 on-the-job deaths in their ranks over the last century; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature desires to promote the safety of the state’s employees and to encourage motorists traveling in and through the state to exercise caution and care when encountering a work zone; and

WHEREAS, California’s state engineers design and inspect the state’s highways and bridges, ensure that schools and hospitals are safe during earthquakes, improve air and water quality, work to reduce fossil fuel emissions, and perform countless other professional functions that create jobs and protect public safety in our state; and

WHEREAS, The Professional Engineers in California Government (PECG) was organized in 1962 in the San Francisco Bay area to represent state engineers and address the safety concerns associated with state service; and

WHEREAS, PECG is, therefore, celebrating its 50th anniversary as an organization in 2012; and

WHEREAS, PECG represents approximately 13,000 professional engineers, architects, land surveyors, engineering geologists, and closely related professionals serving the public in state government; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature honors the state engineers and related professionals who have lost their lives serving the public and commends PECG members for their exemplary work designing and inspecting infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, It would be a fitting tribute to past, present, and future state engineers and related professionals and PECG’s 50th anniversary to designate the interchange of State Highway Route 5 and State Highway Route 50 in the County of Sacramento as the California State Engineer Memorial Interchange to recognize the dedicated public service of California’s state engineers and related professionals;