Stephen Davison Bechtel (September 24, 1900 – March 14, 1989)[1] was the son of Clara Alice West and Warren A. Bechtel, founder of the Bechtel Corporation. He was the president of the company from 1933 to 1960.
In 1923, Bechtel married Laura Adeline Peart, a Berkeley alumna, who would help her husband build the family-owned business into one of the world's largest engineering and construction firms.[4]
Bechtel Companyedit
In 1925, Warren A. Bechtel, his sons Warren Jr, Stephen Sr, Kenneth (Ken), and his brother Arthur (Art) joined to incorporate as W.A. Bechtel Company. Stephen Sr. became vice-president of Bechtel in 1925. His father, Warren A. Bechtel, died suddenly while traveling to the Soviet Union in 1933. That came at a critical time for the company: concrete was being poured for the Hoover Dam, Bechtel's largest project. Stephen became president in 1935 and saw the company through the construction of the dam.[2][citation needed]
Over the next 30 years, Stephen expanded Bechtel into a huge and successful engineering company with operations all over the world. He handed the presidency of the company over to his son, Stephen Jr. in 1960 but stayed on as the chairman until 1969.
Berkeley awarded Bechtel an honorary degree in Agricultural Science in 1954, and in 1980, it completed construction of the Bechtel Engineering Center, which was named in his honor. Before this the building was known as the Mechanics Building.[5]
The Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at the American University of Beirut (AUB) is named "The Bechtel Engineering Building" after its donor, Stephen Bechtel.
^"TIME 100 Persons of The Century". Time. 1999-06-06. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
Herman, Arthur. Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II, Random House, New York, NY. ISBN978-1-4000-6964-4.
External linksedit
Stephen Bechtel's biography on company web-site
Six Companies, Now Single Unit, Ready to Sign Contract for Hoover Dam; newspaper article; unknown date, includes photo of W.A. Bechtel Sr, S.D. Bechtel, K.K. Bechtel.
January 01, 1970
stephen, bechtel, stephen, bechtel, redirects, here, stephen, bechtel, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, source. Stephen Bechtel redirects here For his son see Stephen Bechtel Jr This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Stephen Bechtel Sr news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2019 Learn how and when to remove this message Stephen Davison Bechtel September 24 1900 March 14 1989 1 was the son of Clara Alice West and Warren A Bechtel founder of the Bechtel Corporation He was the president of the company from 1933 to 1960 Stephen Davison BechtelBornSeptember 24 1900Aurora Indiana U S Died14 March 1989 1989 03 14 aged 88 Oakland California U S Resting placeMountain View CemeteryOakland California U S NationalityAmericanOccupationBusinessmanSpouseLaura A Peart m 1923 wbr Children2 including Stephen Jr ParentWarren A Bechtel father RelativesKenneth K Bechtel brother Contents 1 Early life 2 Bechtel Company 3 Death and legacy 4 References 5 External linksEarly life editStephen Davison Bechtel was born on September 24 1900 in Aurora Indiana to Warren A Bechtel He grew up in construction camps living with his father as he traveled to construction projects 2 He graduated from Oakland Technical High School 3 in 1918 and served with the 20th Engineer Brigade part of the American Expeditionary Force sent to assist France in World War I In 1919 after the war he attended the University of California Berkeley for one year and left to work for his father s company full time 2 4 In 1923 Bechtel married Laura Adeline Peart a Berkeley alumna who would help her husband build the family owned business into one of the world s largest engineering and construction firms 4 Bechtel Company editIn 1925 Warren A Bechtel his sons Warren Jr Stephen Sr Kenneth Ken and his brother Arthur Art joined to incorporate as W A Bechtel Company Stephen Sr became vice president of Bechtel in 1925 His father Warren A Bechtel died suddenly while traveling to the Soviet Union in 1933 That came at a critical time for the company concrete was being poured for the Hoover Dam Bechtel s largest project Stephen became president in 1935 and saw the company through the construction of the dam 2 citation needed Over the next 30 years Stephen expanded Bechtel into a huge and successful engineering company with operations all over the world He handed the presidency of the company over to his son Stephen Jr in 1960 but stayed on as the chairman until 1969 Berkeley awarded Bechtel an honorary degree in Agricultural Science in 1954 and in 1980 it completed construction of the Bechtel Engineering Center which was named in his honor Before this the building was known as the Mechanics Building 5 In 1976 Bechtel received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement 6 Death and legacy editStephen Bechtel died on March 14 1989 at Merritt Peralta Medical Center in Oakland California 2 He was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland Stephen was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century 7 The undergraduate engineering center of the University of California Berkeley was named the Bechtel Engineering Center The Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at the American University of Beirut AUB is named The Bechtel Engineering Building after its donor Stephen Bechtel References edit Hydraulicians in the USA 1800 2000 a b c d Stephen Bechtel Head of Global Construction Firm Dies at 88 Los Angeles Times 1989 03 15 p 2 Retrieved 2022 09 13 via Newspapers com nbsp Stephen Bechtel Class of 1918 School Historical Archive 21 February 2015 Retrieved 22 February 2016 a b Laura Adeline Peart Bechtel Helped Build Bechtel Group Los Angeles Times August 18 1992 University of California Berkeley UCB Mechanics Building PCAD Berkeley California Retrieved 2023 06 22 Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement www achievement org American Academy of Achievement TIME 100 Persons of The Century Time 1999 06 06 ISSN 0040 781X Retrieved 2020 05 20 Herman Arthur Freedom s Forge How American Business Produced Victory in World War II Random House New York NY ISBN 978 1 4000 6964 4 External links editTime magazine profile of Stephen Bechtel About the faculty of engineering and architecture at AUB Stephen Bechtel s biography on company web site Six Companies Now Single Unit Ready to Sign Contract for Hoover Dam newspaper article unknown date includes photo of W A Bechtel Sr S D Bechtel K K Bechtel Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Stephen Bechtel Sr amp oldid 1192767527, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
