Robert Yost Frazier

FRAZIER, Robert Yost, 92, of Harrisonburg, passed on to the Lord Thursday, September 25, 2008. He was the son of the late Frank H. Frazier and Clara Yost Frazier. He grew up in St. Clairsville, Ohio, received his Civil Engineering degree from Ohio State University, and was one of the oldest Professional Engineers in Ohio or Virginia still practicing his skills. Bob grew up in rural Ohio helping his father, a surveyor of underground coal mines. At university, in the early 1930s, Ohio State's Civil Engineering students were steeped in the new technology of reinforced steel and concrete design. The application of these new materials allowed drastic improvements and changes in the architecture of buildings and the engineering of highways and bridges. Bob specialized in the field of concrete design and the engineering of materials used to make concrete: crushed stone and sand. He was hired immediately by the Ohio Department of Highways in 1938. Later, at age 23, he was hired by Allied Chemical Co. to build and manage the asphalt plant in charge of paving the "Skyline Drive" being constructed by the CCC at that time. He relocated to Harrisonburg to construct this asphalt plant in the quarry of Mr. Fred K. Betts Jr. He and Mr. Betts developed a friendship of mutual respect and shared engineering skills. Mr. Betts introduced Bob Frazier to his daughter, Linda. After completion of the Skyline Drive job, Bob was promoted to the corporate offices of Allied Chemical in New York City. He became engaged to Linda Betts, who attended college nearby in Princeton, N.J. With the prospect of worldwide conflict looming, Bob entered OCS with the U.S. Navy in the fall of 1941 and became an officer in the U.S. Navy submarine corps. In 1942, he married Linda Betts in a huge naval wedding at First Presbyterian Church in Harrisonburg. Soon afterwards, he began active duty in submarines in the western Pacific from 1943 to 1945. During this time, he went on many submarine patrols against enemy ships and, later, on 'lifeguard' duty for downed fliers during the bombing of the Japanese mainland. After the armistice, Bob came home to Harrisonburg and started the Frazier Quarry in 1946. This was an exciting time in the growth of our nation and Harrisonburg, Va. A surge in military, economic and population expansion drove the need for a national inter-state highway system, new factories, airports and other construction. All of this new construction was designed with concrete as a prime design element. Bob Frazier started Betts and Frazier Concrete in 1953 to gear up for the demand for concrete that would one day reach the small town of Harrisonburg. Concurrently, he and like-minded businessmen came together to promote the economic development of our community through the Chamber of Commerce and the Rockingham Development Corporation. He was a past-President and active member of both organizations. During this time, the Harrisonburg Bypass was built (1958) and then expanded into Interstate 81. Factories like Walker Mfg, Electronic Specialties (later Dunham-Bush), Kawneer, AMP and other companies, built plants in our community. The Shenandoah Valley Regional airport, Blue Ridge Community College and other major infrastructure projects happened at this time due to the efforts of Bob and many other business and civic leaders. Bob was one of the last of this prescient and dynamic group of Harrisonburg businessmen. Within the crushed stone industry, Bob was instrumental in the development of VDOT stone specifications, production and quality control methods to make aggregates and sand for construction.


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.