Roy C. Edgerton

EDGERTON Colonel ROY C. EDGERTON, U.S. ARMY RESERVE (Ret.) Roy Clarence Edgerton, a retired Army Colonel and retired Director of the Transportation Research Board died on June 12, 2011 in Arlington, Virginia. Born on March 19, 1914 in Leesville, Louisiana to Harry C. Edgerton and Mary M. Smith Edgerton, Colonel Edgerton graduated from High School in Klamath Falls, Oregon and worked for two years saving money for his education prior to enrolling at Oregon State University (then College) in Corvallis, Oregon in 1934. Following the completion of his sophomore year in 1936, Colonel Edgerton temporarily interrupted his academic studies and began working for the Oregon State Highway Department. Colonel Edgerton was later commissioned in the U. S. Army with the rank of Second Lieutenant in 1940. After attaining the rank of Captain, Colonel Edgerton married the former Shirley Marie Evenson on September 13, 1941 in Lawton, Oklahoma while on assignment as an instructor at the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill. Assigned to the Artillery Division 115 Howitzer Battalion, Colonel Edgerton saw action during World War II in the European theatre of operations, including the "Battle of the Bulge," and was awarded the Purple Heart decoration in April 1945. Rising to the rank of Major, Colonel Edgerton was demobilized from active duty in 1945, but continued service in the U.S. Army Reserves, retiring in 1974 with the rank of Colonel. Returning to Oregon State University in 1946, Colonel Edgerton was graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Civil Engineering on June 7, 1948. Working professionally at the Oregon State Highway Department, Colonel Edgerton served from 1948 - 1962 as the head of the Structural Research Section and later as the Director of the Research Division, earning his Professional Engineering Certification from the State of Oregon on May 6, 1955. In December 1962, Colonel Edgerton began service as the Director for Technical Activities for the Transportation Research Board, an element of the National Academy of the Sciences in Washington, DC, and culminated an extremely successful career by earning the prestigious W. N. Carey, Jr. Distinguished Service Award in 1978 just prior to retirement in 1979. Colonel Edgerton was a life member and past state president (Oregon) of the Reserve Officers Association; a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Tau, and Pi Mu Epsilon honor societies; the Sigma Nu social fraternity, the Traveler's Century Club, the Oregon State University President's Club, the University Club of Washington, DC, St. George's Episcopal Church; and was a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Colonel Edgerton visited over 100 foreign countries and all 50 states. He regularly attended operas, was a veracious reader, and a lifelong classical music enthusiast. Enjoying the outdoors, hiking, and vigorous exercise, he played tennis into his eighties (and later, played the Wii© game in his nineties), crediting this active lifestyle as the key to his longevity. Colonel Edgerton was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley, after 64 years of marriage and is survived by his niece, Lorraine Brooks of Anchorage, Alaska and his nephews, Robert Bekker of Newark, California and Roderick Evenson of Milwaukie, Oregon. Interment will take place at Arlington National Cemetery on December 22, 2011 at 1 p.m. Family and friends should gather at the Administration Building by 12:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family is suggesting donations to St. George's Episcopal Church, 915 North Oakland Street, Arlington, VA 22203-1916. 1 p.m. Family and friends should gather at the Administration Building by 12:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family is suggesting donations to St. George's Episcopal Church, 915 North Oakland Street, Arlington, VA 22203-1916.