F. Robert Preece

F. Robert Preece November 11, 1922 - March 18, 2009 Bob Preece was born in Roosevelt, UT, and grew up in the Southwest at a time when it was still possible to round up wild ponies whenever he and one of his brothers wanted to take a fishing trip or visit the Grand Canyon. He served in WWII as an Army lieutenant, part of the forces that entered Japan after the surrender. Following the war, he earned an M.Sc. in engineering from Stanford Univ. and subsequently was hired by Bethlehem Steel to join their first post-war group of "loopers," structural steel engineers that trained by visiting each one of the company's facilities. At the same time, he met and, within a month, married, his wife of more than 60 years, Ann Preece. His career as one of the Bay Area's foremost structural engineers lead him through several firms, starting with Simpson and Stratta in SF, after nine years with Bethlehem, then Oakland's Testing Engineers, before finally opening his own office in San Francisco, Preece, Goudie and Associates. Bob was an earthquake engineering expert, traveling extensively to earthquake sites around the world, advising on remediation of damaged buildings as well as on the earthquake proofing of new construction. Bob and Ann traveled the world extensively together, with Stanford Tours and Ann's Earthwatch digs. Throughout his life, Bob maintained an acute intellectual curiosity, especially in areas of physics, as explained by his scientist son. Although Bob had been retired eight years, continuing to consult with CalTrans as a member of the advisory committee for the new Oakland Bay Bridge. His legacy is written on the skyline of San Francisco. Bob is survived by his wife Ann; their son Rob; grandchildren Laura and Erik Preece; daughter Carol Ann Tierney and granddaughter Grace Ann. For those who may be interested in contributing, Bob's favorite charity was Habitat for Humanity.