Brut Force - 20th Edition - Brutoco

20th Edition, October 2012 7
“ I love doing my
job; it doesn’t even
seem like a job. ”
while he was completing his Bachelor of Engineering degree, all of the friends that
he grew up with in Timaru were going to australia, because that’s where all of the kids
from the small town went. Because of school, John couldn’t go to australia, but when
he finished, one of his friends came back from Australia and said they should go to
London. So they did.
John lived and worked in London, holding two jobs. The more interesting one was as
a barman serving beer. John says, “Living in the ‘70s in Europe was a blast.” One of the
most fun things John did while in London was to go on a lot of organized camping trips.
He took trips to Italy, austria and other countries all over Europe. His most memorable
trip was to Berlin – because it was a divided city at the time. He camped within view
of the Berlin wall and the guards that were stationed there. The difference between
the american and English side of the wall compared to the russian side was drastic.
John came to the U.S. in 1978 and started working for aSL (now Tetra Tech). at aSL
he worked on water and wastewater construction projects holding many positions including inspector, designer and surveyor. after aSL, John
worked for Pascal-Ludwig for nine years as a superintendent on water and wastewater projects, and then went to work for Kiewit in San Diego.
During this time John and his wife Jeanne lived in Placentia with their four kids. Taking the kids to band and sports activities kept them busy for the
20 years they lived there. With four kids they didn’t have the resources to travel very much, but they did fit in car trips around the U.S., including
houseboating trips to Lake Powell and Lake Shasta. Now that the kids have all moved out, John and his wife live in rancho Cucamonga and they
love to travel. Vacations are a hobby that John and his wife share.
Besides traveling with his wife, John’s other current hobby is brewing beer. Jeanne gave him a beer kit two years ago for his birthday, and he is on
batch number 13 now. He is getting ready to brew a favorite, Gobble Gobble ale, in time for Thanksgiving. One of his most requested is a vanilla
stout beer that he brewed, and he has some ideas for improving it that he is anxious to try.
when I asked John if he had any advice for young engineers he said, “Broaden your knowledge and learn as much about every single aspect of
construction.” He went on to say that one of the great things about this job is no two projects are ever built the same, no two days will ever be the
same. John ended saying, “I love doing my job; it doesn’t even seem like a job.”
Camping in Monterey in 2009.
At Denali National Park in Alaska
during 2004 trip.
John visiting his nephew’s 5,000 acre farm in
New Zealand in 2007.
John with his son-in-law during
his 2007 trip to New Zealand.