Clyde D. Gessel photograph collection, circa 1940-1980

Clyde D. Gessel (1918-2007) was born in Providence, Utah on April 1, 1918. He attended Utah State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Shortly following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Gessel joined the military and served for two and a half years in the Southwest Pacific salvaging and reconstructing enemy aircraft in order to defeat the Japanese military. Following the war, he married and raised 6 children, while working for the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation as a Civil Engineer. He was also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), serving in many positions within the organization, including President of the Utah Section. He helped to build many prominent water projects in the west, including Glen Canyon Dam. Gessel travelled the world, visiting such places as Russia, Egypt, the Holy Land, and countries in Asia and South America. He was very involved in his community, and played golf well into his 88th year. He died on April 15, 2007.