If there is such a thing as an engineer's engineer, John Scoville, Chairman of Harza Engineering Company, defined the term. "He was certainly a mentor to many of the young engineers here. They felt very comfortable with him," Harza President Richard L. Meagher said. "He also had a wonderful rapport with clients. One of his many contributions to the Company came from the long-term relationships he established with our clients, particularly in the Asian area of our business."

Scoville was killed in a plane crash April 3 while on a commercial mission in Bosnia and Croatia with U.S. Commerce Secretary Ronald Brown. He was one of several U.S. executives travelling with Secretary Brown to promote reconstruction efforts in the area.

Scoville had many official titles throughout his career at Harza Engineering Company, but when employees and associates remember him, rarely are these titles mentioned. They are more apt to use titles like "good friend," "generous engineer," "devoted family man," and "avid Chicago Bulls and Bears fan." In 1965, he was even voted "Valentine of the Year" by the word processing department.

"He never forgot that," said Joanne Tilden, who worked with Scoville for 26 years. "Every Valentine's Day after that, he gave the word processing department a huge, heart-shaped box of chocolates. He was just very thoughtful in ways like that."

A valued and respected member of Harza for 39 years, Scoville established his expertise early on with the Company, especially in Asian Development. In 1959, he began a long relationship with Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), when the organization retained Harza as its water and energy consultant. He had direct management responsibility for several Asian projects throughout his career, most notably in China and Pakistan.

At the time of his death, Scoville was the Harza sponsor for construction management of the 3,300-MW Ertan Hydroelectric Project in Sichuan, China, the largest ongoing arch dam project in the world. He was also on the Board of Management for the 1,450-MW Ghazi-Barotha Hydropower Project on the Indus River in Pakistan.

Chairman of Harza since 1990, Scoville oversaw all business operations of the $110 million firm. He was a member of U.S. Committee on Large Dams, American Society of Civil Engineers, British Geotechnical Society, and International Society of Soil Mechanical and Foundation Engineers.

"John loved his work, and he didn't expect accolades for what he did. He was very down-to-earth. When he had to meet with one of the engineers, he would sit with them in their cubicles. People didn't always have to come to him," Tilden said.

His easygoing management style extended beyond office hours. He got involved in several outside Company events and emceed Harza's Service Awards Dinner and Annual Holiday Dinner and Dance. He often arrived early at these events to make sure that he greets everyone personally.

"He went out of his way to get to know everyone," Tilden said. "He was a gentle, kind man and had a very good sense of humor. He was also a devoted family man."

Scoville in survived by his wife, four children, and four grandchildren.

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