[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 101 (Wednesday, July 16, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S7618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            HOLLY A. CORNELL

 Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. President, I am saddened to note the 
passing of Holly A. Cornell of Charbonneau, one of Oregon's leading 
citizens, who died at his home on July 1 after a long illness at the 
age of 83. A July 7 memorial service for Mr. Cornell was held at the 
LaSells Stewart Alumni Center on the Oregon State University Campus in 
Corvallis.
  Mr. Cornell, a founding partner and the ``C'' in what became Oregon's 
own CH2M HILL, was the international engineering and environmental 
consulting firm's first employee. He returned to Corvallis after World 
War II to co-found the firm that was to become Cornell, Howland Hayes & 
Merryfield [CH2M]. He managed numerous water, wastewater and industrial 
projects for CH2M, and opened the firm's Seattle office. He also served 
as director of technology, president and chief executive officer and 
chairman of the board.
  Among his many accomplishments were ushering CH2M HILL into the 
computer age, and managing complex projects such as the Milwaukee 
Metropolitan Sewerage District's pollution abatement project. At the 
time of Mr. Cornell's 1980 retirement, CH2M HILL had grown from a four-
partner office in a second-floor Corvallis office to an international 
consulting firm employing 1,900 professionals in 20 U.S. offices and 
two overseas locations.
  His legacy, which is one of the Nation's largest employee owned 
companies, has become a $1 billion a year business which employs more 
than 7,000 employees in 120 worldwide locations.
  Mr. Cornell is the second CH2M HILL founder to pass away. Fred 
Merryfield, the Oregon State engineering professor who conceived the 
idea for the firm, died in 1977. The other founders are retired, but 
remain active in CH2M HILL affairs, in their communities and in their 
personal lives.
  Ralph R. Peterson, CH2M HILL's president and CEO, said,

       It was my personal pleasure to work with Holly from the 
     time I joined the firm in 1965 until Holly's retirement in 
     1980. Of course, he excelled at whatever job he undertook, 
     but what I remember most of Holly during those times are the 
     lasting relationships he forged with clients, on projects: 
     clients and projects like to Boeing 747 Assembly Plant in 
     Everett, Washington; and the Denver Water Board's Foothills 
     Water Treatment plant in Denver. These became landmark 
     projects, but what is truly impressive is that those clients 
     are still valued CH2M HILL clients today.

  Mr. Cornell was born in Boise, ID in 1914 and earned a bachelor's 
degree in civil engineering from Oregon State College in 1939. He 
earned a master's degree from Yale and worked for the Standard Oil Co. 
in California before being called to active Army duty in 1941. Mr. 
Cornell served with distinction in the Army Corps of Engineers in 
Europe during World War II and received the Bronze Star medal. He was 
executive officer of an engineer group under Gen. George Patton that 
repaired Germany's famed Remagen Bridge, enabling Allied forces to 
cross the Rhine.
  Mr. Cornell was active in numerous professional societies including 
the American Consulting Engineers Council, the American Society of 
Civil Engineers, the American Water Works Association, and the 
Professional Engineers of Oregon. The latter society recently named him 
Oregon Engineer of the Year. He also was active in a university 
fraternal organization, Phi Delta Theta, and several honorary societies 
including Phi Kappa Phi and Tau Beta Pi.
  Mr. Cornell enjoyed golf and travel. His wife, Cleo, preceded him in 
death. He is survived by a son, Stephen Cornell, Seattle; a daughter, 
Cynthia Wildfong, Castle Rock, CO; and three grandchildren.

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