Gary Stegeman was born July 3, 1940 and passed away February 5, 2021 after a long career in the field of water and wastewater engineering. Gary’s expertise was in the planning, design, construction and management of large engineering projects. In the early 1960’s, he worked two summers on the Alaska Highway as a surveyor to augment his finances to attend college, so Gary was well aware of the struggles students have in funding their studies. Gary attended the University of Wisconsin – Platteville, where he graduated in 1965 with a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering. He then attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison, graduating in 1966 with a Master’s in Sanitary Engineering. Immediately upon graduation, he served as the Treatment Plant Superintendent and General Manager for the City of Appleton, WI Water Department. When the family moved to Fennimore, WI, he was an instructor in the Municipal Utility Operation 2-year Associate’s degree program for the Southwest Wisconsin Technical College. In 1975, Gary joined the staff of Donohue & Associates, a rapidly growing engineering consulting firm in Sheboygan, WI.
Gary served as the Texas Water Group Division Manager for Earth Tec, heading up engineering offices in Austin, Houston, and Dallas. He also served as the Senior Engineer for numerous intricate Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District projects and served as the Design Manager for its major wastewater treatment plant expansion. He was the Program Manager for the Clean Water Program in Austin, TX, which was an all encompassing major project.
With all of this, Gary still served 2 years on the City of Austin Planning Commission. Gary was also fortunate enough during his engineering career to work overseas on international projects as the technical liaison between the U.S. and international engineering offices.
Following 30 years of experience with Earth Tech, Gary joined CAS Consulting Services in 2006, where he served as a Vice President and was responsible for all civil engineering services. His final retirement occurred in 2013 (after 3 tries).
Gary and his wife Judy married in 1966 and raised 3 children. He had a unique sense of humor and a very laid back view of life. Perseverance was at the forefront. He enjoyed hunting and fishing when living in Wisconsin. In addition to his impressive career, Gary made time to volunteer at the Food Bank. Gary also enjoyed researching his genealogy enough to discover his several links to the Mayflower and was proud of the fact that he was a tiny part (1%) Native American.
This scholarship was endowed in 2022.
