William Marshall Baldwin "Bill"

William Marshall Baldwin, “Bill,” ascended to heaven on Monday, June 23rd 2014. He was preceded by his father, John Marshall Baldwin, and mother, Minnie. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Beverly; two sons, Page (Jane) and Brooks (Melissa); and grandchildren Anelise, Camdyn, Marshall, and Marion; and his brother, Richard. Bill was born on July 3rd, 1930 in Sedalia, Missouri. He attended grade school in a one-room school house and went on to earn a Civil Engineering degree from the Missouri School of Mines in Rolla in 1951. He married the love of his life, Beverly, on Christmas Day in 1951, and shipped off to fight for freedom in Korea not long afterward. He served honorably as a US Army Combat Engineer and rose to the rank of Sergeant before the end of the war. After coming home, he earned a MS in Civil Engineering from the Missouri School of Mines in Rolla in 1957, after which he taught in the Civil Engineering graduate program at his beloved University of Florida, where he became a staunch (and lifelong) Gator. In 1964, he and Bev moved to Tallahassee, where he worked for Mobile Home Industries of Florida. In 1972 he opened his own Consulting Engineering office, managed by his loving wife. Bill was involved in projects all over Florida and many other states. He designed power plants; chemical plants; office, medical, educational, storage, manufacturing and residential buildings; retaining walls; signs; cold-formed steel trusses and lift-slab construction. No job was too large or too small. He designed the Lottery building, the SunTrust Building, and co-authored the engineering study that saved the old Capitol Building from demolition. He once stopped all work in the office while he and his protégé, Scott France, solved an eighth grader’s science fair problem after the boy’s father called the office randomly out of the phone book and asked for help. Along the way he won numerous awards, including the Florida Engineering Society State Award in 1986 for “Outstanding Technical Achievement” and the FES Big Bend Chapter’s Award for “Outstanding Services to the Profession” in both 1978 and 2008. In 1989 he received the FES Big Bend Chapter’s “Engineer of the Year” Award. A lifelong Methodist, Bill attended Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church. Bill and Bev were members of the Ed Wynn Sunday School class. He was a greeter and usher. He and Beverly enjoyed Gator sports, and were active in the Capital Area Gator Club. They attended almost every Gator Football game, home and away, from 1974 until 2011. They also held season tickets for Basketball. They were active in Springtime Tallahassee, Spanish Krewe, and held the posts of Andrew and Rachael Jackson in 1990. He was also a charter member of the Economics Club of Florida. In 2003, Bev decided it was time to retire. Bill kept working, joining the firm of another protégé, Doug Barkley. At Barkley Consulting Engineers he was the Senior Structural & Civil Engineer, working 30 hours a week until just a few weeks before his passing. He was a loving husband, father and doting grandfather. He often said that his sons married well, and loved Page’s wife, Jane, and Brooks’ wife, Melissa. He was a mentor to more people than can be mentioned. He touched many lives, and will be missed by everyone who knew him. Memorial services will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, June 28th at Saint Paul’s United Methodist (corner of Meridian and Tharpe) in the main sanctuary, followed by a reception in Sanders Hall. The family appreciates flowers, or, in lieu of, a donation to Saint Paul’s. Susie Mozolic of Bevis Funeral Home is assisting the family with their arrangements.

Tributes

William Marshall Baldwin "Bill"

July 3, 1930 - June 23, 2014