Winfield Owen SALTER
Obituary

Winfield Owen Salter
March 12, 1928 - September 7, 2018

Win was born in Medford, Massachusetts to Muriel Joy Moody Salter and Grady Hugh Salter. He spent most of his childhood in Lynn, Massachusetts, and graduated from Lynn English High School in 1945. His formative years were during World War II, and he became an airplane spotter – one of many citizens acting as lookouts for enemy planes on the East Coast. During this time, he decided to study engineering and worked hard to be accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The first year proved difficult for the 17-year-old who commuted with 3 other boys to MIT and back home each night. He missed out on the comradery of study groups.

Not pleased with his freshman performance, Win decided to join the Marine Corps in 1946. He became an aviation mechanic assigned to the USS Palau. After two years in the Marines, he joined the Reserves and returned to MIT to study civil engineering. He graduated in 1951.

In 1949, his sister Jocelyn introduced Win to a housemate of hers at Tufts University where they were both English majors. Win took Jeanne Marie Bourgarde out on a blind date to the Ball honoring the Marine Corps birthday - November 10th, 1949. They married on December 26th, 1950. At this time the Korean War was looming, and Win was to be recalled to active duty after he graduated.

They spent the Korean War years in the Carolinas where deployment to Korea was always a possibility. He was not deployed and in 1952, he was honorably discharged. They moved to New York City where Win was hired as a civil engineer at Parsons Brinkerhoff Quade & Douglas (PBQ&D).

Win began his career as design engineer on several highway and airbase projects. He worked his way up to Project Engineer and was named head of the Electronic Computer Department with the task of developing the application of computer techniques to structural analysis, design, bridge and highway design and statistical analysis. He was named Deputy Chief Highway Engineer which entailed general administrative supervision of the highway department for several national and international projects. During this time Win earned an M.S in Civil Engineering from Columbia University, and daughter Dayna was born. A few years later, daughter Carrie was born.

In 1959, he was named Assistant Project Engineer for route location and preliminary design of BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit System) in San Francisco, California. Later he was named Project Manager for both BART and for MARTA in Atlanta, Georgia. He was named a Partner in the firm in 1968, and later a Senior Vice President and a member of the Board of Directors. Win continued to be in high demand throughout the rest of his career, as a consulting engineer on projects all over the world. Particularly through his transit work, he leaves behind a professional legacy that impacts and improves many thousands of people's lives every day.

Winfield retired from PBQ&D in 2002. He spent his retirement years active in the American Legion and the Commemorative Air Force. Writing articles for their publications was a favored avocation. He also returned to art as an old hobby, particularly painting. Win was an active influence in his daughters' and later his grandsons’ lives leaving many memories. He lost his beloved Jeanne in 2013 and is survived by his sister, Jocelyn Walter; his two daughters, Dayna and Carrie; their husbands, Tony Smith and Doug Campbell; the three grandsons, Grant, Reed and Blake Campbell; many nieces and nephews; and of course, Topey, the cat, his "long-haired blond companion."

The family thanks you for coming; Klein Funeral Homes for their care and professionalism; our caregivers and hospice professionals for their gentle kindness; Bob Pinali for his reading and J.D. Baugus for officiating today.

Private burial will be at a later time at the Houston National Cemetery

Klein Memorial Funeral Home



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