One of our regular readers, Bill Flint, Stanford University, passed away recently (Dec. 22, 2020 at age 86)
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Bill was a pole vaulter in college and followed the sport closely. He sent us on of the tee shirts mentioned below in his obituary after we did the story on the top of the building vaulting competition in Minneapolis.
See: Brits Pub Pole Vault
William Bradford Flint Jr.
Bill passed from this earth at the age of 86 at Hospice House of Mercy in Durango, Colorado after suffering a stroke at home.
Bill was born in San Jose, California and grew up in nearby Holliter where he graduated from Hollister High School as class president and participated in a number of sports, primarily pole vaulting. He earned a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in Petroleum Engineering from Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. His premier sport was pole vaulting. As he said (and even had a T-shirt made) with the saying, "When men and poles were made of steel".
He had two ancestors of note. He is a descendant and name sake of William Bradford, who arrived on the Mayflower. During the gold rush the Simon Breen family joined the Donner party in route to California. The family was isolated from others in the party and all survived.
He enlisted in the Reserves of the US Army Corps of Engineers and was a Second Lieutenant.
He joined Unocal Corporation (Union 76) in 1959 as an Engineer Trainee, a career which then encompassed 33 years of progressively more responsible positions, finishing as Vice-president of North American Oil and Gas Division, Los Angeles (1990 - 1995)
He retired and moved to his wife's home state in Durango, Colorado where he enjoyed golf, tennis, and following his children around to their various athletic endeavors.
Flunking retirement, he joined the Department of Energy of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe as a senior petroleum engineer from 2004 - 2012; and for a time as Assistant to the Executive Director.
His final gig was as Senior Technical Counsel for Koveva Ltd from 2012 until 2018.
He will be remembered for his kindness, his love of sports, his dedication to family, his generosity, wicked sense of humor and his positive outlook. A teacher and mentor at heart, he is lauded by friends and family for his dedication to encouraging everyone to be their best. A core piece of advice was: "Proper prior planning prevents poor performance". Whether bringing in a new trainee or supporting a grandchild's athletic endeavors, he was able to see their strengths and to smooth their path.
"Don't cry because I'm gone.
Smile because I was here"
Bill was born in San Jose, California and grew up in nearby Holliter where he graduated from Hollister High School as class president and participated in a number of sports, primarily pole vaulting. He earned a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in Petroleum Engineering from Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. His premier sport was pole vaulting. As he said (and even had a T-shirt made) with the saying, "When men and poles were made of steel".
He had two ancestors of note. He is a descendant and name sake of William Bradford, who arrived on the Mayflower. During the gold rush the Simon Breen family joined the Donner party in route to California. The family was isolated from others in the party and all survived.
He enlisted in the Reserves of the US Army Corps of Engineers and was a Second Lieutenant.
He joined Unocal Corporation (Union 76) in 1959 as an Engineer Trainee, a career which then encompassed 33 years of progressively more responsible positions, finishing as Vice-president of North American Oil and Gas Division, Los Angeles (1990 - 1995)
He retired and moved to his wife's home state in Durango, Colorado where he enjoyed golf, tennis, and following his children around to their various athletic endeavors.
Flunking retirement, he joined the Department of Energy of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe as a senior petroleum engineer from 2004 - 2012; and for a time as Assistant to the Executive Director.
His final gig was as Senior Technical Counsel for Koveva Ltd from 2012 until 2018.
He will be remembered for his kindness, his love of sports, his dedication to family, his generosity, wicked sense of humor and his positive outlook. A teacher and mentor at heart, he is lauded by friends and family for his dedication to encouraging everyone to be their best. A core piece of advice was: "Proper prior planning prevents poor performance". Whether bringing in a new trainee or supporting a grandchild's athletic endeavors, he was able to see their strengths and to smooth their path.
"Don't cry because I'm gone.
Smile because I was here"
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