Robert “Bob” Wallace Pyle, Jr., a longtime AISC regional engineer, passed away April 30. He was 65.
Born in California in 1955, Pyle spent several decades in the construction industry and was a strong advocate for structural steel. In recent years, he had retired in Utah to spend time with his sons and grandson.
“Bob was the very unique combination of an engineer with a fun-loving, outgoing, and gregarious personality,” recalled Kimberley Robinson, director of design services at SunSteel. “He was involved in the SAC Steel Project to develop ductile steel moment connections after brittle failures were found after the Northridge Earthquake. He also assisted in the development of AISC Design Guide 14: Staggered Truss Framing Systems. Using his dynamic personality, he worked closely with steel contractors in implementing design-build and early-involvement strategies into their marketing models. Bob was a force in the steel construction community and the structural engineering community.”
“Bob was truly a great person and bigger-than-life personality,” said James “Jim” O. Malley, SE, group director and senior principal of Degenkolb Engineers. “He will be missed."
"Bob was a good man and a good friend while I was active in the profession,” said Ron Reaveley, founder of Reaveley Engineering Associates in Salt Lake City.
“We are all so saddened to hear of Bob’s passing,” said Charles Carter, SE, PE, PhD, AISC’s president. “He was a convivial face of AISC in his regional role representing the steel industry in the western and southwestern states for so many years. Nobody was a stronger advocate for steel fabricators and steel solutions.”
Bob is survived by his sons, Nathan and Nicholas, and grandson Miles. A celebration of life is scheduled for June 1, 2021 at 11 a.m. at Serenity Funeral Home in Bluffdale, Utah and via Zoom.