John Linn, the former president of the National Institute of Steel Detailing (NISD) and a practicing professional for nearly five decades, died March 6 at the age of 83.
"The NISD lost an industry icon," said Kerri Olsen, NISD’s current president. "John had been involved with the NISD for so long and had done so much for the steel detailing community we remain shocked by the news that he is no longer with us."
In the mid-1960s, he started his eponymous firm, John Linn Associates, in Livermore, Calif., and grew it into one of the most respected domestic detailing companies.
Linn was one of the leaders in the development of the AISC/NISD Steel Detailing Educational CDs, which still lives as an intro to steel detailing on the AISC website (aisc.org/detailertraining). Linn was a strong proponent for training and developing new detailers and often cited studies showing a shortage of detailers in the U.S. He also was instrumental in developing the detailing track at NASCC: The Steel Conference.
"John was a tireless proponent for the need to provide training to help grow the domestic steel detailing industry," said Scott Melnick, senior vice president at AISC. "He worked hard to explain the benefits that using a domestic detailer provides. Early in my career, he was one of my go-to sources for anything related to steel detailing. The entire steel industry will miss him."