Résumé

Skilling could not serve in the armed forces in World War II due to poor eyesight.

Engineer, Boeing Company, Seattle, WA, c. 1943-1945. While still a student, he designed long-span airplane hangars for Boeing.

Engineer, W.H. Witt Company, Engineers, Seattle, WA, 1945-1955; Skilling worked for W.H. Witt while he was a student in 1945, two years before graduating from the UW.

Partner, Worthington and Skilling, Incorporated, Engineers, Seattle, WA, 1955-1960.

Partner, Skilling and Helle, Incorporated, Engineers, Seattle, WA, c. 1962.

Partner, Worthington, Skilling, Helle and Jackson, Incorporated, Engineers, Seattle, WA, c. 1964-1968.

Partner/Chief Executive Officer, Skilling, Helle, Christiansen, Robertson, Incorporated, Engineers, Seattle, WA, 1968-1983.

Partner, Skilling, Ward, Rogers, Barkshire, Incorporated, Engineers, Seattle, WA, 1983-1987.

Partner, Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire, Incorporated, Engineers, Seattle, WA, 1987-2003.

Professional Awards

Recipient, Engineering News Record, Construction Man of the Year, 1966.

Recipient, Consulting Engineers Council of Washington, Engineer of the Year, 1967.

Recipient, Washington Society of Professional Engineers (WSPE), Engineer of the Year, 1967.

Recipient, Structural Engineers Association of Washington (SEAW), Engineer of the Year, 1967.

Skilling was the sole structural engineer selected in the inaugural class of the National Academy of Engineering, Washington, DC, 1985.

Honorary AIA Member, American Institute of Architects (AIA), 1994.

Seattle Mayor Norm Rice decreed 06/03/1994 as "John Skilling Day" in the City of Seattle.

College

Graduate, Kent Senior High School, Kent, WA.

B.S., Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle (UW), Seattle, WA, 1947. At UW, Skilling joined the Delta Epsilon Fraternity.

College Awards

Skilling became the youngest Eagle Scout in the State of CA in 1934. (See Marga Rose Hancock, "Skilling, John B. (1921-1998), Engineer,"Accessed 02/25/2014. Much of the information in this entry came from the Hancock article.)

Relocation

Born in Los Angeles, CA, Skilling's family moved to Seattle c. 1938.

Soon after his marriage, John and Mary Jane lived in a number of apartments located around Seattle. Their first single-family home was in Seattle's View Ridge neighborhood.

They commissioned noted Seattle architect Paul Kirk to design their residence at 3000 Webster Point Road, Laurelhurst, Seattle.

Parents

John had five siblings: John, Virginia, Helen, Donald and Bill. The family moved from place to place, as his father, a civil engineer, worked on various federal buildings being constructed, primarily post offices. John would often work somewhere on the construction sites himself.

Spouse

Skilling wed Mary Jane Stender on 05/01/1943, according to King County records. He had met her while they both took a UW economics class in 1942.

Children

He had three children, Susan (born 1947 in Seattle), William (born 1949 in Seattle) and Ann (born 1956 in Seattle). Ann would marry Richard Yoder, with whom she would operate the venerable Seattle restaurant, Wild Ginger. The restaurant's Asian-influenced cuisine was influenced by John Skilling's interest in the subject. He and his family would collectively plan multiple-course Chinese menus. (See Marga Rose Hancock, "Skilling, John B. (1921-1998), Engineer,"Accessed 02-25-2014.)

Biographical Notes

SSN: 535-12-6091.

• Los Angeles, CA (Architect's Birth)
  Los Angeles, CA

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• Seattle, WA (Architect's Death)
  Seattle, WA

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