GARY J. TEAGUE ( BIOGRAPHY)
August 8, 1943 – August 7, 2008
Gary was born on August 8, 1943 in Fort Worth, Texas. After graduating from Birdville High School in 1961, he attended and graduated from Arlington State College (now The University of Texas at Arlington) in 1966, with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Gary was a registered Professional Engineer, as well as a Registered Public Land Surveyor in the State of Texas.
Gary’s Career
Gary was a life long resident of North Texas and spent his entire career in the Fort Worth area. He began his career as a Structural Engineer for General Dynamics in 1966, performing stress analysis on various portions of the F-111. He changed career directions in 1967 and moved to the City of Fort Worth where he was a Design Engineer in the Public Works Department, Engineering Division. There his duties included the planning and design of City landfill sites; City heliport and airport facilities; and the design of numerous street and storm drain projects. Gary was the prime author of the City of Fort Worth Public Works Construction Specifications and authored the first update to the City of Fort Worth Storm Drainage Criteria Manual. Over time he rose to the position of Chief Design Engineer. In this capacity, his duties included the responsibility for the design of all street, drainage, and related projects within the City of Fort Worth. His responsibilities also included the preparation of two street and drainage bond programs. His career with the City of Fort Worth spanned nearly ten years.
In 1976 Gary and the late John H. Nall, Jr. formed the company of Teague and Nall, Consulting Engineers with the purpose of providing responsive, quality civil engineering services to both public and private sector clients. Three years later, J. Richard (Dick) Perkins joined Gary and John, and the firm became Teague Nall and Perkins, Inc. (TNP). As the firm’s President, Gary supervised and gave oversight on the design of numerous streets, drainage, utility and highway improvement projects, as well as the site design for several schools and hospitals in the Tarrant County area. Gary was also involved in the planning and design of many residential and commercial developments throughout the DFW metroplex.
As a founding partner, Gary’s Christian faith and virtuous character helped shape TNP’s culture, its emphasis on servant leadership and its commitment to responsive and personal service to clients. Gary’s technical expertise and leadership skill also enabled TNP to gain a reputation as one of the leading civil engineering firms in North Texas. Under Gary’s direction, TNP opened offices in Denton, Dallas and Sherman in 2000, 2003 and 2006 respectively; and expanded its services to include surveying, planning, landscape architecture, right-of-way/land acquisition, construction management and traffic engineering services.
Gary’s Participation in Engineering Societies
Gary also made significant contributions to his profession through his involvement in engineering societies. He was a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), the Texas Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). In 1976, Gary was honored by the Fort Worth Chapter of TSPE as the “Young Engineer of the Year”. He was also recognized in 1998 as “Engineer of the Year”, by the same organization. His involvement in these engineering societies included service on TSPE’s State Registration and Qualifications Committee, as well as encouragement and support of the Math Counts Program. For ASCE, Gary served in all of the local Fort Worth Branch offices including as President of the branch. He also achieved the ASCE Fellow grade in 1990. At the state level of ASCE, Gary served as a Section Director and the Vice President of Professional Affairs. Gary was also involved in the Texas Council of Engineering Companies (CEC) and chaired two state committees.
Gary’s Civic Involvement
Gary also contributed his time and talents to civic needs. For many years he was actively involved with the Fort Worth YMCA. He served on the Board of Directors of the Northwest Branch for several years. During that time, he assisted the Northwest YMCA in locating and purchasing a permanent site. His service at the YMCA Branch level led to selection to serve on the Metropolitan Board of Directors. In 1988 the YMCA awarded Gary its highest service award, the Chi Rho Award. Gary also volunteered his services to his local school board, Castleberry ISD, by serving on the Action Team for Involving Parents, Community and Business.
Gary’s Personal Life
Gary was a faithful and obedient man of God, a loving husband, father and friend. As a member of River Oaks Baptist Church for 44 years, he faithfully served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher, and was twice recognized as “Father of the Year.” He was a charitable giver and honored God with all that he had been given. Gary had a heart for evangelism. He was not content to let his life alone speak as a testimony to his beliefs; he actively shared his faith. He was a believer in the pursuit of right and an advocate of traditional family values. Gary’s life emulated the ideas he professed. Gary loved the mountains. He was an avid skier and hiker. He recently also fulfilled his dream of flying by obtaining his pilot’s license at the age of 62. Gary also loved spending time with his grandchildren, reading and working cross word puzzles. Gary and his wife Ruth Ann were married in 1964. They had two children, a daughter, Stephanie and a son, Brett. He is survived by his wife Ruth Ann, his son Brett, his daughter Stephanie, his son-in-law Thorp, his grandchildren Taylor, Brooks and Harrison, his mother Margaret Florine, his brother Richard, and his sister Trisha.
