Lyman F. "Skip" Bush earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering at the University of Washington.

His early career included work as a bridge design engineer for the Washington State Department of Highways for two years, leaving to establish a Civil Engineering Technology program at Centralia College where he taught all affiliated courses. At the same time, he practiced land surveying with Arvid Grant and Associates, and Horace Whitacre and Associates. In 1967, he joined Chalker Engineers, Inc. (later PCS Structural Solutions) where in 1972 he accepted the rank of Vice President. Skip remained with the firm for nearly 25 years, regarded as "the heart and soul" of the engineering that came out of the firm. Notable projects he worked on included the Tacoma Dome, Seattle's Waterfront Center, and Foss, South Kitsap and Auburn High Schools, among many other schools and structures throughout western Washington and beyond. He later had his own private practice for approximately 10 years, mixing structural engineering and traveling with friends and visiting relatives scattered all over the US.

Fellow and Past President of the Tacoma-Olympia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), SEAW SW and State President, Skip had an instrumental role in organizing the SEAW Southwest Chapter's sponsorship of the "Academy of Engineering" after-school program through the Pierce County Boys & Girls Club to expose high-risk youth to engineering. A Registered Agent representing the Western States Council of Structural Engineers Associations, he also took an active role in the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force as a Structural Specialist on teams dispatched to both Oklahoma City and the World Trade Center. A member and Past President of Parkland/Spanaway Rotary Club, he maintained perfect attendance for 23 years and involved himself in Rotary leadership and administration of several large charitable projects. Since 1992 he spearheaded and coordinated the Courage Classic event, raising $5-6 million for programs benefiting abused children at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital.

On hearing of Skip's passing, PCS Structural Solutions Chairman of the Board Dan Putnam had these words: "Skip was an engineer’s engineer. I am very fortunate to have had him as my mentor for many years. He taught me more about engineering than anyone else. He had high standards for both himself and those that worked around him, and that made better engineers of those of us who were privileged to work with him." Executive Vice President Jim Collins said "Skip’s greatest gift was as a problem solver. There were many, many times that I went into Skip’s office with the 'this is how I thought I designed it, this is the way they built it – how do I fix it?' Skip had an uncanny way of taking a seemingly impossible situation and making it work without compromising the structural integrity. That’s one of the reasons contractors respected him so much, and is a hallmark of our firm today." "While Skip was a humble man who never sought the limelight, SEAW profited greatly as a stronger organization because of his efforts over those many years," said Dan Putnam.

Posted March 2012