Distinguished Engineer
Hometown: Aberdeen
Agricultural Engineering,
Civil Engineering,
Dale C. Ryman worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Service after graduating from South Dakota State College. He returned to earn a B.S. in civil engineering in 1938 from SDSC. He was involved in defense construction on improvements to the Panama Canal for two years before joining the U.S. Navy Seabees for service in the Mediterranean and the Pacific. After World War II, he worked for a contractor building freeway bridges, then joined the California Division of Highways and Freeways, ultimately becoming chief construction engineer. He administered highway and freeway contracts totaling over $750 million before retiring in 1976. In 1984, he was recognized as the first benefactor of the SDSU College of Engineering. He was very active in many community service projects.