Galen F Kauffman

Galen Frank Kauffman
Birth: 26 Jul 1923 Vader, Lewis County, Washington, USA
Death: 5 Jun 2019 (aged 95) Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada, USA
Burial: Little Falls Cemetery, Vader, Lewis County, Washington, USA

Bio: Graduated from Winlock High School in 1942. He worked as a gandy dancer for Northern Pacific railroad, off- bearer for a sawmill company and was a millwright at Portland Oregon shipyards, before being inducted into the U.S. Military, during WWII.    U. S. Army Signal Corps,  he served during the invasions of the Philippines and Okinawa, followed by three months occupation in Korea.    Married Anita Jensen in 1946. From this union a son Gregory was born on May 17, 1947 and a daughter Gay was born on June 15,1949.  They settled in Seattle where he attended Seattle Pacific College, (now University), part time while working at Greystone Concrete in Seattle Wash.Worked for the Fire Department. He left the Fire Dept. and joined a group, as a teacher, that had plans for a colonizing venture in the Galapagos Islands.  His tenure lasted less than a year during which time he  was a cook on the Alert, a 100-foot tuna troller that took us from Seattle to San Cristobal Island.  Galen was appointed  Secretary/Treasure on the voyage and later President of Island Development Co. in Ecuador , South America.Galen was  Fire Chief for  Holmes; Narver Inc., on Christmas Island during atomic bomb tests.Galen was then Chief Safety Engineer, RMK-BRJ, a conglomerate providing support for the war in Vietnam. He was then Safety Engineer, for Page Communication Engineers, Vietnam.Following a divorce from June Anita Jensen, Galen married Vu Thi Vinh (Mary) in Vietnam in 1968.   From this union a daughter Carol was born on April 30, 1970. Galen was self employed, owner/manager of a Mexican restaurant, Taco Bills, in Sydney Australia. Then   Owner/Manager, Juan Miguel's, a Mexican restaurant, Seattle Washington.      Galen was then Project Safety Supervisor, Bechtel International, for construction of a Nickel refinery, Montalibano, Columbia, South America, and then Project Safety Supervisor, Bechtel International, refinery upgrade, Balikpapan, Indonesia.  Then Project Safety Supervisor, Bechtel International, oil refinery/ storage facilities, Saudi Arabia, and then    Project Safety Supervisor, Bechtel International, for refueling outage, Port Gibson, Mississippi.Retired from Bechtel after 13 years, moved to Las Vegas, in 1988, and then returned to Bechtel, at their request, safety coverage for Nuclear refueling outage.
 

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