Richard H. Hansen's 45-year career in engineering in public works included the 2002 Minnesota County Engineers Project of the Year award for the Public Works complex in Pike Lake that now bears his name.
Hansen, who led the St. Louis County Public Works Department for 17 years, died on Monday. He was 79.
He is credited with shifting the the county's Public Works Department to a more professionalized staff and using a more strategic approach to maintain and improve the county's infrastructure of roads and bridges, a county official said.
"Dick Hansen was a great leader, mentor and friend. He was a big man with an even bigger heart. The engineering profession owes him a debt of gratitude," said current Public Works Director Jim Foldesi, who was hired by Hansen.
He graduated from Central High School in 1955 and although he had no college degree, he attended the University of Minnesota Duluth for two years and took a university surveying course in 1958. He attended night school for 11 years and became a registered professional engineer in 1969.
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His projects for St. Louis County included the building of the Hibbing Public Works Facility, the reconstruction of portions of highways 16 and 110, and the construction of Highway 115 connecting Cook and Tower. Hansen became the director of the Public Works Department in 1985 and when he retired in 2002, he was overseeing the department's 387 employees and a $32 million annual budget. He told the News Tribune at the time that his only regret was retiring just before the department's administration moved to the new facility in Pike Lake that was named after him.
He also worked for the Minnesota Department of Transportation for 25 years in various roles and as the Crow Wing County engineer for three years.
"Dick will be greatly missed, but his memory and legacy will live on in each person that he interacted with and I hope his family takes great pride and comfort in that," Foldesi said.
At the time of his retirement, Hansen told the News Tribune that he couldn't wait to get up and go to work in the morning.
"That 45 years have gone by in a blink," he said.
