Harold O. Kester
HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 1998
B.S.C.E. 1941
Harold O. Kester attended high school in Buffalo, WY. During the five years he was at the University, he worked 40 hours a week to support himself. This work ethic and degree of dedication was demonstrated throughout his career. In 1951, Mr. Kester and two partners formed the Eagle Construction Company, the history of which is described in his book Hydroelectric: The History of Eagle Construction Corporation. Eagle Construction worked in 22 states and Canada and completed major hydroelectric projects on the Missouri, Columbia, and Colorado Rivers, including the Grand Coulee Dam.
Mr. Kester, an international construction consultant, developed numerous devices for specialized construction practices and holds a patent on a unique pumping process for the removal of slurry from a tunnel-boring machine.
The University of Wyoming has earned its Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year university with the top research universities in the United States.