Jack Lemley
Jack Lemley Boise, Idaho, U.S. | |
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Occupation(s) | Architect and engineering project manager |
Known for |
Jack Kenneth Lemley
Lemley was made an honorary
Early life
Lemley was born in
Career
Lemley started his career with construction firm
In 1989, Lemley joined the
Lemley was hired in 2005 to lead the development of facilities for the 2012 London Olympics and was made the chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority. However, he resigned in 2006 citing political interference and other administrative actions that would not allow him to deliver within costs and on time.[5][3] Talking about his resignation he would go on to say, "I went there to build things, not to sit and talk about it. So I felt it best to leave the post and come home."[6]
Some of the other projects led by Lemley included New York's water tunnel, which was earlier plagued with cost overruns and time delays, and the Holland Tunnel. He worked in and led projects across 65 countries including Papua New Guinea, Colombia, Nepal, and Zimbabwe during his over fifty-year-long career.[1][4] In 2011, the Idaho Technology Council named Lemley to their Hall of Fame.[7] He retired in 2012 with his last engagement being an assignment with the Istanbul Metro.[8] Per his own admission he flew over seven million miles (almost 300 times around the globe) through his career.[4][a]
Lemley also served as the CEO of American Ecology (now US Ecology), a radioactive and hazardous waste disposal company, between 1995 and 2002. His actions at the company included moving its headquarters from
Personal life
Lemley married his wife Pamela (née Hroza) after a previous marriage ended in divorce. He had three children.[1][10] In the late 1990s, Lemley bought a sloop, a single-masted sailboat named Coeur de Lion (transl. Heart of a Lion) and went on a sailing trip around the world only to realize en route that he did not know much about sailing. With things falling apart and co-passengers getting sick, he fired the captain and discontinued the trip, though the boat did complete its trip. He would admit later that "I bit off more than I could chew, but I had too much ego into it to give it up."[1] His son Jim Lemley is an American film and television producer based in Paris.[11]
Lemley died on November 29, 2021, in Boise, Idaho, at the age of 86.[2]
Explanatory notes
References
- ^ ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Boisean dies after long career at M-K, the Chunnel, Olympics and more". BoiseDev. December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Sowell, John (December 7, 2021). "He rescued Channel Tunnel for Britain. He brought US Ecology to Boise. Noted engineer dies". Idaho Statesman.
- ^ a b c d Berg, Sven (September 17, 2013). "Boise's Jack Lemley, who rescued the Chunnel, looks back on a just-finished career". Idaho Statesman. InsuranceNewsNet. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ Beard, Matthew (October 19, 2006). "Olympic setback as chairman resigns". The Independent. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
- ^ "Politics scuttled Idahoan's Games effort". Deseret News. Associated Press. November 5, 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ Huff, Jeanne (October 7, 2011). "Hall of Fame, Innovation Awards salute 2011 tech pioneers". Idaho Business Review. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ Berg, Sven (October 17, 2013). "Q&A with Jack Lemley: 'All I wanted to do was build big things'". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ Cain, Fraser (June 16, 2010). "How Many Miles Around the Earth?". Universe Today. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ Oland, Dana (October 6, 2017). "Who bought the Roosevelt Market building? Find out what the new owners have planned". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ "Sophie Marceau: who is Jim Lemley, the father of his daughter Juliette?". News in 24 Lifestyle English. June 14, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.