Charles L. Vickers Jr., an accomplished ports engineer, has died. He was 93.
He spent his career specializing in port work, both engineering and management, and it was while working for the Port of Long Beach (the city of his birth) that he designed the first container terminal on the West Coast.
Vickers, P.E., F.ASCE, worked for the Port of San Francisco from 1964 to 1979, retiring as chief engineer. Many port projects were completed during his tenure, including Piers 27, 80, 94, and 96 as well as the construction of BART. He was also involved in the construction and permitting process for Pier 39.
In 1979, Vickers was recruited by the Pasadena-based engineering firm Ralph M. Parsons. His first assignment was to plan, design, and construct a 23-berth port facility on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. Later assignments took him to Hong Kong, Borneo, South Korea, London, Qatar, and Honolulu.
A World War II veteran, Vickers served in the U.S. Navy as an electronic technician mate. After the war, he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles, and later a master’s in industrial relations.
A Life Member of ASCE, Vickers was also a member of the Structural Engineers Association and the American Association of Port Authorities. Among his survivors are six great-grandchildren.
