Sven Bollaeren Svendsen

Sven Bollaeren Svendsen, beloved father, grandfather, civil engineer, business leader and decorated WWII hero, died on April 11 in Palm Desert, California. He was 103. Sven’s life and career were exceptional. A long and unusually rich life has come to an end.

Sven was born on November 23, 1921, in Kristiansand, Norway, to Sverre and Ragnhild Svendsen. The second of four children, Sven and his three sisters, Liv, Helga and Ester, enjoyed a close family life. In school Sven excelled in math and competed in soccer, long distance cross-country skiing, and the biathlon.

At age 19 Sven began his university studies in structural engineering at NTH, Norway’s premier technical institute in Trondheim. That year the Germans invaded Norway. Sven immediately joined the Resistance movement, using a radio hidden in his student apartment to notify Resistance headquarters in London of German ship and troop movements.

He also saved the life of David C. Besbris, a Jewish-American U.S. Air Force navigator, who had been shot down over Norway. Sven took David on a treacherous winter trek by train and through the woods on skis to Sweden. For his exceptional service during the war, Sven was later awarded medals by the Norwegian Government and Military, and by the U.S. Air Force.

In 1948 Sven immigrated to New York City, where he met and married Wanda Faith Corbin. Their loving marriage lasted until her death in 2009.

Sven’s distinguished career included structural engineering work on iconic projects such as the St. Louis Gateway Arch and the first cable-hung roof in America. In the 1950s he was in Thule, Greenland and in Spain, where he built ports and airports. Sven spent four years in Caracas, Venezuela, building a nuclear reactor and managing a scientific research institute.

Later Sven worked on civilian and military facilities in Japan, Korea and Vietnam before moving to Los Angeles in 1965. There Sven rose to Principal of AECOM Design of AECOM, a multinational infrastructure consulting firm with 51,000 employees and over 700 offices around the world.

Sven was deeply committed to his family. He regularly took Wanda and their daughters, Liv, Berit, Mia and Randi, to visit his Norwegian family. Sven was very proud of his grandchildren Chrix, Annika, Kirstin, Tia, Kai and Finn.

Sven will be sorely missed. A Memorial of his life will be held July 11 at Dignity Memorial, 520 W. Raye Street, Seattle, WA 98119.