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50 Years Down the Road

By Gordon Weixel
Bismarck Tribune

George Stelzmiller at his desk holding a slide rule.The 50th anniversary of the nation's interstate system is this year. For George Stelzmiller, that milestone has a little more significance than for most people.

The 72-year-old Stelzmiller is retiring from the North Dakota Department of Transportation, having been on the job for 50 years. He was with the department when the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signed into law, creating the interstate highway system.

Stelzmiller's career with NDDOT has been intertwined with the state's interstate system, ensuring its safety through design of its signing and guard rails.

"I was born on a ranch that's now under water. It was near Manhaven, a little town located just below Garrison Dam," Stelzmiller said.

Eventually, he moved to Beulah, where he graduated from high school, and then attended Valley City State College, fully expecting to become a teacher. But during the spring quarter he was drafted by the Army near the end of the Korean conflict.

"I never got there. I figured they called off the war because they knew I was coming," Stelzmiller joked. "They had signed the truce before I was out of basic training."

Stelzmiller was stationed in Europe for 19 months before coming home. He moved to Bismarck and decided to attend Bismarck Junior College where he got an associate degree in civil engineering, and then went to the University of North Dakota to continue his studies. He managed to play football for BJC and UND, and even played Army football for two years.

Stelzmiller came back to Bismarck after a semester at UND and, through the employment service, found a job with the NDDOT. He had worked part-time for NDDOT while he went to BJC and figured that helped him get the job.

Stelzmiller wasn't on the job long when he became acquainted with a woman on the planning and surveys side. He and Marti were married in the spring of 1956 and celebrated their 50th anniversary in April.

By 1958, construction of Interstate 94 was under way, and they were working on the piece between Valley City and Jamestown. The grading was done and surfacing was taking place. Stelzmiller was putting in sign supports, I-beams made of aluminum. It didn't take long to realize these wouldn't work, as they would rotate in the wind, eventually loosening themselves and falling over. They then started using two posts with round pipe set in concrete. Today, the signs are breakaway in design, with anchor bolts placed in an aluminum base.

Guard rails also saw some changes, going from four steel cables on concrete posts to three cables on wooden posts with breakaway capabilities.

During his years on the job, Stelzmiller has worked for eight governors and several NDDOT directors. During his first couple of years, the NDDOT was located in the Capitol. He was then moved to a satellite office at Fort Lincoln, was brought back to the Capitol, moved to the building on the southeast corner of the Capitol grounds that houses the State Water Commission, and then in 1968 moved to the NDDOT headquarters just southeast of the Capitol, where he's remained since.

When Stelzmiller started with NDDOT, he figured there were twice as many employees as there are now, about 2,000 as compared to 1,000.

"There were a lot more people working back then because we had just started developing the interstate. Once that was complete, the numbers were reduced to what we have now," Stelzmiller said.

In 1971, Stelzmiller took and passed the exams to become a professional engineer. Then, in 1975, he moved into the design division, where he has remained.

"When I started, I was responsible for all of the traffic control signing and pavement marking. I still supervise crews working on this today," he said.

When you walk into Stelzmiller's cubicle, which is looking rather bare since he has taken home all of his memorabilia collected over 50 years, two large computer screens catch your eyes. Much of his work was done with the computer.

But it wasn't always that way. The first computer didn't arrive until the late 1970s.

"First, we used slide rules. Then, these big old adding machines. Then, we got a little hand calculator that was faster than both of those. And finally, we got this computer that calculated dirt amount for us," Stelzmiller said. "It was the greatest thing, and we didn't have to buggy cross sections any more. Later, we got a PC. Now everything we do is on the computer. We used to draw profile sheets, and if you had to change anything, you had to erase everything. Now it's done on a computer and making changes is like nothing. Everything is more exact and much faster."

Stelzmiller said it wasn't hard to stay for 50 years, because he genuinely loves his job and the people he works with. He is going to miss being the "big dog," though.

"The people in the department take what I tell them as gospel because I've been around here so long," Stelzmiller said. "I've studied all the manuals, and we wrote some too. I know where everything is at and how things are supposed to be done."

Only once did Stelzmiller consider taking another job. That was right after becoming a professional engineer.

"I made an application to become a county engineer. But during the interview, one of the commissioners didn't sound like he wanted to hire me. I figured why have problems with him and withdrew my name," Stelzmiller said.

"I'm going home and then to the golf course and buy me some new clubs. My plans are to play golf and take care of the yard," he said on his last day at work.

George and Marti raised two children of their own, John and Becca. Both showed up for George's retirement celebration, much to his and Marti's surprise. There are also two grandchildren to pay attention to, though they live in New Jersey.

"It's been a very satisfying experience working for NDDOT. If it hadn't been, I wouldn't have been here 50 years," Stelzmiller said.