Klohn Crippen Berger Mourns Founder Cyril Edel Leonoff
April 11, 2016
We are saddened to announce that one of our company's great founders, Cyril Leonoff, passed away on April 7th at the age of 91.
Together with Charles F. Ripley (1922-2007) and Earle J. Klohn (1927-2013), Cyril co-founded Ripley, Klohn & Leonoff Ltd., which grew nationally in the 1950s and 1960s, and internationally in the 1970s to become Klohn Leonoff Ltd. Cyril was a specialist in marine, pavement and soft ground engineering, and worked on many industrial projects in British Columbia and in Canada. He retired as Executive Vice President of Klohn Leonoff Ltd. in 1985 to continue to pursue his other passions, writing and history. He went on to author a number of articles and books (including A Dedicated Team: Klohn Leonoff Consulting Engineers, 1951-1991) and receive several awards for his literary contributions.
Truly a great role model, Cyril made significant contributions to the engineering profession, participated in engineering societies, and authored several technical papers. In 1995, he was recognized with the Community Service Award of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia. In 1997, he was guest editor of the Canadian Geotechnical Society's special 50th year commemorative publication on Geotechnical Engineering in Canada: a Historical Review in Geotechnical News. In 2000, he received the Vancouver Geotechnical Society Award for significant contributions to the local practice of geotechnical engineering, and also in 2000, he was inducted as Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada for excellence in engineering and services to the profession and to society.
Although his legacy will continue on, he will be missed by many.