The 1960's
The early part of the 1960’s was plagued by labor disputes, putting millions of dollars’ worth of projects on hold. These labor issues helped drive the merger of the AGC Highway and Building chapters in 1965. W.O. Murphy, who served as the first President of the Joint Chapter, wrote the following poem, which he read during his farewell speech at the annual convention.
Ingredients of a Contractor, W.O. Murphy
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C is for CUNNING or just plain common sense if you'd rather.
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O is for ORGANIZATION, a smooth efficient one he must gather.
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N is for NEGOTIATION with business agents and their members.
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T is for TENACITY to turn problems into dying embers.
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R is for REPUTATION for skill, integrity and fair play.
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A is for AGC which fights for the work-by-contract way.
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C is for CONFUSION which an outsider thinks is funny.
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T is for TABLE where low bidders leave so much money.
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O is for OVERTIME, long hours with no premium pay.
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R is for RESPONSIBILITY to build in an ethical way.
Highlights
1960
Sam Guess, AGC Executive Director served as chair of the National Executive Leadership Council for the AGC of America.
1966
AGC hosts it’s first Construction Career Day event at the Spokane coliseum. The event was sponsored by the AGC and local unions and featured displays of each trades work.
1962
Labor negotiations result in massive strikes by the Carpenters, Operators, Teamsters and Iron workers unions, putting a halt to nearly $200 million work in the region.
1967
With the help of a $10,000 grant from the AGC, Spokane Community College developed it’s first Construction Technology Course, a two-year Associate of Applied Science degreee.
1963
AGC Executive Director San Guess is elected to the Washington State Senate in the 6th district. He would serve in that position until 1987.
1965
The Spokane Chapter and the Eastern Washington Building Chapters of the AGC merged to form the Inland Empire Chapter of the AGC. W.O. Murphy was elected the first President of the joint chapter.
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Construction begins on I-90 viaduct through downtown Spokane. Max J. Kuney Co. was awarded the first section of work, from Maple to Cedar, for the bid of $1,018,000.
Presidents
Spokane Chapter Presidents
1960 - Maxwell Sather, Sather & Sons
1961 - Neal Degerstrom, N.A. Degerstrom Co.
1962 - James Crick, Jr., James F. Crick & Sons
1963 - Lester N. Johnson
1964 - W.O. Murphy, Murphy Bros. Construction
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Eastern Washington Building Chapter Presidents
1960 - Harry Wall
1961 - U.D. Powell
1962 - Paul Sceva
1963 - E.G. Wernentin
1964 - Ira Dunn
Inland Empire Chapter Presidents
1965 - W.O. Murphy, Murphy Bros. Construction
1966 - Ira Dunn
1967 - Robert Carroll
1968 - Rod Walker, Hazen & Clark, Inc.
1969 - W. Jay Grant
New Members
1963 - Lydig Construction, Inc.
1967 - Spilker Masonry Co.