John W. Keys
Encyclopedia
John W. Keys III was the director of the United States Bureau of Reclamation
from 2001 to 2006.
. He then received a bachelors degree in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology
in 1964 and a master's degree in civil engineering from Brigham Young University
in 1971. Keys also did further studies at Colorado State University
.
Keys left the position of Commissioner in 2006 but was at times consulted by his successor Bob Johnson. Keys later died in a plane crash on May 20, 2008. Keys was a resident of Moab, Utah
at the time of his death.
was renamed the John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Power Plant in honor of Keys' service.
United States Bureau of Reclamation
The United States Bureau of Reclamation , and formerly the United States Reclamation Service , is an agency under the U.S...
from 2001 to 2006.
Early life and education
Keys graduated from High School in Sheffield, AlabamaSheffield, Alabama
Sheffield is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States, and is included in The Shoals MSA. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 9,652. Sheffield is the birthplace of notable attorney, actor, former senator and presidential contender Fred Thompson...
. He then received a bachelors degree in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
in 1964 and a master's degree in civil engineering from Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in 1971. Keys also did further studies at Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
.
Career
Keys first began working with the Bureau of Reclamation as a civil and hydraulic engineer in 1964. In 1986 he was appointed the Northwest Regional Director, overseeing operations in Washington state, Oregon, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming. He retired from that position in 1998. For the next three years before returning as commissioner Keys spent most of his time flying his personal aircraft for humanitarian purposes.Keys left the position of Commissioner in 2006 but was at times consulted by his successor Bob Johnson. Keys later died in a plane crash on May 20, 2008. Keys was a resident of Moab, Utah
Moab, Utah
Moab is a city in Grand County, in eastern Utah, in the western United States. The population was 4,779 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and largest city in Grand County. Moab hosts a large number of tourists every year, mostly visitors to the nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks...
at the time of his death.
Legacy
In May 2009, the pump-generating plant at the Grand Coulee DamGrand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants. A third power station was completed in 1974 to increase its energy...
was renamed the John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Power Plant in honor of Keys' service.