We were saddened to receive word of the passing of John Madden, age 84, a former leader and long-term employee of DGR Engineering.

John joined DGR Engineering in the early 1970s. Prior to that, he worked for South Dakota State University in the Water Resources Institute, and joined our firm to support our foray into development of rural water systems in the Upper Midwest. Over his 40-year career with DGR Engineering, John was instrumental in the origination, development, construction, and operation of many of the successful rural water systems that have served to improve the lives of countless people throughout South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and Montana.

In addition to his engineering work, John served for many years as the leader of our Water Services department, helping to turn it into the leading water-related engineering team in this region.

Finally, John served as President of DGR Engineering for approximately 15 years, and guided our firm through some of the challenging years following the farm crisis of the 1980s, setting in motion the culture that has led to our success.

We extend our sympathy to his wife Jan, along with their four sons. Those of us who carry on the work of DGR Engineering mourn his passing, but are thankful for his contributions to our firm and to the wellbeing of our region.