Paul Herbert Divjak, P.E., F.ASCE, whose talents across more than 40 years at Bechtel Corp. saw him rise from program manager to principal and vice president, has died at 82.
He was an ASCE life member and a past director of the National Capital Section.
Born in Queens, New York, Divjak earned his civil engineering bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Syracuse University. Divjak’s technical and management successes led to increasing responsibilities that required him to relocate with his family several times around the nation and the United Kingdom.
He earned advanced certificates from Georgetown University and Stanford University. Working primarily out of Jackson, Wyoming, and Reston, Virginia, he was licensed in Missouri, New York, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Michigan, Kansas, and Idaho, and was a chartered engineer and fellow in Ireland.
By 2001, he was running Bechtel’s Idaho division, motivating senior leadership personnel. He later became president and general manager of Bechtel Jacobs Co. His outreach included providing guidance to Syracuse University engineering students and serving as president and director of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.
With ASCE, Divjak’s activity also included serving as chair of the National Committee on Employment Conditions. He was a generous mentor and was beloved by three generations of family, many of whom remember him as a New York Yankees fan and know he would
have enjoyed their appearance in the 2024 World Series.
