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Henry
John “Bru” Brunnier was born near Manning, Iowa on
November 26, 1882. He
received his B.S. (1904) in civil engineering from Iowa State
College (University). After
graduating from college Brunnier worked for the American
Bridge Company (1904-1905) of Pittsburgh and then was hired by
the New York Edison Company (1905-1906), New York City.
Brunnier’s next job was with Ford, Bacon and Davis
Engineering Company (1906-1908) of New York City.
He was sent to San Francisco as Structural Engineer to
survey and lead reconstruction efforts for the company’s
railroad properties that had been damaged by the San Francisco
earthquake.
After
fulfilling his obligations with the engineering firm, Brunnier
went into private practice as a consulting structural engineer
(1908-1971). Brunnier
quickly became a leader in earthquake-resistant structural
design. He was
responsible for the structural design of numerous large
buildings and bridges along the west coast of the United
States. One of
his greatest honors was when he was appointed as one of five
members of the Consulting Engineers’ Board to engineer and
approve structural designs for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay
Bridge that opened in 1936.
Throughout
his career, Brunnier was very active in a number of
professional engineering organizations.
He served as President of the California State Board of
Registration for Civil Engineers (1929-1933), President of the
Structural Engineers’ Association of Northern California,
President of the Pacific Association of Consulting Engineers,
and was a member of several other professional organizations.
Brunnier’s related interest in highway engineering
resulted in his service as Director (1928-1929) and Treasurer
(1940-1944) of the California State Automobile Association
(1928), Member of the Streets and Highway Committee of the San
Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and Director of the American
Automobile Association (1945-1947).
Brunnier
also spent considerable time in the service of Rotary
International. In
1908, he was a charter member of the San Francisco Rotary
Club, only the second Rotary club established worldwide.
Brunnier served as Vice-President, District Governor,
and President (1952-1953) of Rotary International as well as
on numerous committees throughout his lifetime.
Ann
Weideman was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1884 and she
married Henry Brunnier in 1905.
As one of the first women to attend Rotary conventions
with her husband, she earned the nickname “Rotary Ann,” a
name that soon became synonymous with Rotary members’
spouses. The Brunniers became interested in art and acquired many
pieces of ceramic, glassware, enamelware, jade and ivory
throughout their travels overseas.
Ann also collected rare dolls from every country they
visited. She was
a member of the Golden Gate Collectors Club, the San Francisco
Doll Club, the Stanford Art Society, and the Metropolitan Art
Museum. In 1963,
the Brunniers donated their art collection to Iowa State
University. Their
donation is now part of the permanent collection of the
Brunnier Art Museum at Iowa State University. |
