R.I.P. Paul N. Scherbel, Big Piney, Wyoming

This is indeed sad news. If memory serves, Paul is Wyoming LS 164. That tells you a lot. I had the pleasure to assist Paul with the remonumentation of the Southwest and Northwest corners of Wyoming. I believe that he also was instrumental in remonumenting the other two corners of the state. Quite a character.
John, I saw him many times reclined in the front row of seminars in Wyoming. I always thought that he was asleep! Glad that I have a copy of "Scherbel on Surveying". The man set actual carved stones all over western Wyoming. He carved "SS" in them for "Surveyor Scherbel" would put an old car tire around them. You could see those old car tires way off in the distance in the sage brush. Great guy, and I am honored to have met him. God's Speed Paul.

Sad news indeed, I was just a young 24-25 YO LSIT the year I worked on a crew in Wyoming, Paul was in his mid 60's then and ever present at anything PLSW. The firm I worked for was only about a two hour drive away, a short hop by Wyoming standards and we worked on some projects even closer to Big Piney, in fact IIRCC, the crew put up there once or twice.

SHG

JBStahl, post: 341912, member: 427 wrote: Just received an email from one of Paul's sons, Scott. Paul passed away last Thursday, October 22, 2015, at the ripe age of 98. His presence at every surveyor's association conference, workshop or special event was always a given. Every time I'd see him at an event I was amazed that he was still around, yet I was never surprised to see him either.

Paul was one of my best critics as I started teaching survey classes at the local college. I was surprised one year when Paul signed up for my class. He sat in the front row with his legs stretched out and his arms folded as if sitting in a recliner. He looked as if he was sleeping as I stumbled through the material being presented. Every now and then I'd say something a bit controversial and Paul would raise one eyebrow with a glance in my direction and a grin on his face. I'll sure miss that look.

There hasn't been an obituary posted yet other than a service announcement. His funeral services are being held at the Big Piney LDS ward building on Saturday, October 31st, at 12 noon with luncheon to follow the burial at the Big Piney Cemetery.

I did manage to find a couple of articles about Paul that are well worth reading.

[INDENT]http://trib.com/honor/wwii/cmdr-paul-scherbel-big-piney/article_ae9f4689-c5e1-5d38-a185-3ba82e80f480.html&apos ;">Cmdr. Paul Scherbel, Big Piney

http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2012/10/Happy95thBirthdayPau.htm&apos ;">Happy 95th Birthday Paul!
[/INDENT]

Here's a shot of Paul attending the 2009 dedication ceremony for the Uintah Special Meridian Initial Point historical monument.

The profession will miss you, Paul. May your boundaries fall in The Most Pleasant Place.

JBS

I well remember my first contact with Paul. I think it was the latter part of August 1971 or the first part of September. My employer and I had to go to Pinedale to do a survey on a piece of property that a real estate firm in Casper had the listing on. Anyway, Paul was the County Surveyor for 3 or 4 counties in Western Wyoming and perfomed surveys all over that region and his vehicle was full of job files that he always carried with him. We found out that he would be working in Pinedale the day we flew in to do the survey and what area he would be at. We went out to Fremont Lake where he was working at the tailwaters of the lake. Only he was on the other side of the creek and we had to yell back and forth for maybe a couple hundred feet or so. Paul told us how to go back to town and what streets to get on and what gate we had to find in order to locate the road to take us up to where he was. Only, he said that we couldn't drive in and had to leave the vehicle at the gate and walk in. He also said that it would be about a mile and half jaunt to get there. In all, it only took us about a half hour to go back around, find the gate and walk up to meet with him. When we got there he was shocked and didn't believe that we did all this in such a short time and walked in. He kept accusing us of driving in. We got all the data we needed from him and headed back to the gate. On the way back, I said to Norm, my employer, "I bet he'll walk back checking for tire tracks." :>)

We must have impressed him as about a week or so later, Paul contacted the office and contracted us to do some surveys for him that he just couldn't get to, doing a bunch of surveys on some County Roads in Teton County. I think from September to December 1971, I surveyed 3 or 4 Teton County Roads, a corner search in the Bridger-Teton Forest North of Pinedale for a ranch survey and to survey, design and stake a Subdivison at Teton Village. The corner search was about this time in October and proved to be fruitless as snow had fell in the high country and wouldn't melt in the timber (about 8" or more) and the corner we had to find was in a big Aspen grove with crisscrossed down Aspen trees so he pulled us off this job and said that "I guess I waited too long to get in there" as the snow would be there till summer.

The last time I talked with him face to face was in September 1991 when the Wyoming Board held a hearing regarding implementing their Continuing Education program to get input from the Licensees, Surveyors and Engineers.

If you worked in one of "his" counties, you had better get your "Corner Records" filed in the county clerks office in a timely manner or he would personally call you to tell you to get them filed. He would often take a tour around the state to various County Clerks office just to check on whether the surveyors were filing them.