City of Los Angeles 1972 survey department photo

One token black guy, middle center. One female, bottom row center. Some things don't change.

The girl in the front row is Donna Lynn who married the guy on the far left of the third row.

The black guy is Jim Smith, one of the best chainman (known as a Field Engineering Aide in Civil Service parlance).

I worked there before this picture was taken. I could probably put a face with any name, but not a name with every face.

So who is Joe Cool in the back row with sunglasses, scarf, and pipe? I presume that was a put-on.

Did Burt Reynolds work there between movie gigs? (2nd row, 5th from the left)

That's Hal Wyatt (now deceased), one of the better "gunners", as we called them then.

Well, if it was the 'North Valley' survey group I would take you up. But there is no way I hang at photo of the 'East Valley' elites.

😁

At that time there was an East Valley, West Valley (San Fernando Valley to be exact), Hollywood, West Los Angeles, Westchester, San Pedro, and Central offices. Probably about 300± surveyors.

And they did some damn good work. We would calibrate our steel tape to their "lead and tack ties" back then.

Great photo!

Great photo. Being of that era they all look vaguely familiar. I worked for some mid-sized survey/engineering outfits in the late 70s/early 80s and really dug the comradery and competition. Competition both physically - " we hubbed x number of subgrade... We brushed & traversed x number of timber boundary line" - and mentally - "We programmed the HP11c to do slope stake calcs... You know that you can stake a curve using the the equation blah blah blah, given Radius and half delta...?". That, and the sharing of these revelations and newfound knowledge with co-workers. I imagine that sort of environment compelled me to further my knowledge and eventually get licensed.

yea why not I could sell the photo to the city