MARILYN JORGENSON REECE, RCE 9149
CALIFORNIA'S FIRST FEMALE REGISTERED CIVIL ENGINEER
1926-2004
MARILYN JORGENSON REECE MEMORIAL INTERCHANGE
THE I-10 / I-405 FREEWAY INTERCHANGE ALSO KNOWN AS THE SANTA MONICA / SAN DIEGO
FREEWAY INTERCHANGE, WAS DESIGNATED BY THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE IN 2006
AS THE MARILYN JORGENSON REECE MEMORIAL INTERCHANGE IN MEMORY OF ITS,
DESIGN ENGINEER.
ONE OF CALIFORNIA'S FIRST HIGH SPEED "LOW PROFILE" FREEWAY INTERCHANGES WITH
ITS WIDE-SWINGING CURVED RAMPS, IT WON THE GOVERNOR'S DESIGN AWARD IN 1964.
MARILYN JORGENSON REECE WAS BORN IN KENMARE, NORTH DAKOTA IN 1926. ATHLETIC
AND BRIGHT, SHE PLAYED FRENCH HORN IN HER HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND,
GRADUATING AS CLASS SALUTATORIAN.
WITH A PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIP, AND BY WORKING PART-TIME, MARILYN WAS ABLE TO
PAY HER TUITION AND TO COMPLETE THE FOUR-YEAR CIVIL ENGINEERING BACHELOR
OF SCIENCE CURRICULUM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA IN THREE YEARS.
UPON GRADUATION IN 1948, SHE ACCEPTED A POSITION WITH THE CALIFORNIA DIVISION
OF HIGHWAYS WHERE SHE WORKED FOR THE NEXT 35 YE ARS UNTIL RETIREMENT,
STARTING AS A JUNIOR CIVIL ENGINEER AND WORKING UP TO SENIOR TRANSPORTATION
ENGINEER. UPON PASSING THE STATE LICENSING EXAMINATION FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS IN
1954, SHE BECAME CALIFORNIA'S FIRST FEMALE REGISTERED CIVIL ENGINEER.
STATE OF CALIFORNI A
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 96, STATUTES OF 2006
