Collin Hal Amick

Sundance, Wyoming resident Collin Hal Amick, PhD, PE, 73, passed away on January 15, 2025, at Billings Clinic Hospital, Billings, Montana. He was born in Douglas, Wyoming on March 7, 1951, to Roy Sr. and Betty (Collins) Amick of Glendo, Wyoming.

Hal graduated from Glendo High School and went on to the University of Wyoming, where he majored in civil and architectural engineering, earning a BS degree in 1974. He briefly served as an engineer at EDS Nuclear in San Francisco.

After this, he received a MS in Structural Engineering from UC Berkeley, and became a research engineer at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory from 1976 to 1978. From 1978 to 1980, Hal served as an engineer at Liftech Consultants Inc. in Oakland, California.

He then received a MS in Engineering from UC Berkeley. He became an assistant professor at Chadron State College, and later at Sheridan College from years 1980 to 1985.

He served as a senior engineer at Bolt Beranek and Newman from 1985 to 1990, and a senior consulting engineer at Acentech Inc. from 1990 to 1996. Hal joined Colin Gordon Associates in Brisbane, California, where he served as a senior consulting engineer, returning to school at the age of 50, and received a PhD in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley.

Hal was a registered professional engineer in California and Wyoming, and was one of the world's preeminent experts in vibration control for buildings where extremely low vibrations are critical for the operation of sensitive instruments. Hal's work was foundational to the success of many of the world's leading nanotechnology facilities and other laboratories, as well as advanced technology manufacturing facilities. He consulted on projects in most of the 50 states and numerous foreign countries.

After moving to Sundance, Wyoming, he continued to work remotely with the CGA office in California.

Hal married his first love, Ellen Stinson of Laramie in 1973, and to that marriage their daughter Elizabeth Jane was born in 1979. Ellen died of complications of MS in 1986.

Later, Hal was married to Charyl Bowen, and then Alison Herzer. Both of those marriages ended in divorce.

Hal and Glendo High classmate Elaine Ruland (Maurer) became reunited in 2011, then were married and lived in San Mateo, California for seven years, before moving to Sundance.

Dr. Amick was a member of numerous professional organizations. Notable of those were American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE); Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST); Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC); American Concrete Institute (ACI).

He was listed in Marquis Who's Who of Engineering, as well as publishing numerous technical papers as principal author or co-author, and was a contributor to many industry textbooks.

Photography, genealogy, reading, history and writing were all among Hal's passions. Utilizing ancestry.com and other primary sources, Hal linked and contributed to the family histories of more than 35,000 different immediate family, extended and pioneer families of Platte County Wyoming.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Roy and Betty Amick; wife, Ellen Stinson Amick; and half-brother, Roy Amick, Jr. He is survived by his wife, Elaine Ruland-Amick of Sundance; daughter, Elizabeth "Angel" Chesney (Mark) and grandson, Thomas of Portland, Oregon; half-sister, Barbara Heinz of Lancaster, California; cousin, Judy Bodenham of Fort Collins, Colorado; numerous nieces and nephews; and friends and colleagues around the world.

A celebration of Hal's life will be held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to St. John's Episcopal Guild, PO Box 412, Glendo, WY 82213.