Schneider, Harley R., 1909-2008

Harley R. Schneider was born in New Ulm in 1909 and graduated from the civil engineering program at the University of Minnesota. Schneider worked as an engineering supervisor for the Work Projects Administration in Brown County from 1935 to 1942. Between 1943 and 1945 Schneider worked on the modification of B-24 airplanes for Northwest Airlines at the St. Paul Modification Center where he was promoted to materials control supervisor. Following the shut down of war work Schneider returned to New Ulm and became the city engineer, a post he held until he retired in 1975. During his long tenure as New Ulm city engineer Schneider became an active member of the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers, the Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors, the City and Village Engineers Association of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Association of County Engineers. He was particularly active in the local chapters of both the state surveyors and engineers societies.

After he retired as New Ulm city engineer, Schneider worked as a surveyor for Brown County and also as a consultant for the engineering firm of Bolton & Menk in Mankato, Minnesota. He also volunteered as the historian for both the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers and the Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors. Schneider started researching archival documents originating from the public land survey of Minnesota prior to his retirement and continued that work well into the latter part of the 1990s. He intended to compile the special instructions issued to Minnesota surveyors in an effort to provide the historical background necessary for later resurveys. Progress on his research was often noted in his reports as historian of the Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors. In 1989 he was named surveyor of the year by the Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors.

...