Sollee, Arthur N., 1900-1984.

Engineer and Executive Director of the Jacksonville Expressway Authority. Born near Tifton, Georgia, May 23, 1900. Educated in Jacksonville, Florida schools; received a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Florida in 1926. Served as Assistant and County Engineer for Duval County from 1931-1956. Appointed Executive Director of Jacksonville Expressway Authority in 1956. Retired in 1972; died in 1984.

From the description of Arthur N. Sollee papers, 1927-1984. (University of North Florida, Carpenter Library). WorldCat record id: 30568032

Arthur Neyle Sollee, Sr. was born near Tifton, Georgia on May 23, 1900. Four years later, his family moved to Jacksonville, Florida where he attended South Jacksonville Elementary School. After distinguishing himself in both academia and athletics, he graduated from Duval High School and served in the United States Army. Upon his discharge in 1918, he enrolled in the engineering program at the University of Florida and received a Bacholor of Science in Civil Engineering degree in 1922, and Civil Engineer degree in 1926.

His first professional position was as a field surveyor with the George B. Hills Company, where he remained from 1922 until 1928. His last assignment for the Hills Company was as Resident Engineer on the initial construction of Port Everglades for the Broward County Port Authority. Upon recognizing the potential challenges of this project, he accepted the position of Port Engineer in 1928, and saw the project to fruition in 1931.

Returning to Jacksonville in 1931, he was appointed Assistant County Engineer for for Duval County and, in 1939, County Engineer. In 1945, he received an additional appointment as the County's first Zoning Director. Notable achievements during his seventeen-year tenure as County Engineer include the preparation of a Duval County topographic map, significant drainage improvements, gasoline tax revenue revision, and numerous right-of-way acquisitions for future highways.

In 1956, he was appointed Executive Director for the Jacksonville Expressway Authority, later renamed the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (1971). As JEA executive director, Mr. Sollee laid out the basic plans for the city's expressway system and supervised the planning and construction of the Mathews and Hart bridges. (The J. T. Butler Boulevard Intracoastal Waterway bridge is named in his honor.)

After retiring in 1972, he worked on completing his memoirs, The Engineer Speaks, which was published in 1982. Mr. Sollee died on November 9, 1984.

From the guide to the Arthur N. Sollee Papers, 1927-1984, (Thomas G. Carpenter Library, University of North Florida)