Born 7 Oct 1923 in Portland Oregon, Bruce was the first of three children belonging to Franklin Fernando Adell and Josephine Luella ALKIRE. From Oregon, the family moved to California in 1924, living in Santa Rosa, Napa, and Sacramento, before making Roseville their permanent home in late 1939. Bruce was able to overcome polio paralysis as a child and attended Napa Union High School for his first year before the family moved briefly to Sacramento and then Roseville, where he graduated from Roseville Joint Union High. Living in Roseville he joined the school band and played saxophone with a local dance band. Even in high school, Bruce considered possible career paths in aeronautical engineering and architecture, taking classes in drafting and expressing an interest in attending Pratt University. But as a high school senior working part-time for Sherman Lumber, Bruce felt compelled to serve his country during its time of war, and like many other young men of the era, he also contemplated a military career. After graduating in 1943, joined the Army Air Corps on February 16, intent on becoming a pilot. Disqualified from flight school because of an eye muscle imbalance, Bruce attended two service schools, the first in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for 20 weeks of basic training and Gunnery School in Hallingen Texas, where he qualified as an aerial marksman. Transferred to Muroc (now Edwards) A.F.B. in California, Bruce trained in communications, when his B-24 Liberator crashed at take-off on 17 Apr 1944, shortly before their scheduled deployment overseas. One of several survivors, Bruce sustained significant 1st, 2nd and 3rd-degree burns and was hospitalized for nearly four months. Relieved of his flight station on August 29, he served the remainder of his duty on base and was discharged on 24 Feb 1946 as part of the military's demobilization after the war.
Returning to his family home in Roseville, Bruce pursued his dream of becoming an Architect. His career officially began as a draftsman under the tutelage of Sacramento Architect Leonard F. Starks in 1947 and without the benefit of a college degree, a determined young Bruce took classes at Sacramento City College, Sacramento State College, U.C. Berkeley Extension, and was heavily influenced by the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design. It was also in the late 1940s that Bruce's grandparents Claudia and Lou Fritz, expressed their confidence by hiring him to design their home, his first to be constructed. Following his initial employment with Starks, he worked for other noted area firms to include Herbert Goodpastor, Harry Devine, and Cox & Liske, before becoming a California State Licensed Architect in 1960. Bruce then spent eleven years in private practice, beginning with a modest home office, until finding a more professional location. In 1963, he won the Masonry Joint Industry Board of Sacramento's award, for his design of the Diamond Oaks Municipal Golf Clubhouse in Roseville. Bruce continued growing his resume and reputation, leading to his unanimous selection by the Roseville City Council in 1967, as architect for the new Public Safety complex, to house the police and fire station on Oak Street near Washington Blvd. Bruce was subsequently hired by the Spink Corporation as their Supervising Architect in 1970, became a Vice President in 1972, and was elected to their board of directors in 1973. He was instrumental in bringing D.Q. University to the Spink Corporation (Deganawidah-Quetzalcoatl) in 1971, when the firm was commissioned by D.Q.U. to develop a master plan, comprehensive report and concept design for a two-year campus anticipated for construction near Davis, California. Their objective was to blend the various pre-Spanish cultural influences of the native populations, into its design. Charged with this phase of the project, Bruce studied early Mesoamerican civilizations, their cultures, art, and architecture and traveled to visit the museums and ancient sites of Mexico. The challenges presented by D.Q.U. made it Bruce's favorite during his years with the firm, but construction never came to fruition. Bruce resigned from Spink in September 1975 and in the years that followed, became the project coordinator for Kimmel Construction and resumed his private practice as a consulting architect. Retiring as an architect in 2004, he officially concluded his career as a roofing consultant in 2008. Over the course of a career spanning sixty years, his project designs included commercial, industrial, religious, recreational, residential, and professional developments throughout the Sacramento valley.
Bruce contributed to Sacramento's "Save The Alhambra" Campaign, as chair of the renovation gifts committee in 1972-73, while a principal with the Spink Corporation. Had this effort been successful, he was designated to be the consulting architect for restoration work. Designed by his early mentor Leonard Starks in 1926, the Alhambra theater became a designated historical landmark but was demolished in 1973 to clear the ground for a Safeway market. This event more than any other, jump-started Sacramento's historic preservation movement, and part of Bruce's contribution, is included in the Patrick Melarkey Collection #2004/067, at the Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center. Of additional interest, are some of the professional continuing education courses he took thru the years. One, in particular, was thru the Department of Defense; "Fallout Shelter Analysis" in the midst of the cold war scare. He and his wife Ann even decided where, in their backyard our bomb shelter would be built, an idea they abandoned as lunacy, but not before he drew up the plans. And I suppose his biography would be incomplete, without some mention of his politics. Naturally inquisitive, I remember his nearly impenetrable focus while reading the daily newspapers. He also read a variety of news magazines and consulted other informational sources as well, always keeping himself abreast of the current issues of his day. Having deeply regretted his vote for Richard Nixon over John Kennedy in the 1960 Presidential election, he became a staunch Democrat and never again supported Republican candidates. He said the only good thing Reagan did as California's governor, was ending a years-long effort to replace the State Capital building with a 60's-modern structure, preserving our state and local history in the process. And of course, holiday gatherings at his parents' home, was inevitably the scene of arguments about politics over the dinner table. These highly anticipated, robust, and spirited debates between Bruce and his brother-in-law, became an integral, unforgettable, and enjoyable part of our family's history.
Bruce expressed an early childhood interest in aviation by building working balsa wood airplane models. And when denied his dream of becoming a pilot during the war, obtained his private pilot's license some twenty years later at the old Phoenix Field in Fair Oaks. Bruce also owned several telescopes in his youth, made his own lens and followed the science of astronomy until the last few years of his life. Photography was also another of his interests, capturing a wide variety of images over the years. He loved taking his sailboat out to Lake Tahoe or Folsom Lake and also enjoyed a good game of golf. He passed away 8 Oct 2013 on his mother's birthday, just one day after his own. A complex and complicated man, Bruce always found something to captivate his interest. He was an inspirational figure who is forever, sincerely and deeply missed but first and foremost, he was a wonderful father and a loyal friend.
Scott Adell
May 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021
Returning to his family home in Roseville, Bruce pursued his dream of becoming an Architect. His career officially began as a draftsman under the tutelage of Sacramento Architect Leonard F. Starks in 1947 and without the benefit of a college degree, a determined young Bruce took classes at Sacramento City College, Sacramento State College, U.C. Berkeley Extension, and was heavily influenced by the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design. It was also in the late 1940s that Bruce's grandparents Claudia and Lou Fritz, expressed their confidence by hiring him to design their home, his first to be constructed. Following his initial employment with Starks, he worked for other noted area firms to include Herbert Goodpastor, Harry Devine, and Cox & Liske, before becoming a California State Licensed Architect in 1960. Bruce then spent eleven years in private practice, beginning with a modest home office, until finding a more professional location. In 1963, he won the Masonry Joint Industry Board of Sacramento's award, for his design of the Diamond Oaks Municipal Golf Clubhouse in Roseville. Bruce continued growing his resume and reputation, leading to his unanimous selection by the Roseville City Council in 1967, as architect for the new Public Safety complex, to house the police and fire station on Oak Street near Washington Blvd. Bruce was subsequently hired by the Spink Corporation as their Supervising Architect in 1970, became a Vice President in 1972, and was elected to their board of directors in 1973. He was instrumental in bringing D.Q. University to the Spink Corporation (Deganawidah-Quetzalcoatl) in 1971, when the firm was commissioned by D.Q.U. to develop a master plan, comprehensive report and concept design for a two-year campus anticipated for construction near Davis, California. Their objective was to blend the various pre-Spanish cultural influences of the native populations, into its design. Charged with this phase of the project, Bruce studied early Mesoamerican civilizations, their cultures, art, and architecture and traveled to visit the museums and ancient sites of Mexico. The challenges presented by D.Q.U. made it Bruce's favorite during his years with the firm, but construction never came to fruition. Bruce resigned from Spink in September 1975 and in the years that followed, became the project coordinator for Kimmel Construction and resumed his private practice as a consulting architect. Retiring as an architect in 2004, he officially concluded his career as a roofing consultant in 2008. Over the course of a career spanning sixty years, his project designs included commercial, industrial, religious, recreational, residential, and professional developments throughout the Sacramento valley.
Bruce contributed to Sacramento's "Save The Alhambra" Campaign, as chair of the renovation gifts committee in 1972-73, while a principal with the Spink Corporation. Had this effort been successful, he was designated to be the consulting architect for restoration work. Designed by his early mentor Leonard Starks in 1926, the Alhambra theater became a designated historical landmark but was demolished in 1973 to clear the ground for a Safeway market. This event more than any other, jump-started Sacramento's historic preservation movement, and part of Bruce's contribution, is included in the Patrick Melarkey Collection #2004/067, at the Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center. Of additional interest, are some of the professional continuing education courses he took thru the years. One, in particular, was thru the Department of Defense; "Fallout Shelter Analysis" in the midst of the cold war scare. He and his wife Ann even decided where, in their backyard our bomb shelter would be built, an idea they abandoned as lunacy, but not before he drew up the plans. And I suppose his biography would be incomplete, without some mention of his politics. Naturally inquisitive, I remember his nearly impenetrable focus while reading the daily newspapers. He also read a variety of news magazines and consulted other informational sources as well, always keeping himself abreast of the current issues of his day. Having deeply regretted his vote for Richard Nixon over John Kennedy in the 1960 Presidential election, he became a staunch Democrat and never again supported Republican candidates. He said the only good thing Reagan did as California's governor, was ending a years-long effort to replace the State Capital building with a 60's-modern structure, preserving our state and local history in the process. And of course, holiday gatherings at his parents' home, was inevitably the scene of arguments about politics over the dinner table. These highly anticipated, robust, and spirited debates between Bruce and his brother-in-law, became an integral, unforgettable, and enjoyable part of our family's history.
Bruce expressed an early childhood interest in aviation by building working balsa wood airplane models. And when denied his dream of becoming a pilot during the war, obtained his private pilot's license some twenty years later at the old Phoenix Field in Fair Oaks. Bruce also owned several telescopes in his youth, made his own lens and followed the science of astronomy until the last few years of his life. Photography was also another of his interests, capturing a wide variety of images over the years. He loved taking his sailboat out to Lake Tahoe or Folsom Lake and also enjoyed a good game of golf. He passed away 8 Oct 2013 on his mother's birthday, just one day after his own. A complex and complicated man, Bruce always found something to captivate his interest. He was an inspirational figure who is forever, sincerely and deeply missed but first and foremost, he was a wonderful father and a loyal friend.
Scott Adell
May 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021
Born 7 Oct 1923 in Portland Oregon, Bruce was the first of three children belonging to Franklin Fernando Adell and Josephine Luella ALKIRE. From Oregon, the family moved to California in 1924, living in Santa Rosa, Napa, and Sacramento, before making Roseville their permanent home in late 1939. Bruce was able to overcome polio paralysis as a child and attended Napa Union High School for his first year before the family moved briefly to Sacramento and then Roseville, where he graduated from Roseville Joint Union High. Living in Roseville he joined the school band and played saxophone with a local dance band. Even in high school, Bruce considered possible career paths in aeronautical engineering and architecture, taking classes in drafting and expressing an interest in attending Pratt University. But as a high school senior working part-time for Sherman Lumber, Bruce felt compelled to serve his country during its time of war, and like many other young men of the era, he also contemplated a military career. After graduating in 1943, joined the Army Air Corps on February 16, intent on becoming a pilot. Disqualified from flight school because of an eye muscle imbalance, Bruce attended two service schools, the first in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for 20 weeks of basic training and Gunnery School in Hallingen Texas, where he qualified as an aerial marksman. Transferred to Muroc (now Edwards) A.F.B. in California, Bruce trained in communications, when his B-24 Liberator crashed at take-off on 17 Apr 1944, shortly before their scheduled deployment overseas. One of several survivors, Bruce sustained significant 1st, 2nd and 3rd-degree burns and was hospitalized for nearly four months. Relieved of his flight station on August 29, he served the remainder of his duty on base and was discharged on 24 Feb 1946 as part of the military's demobilization after the war.
Returning to his family home in Roseville, Bruce pursued his dream of becoming an Architect. His career officially began as a draftsman under the tutelage of Sacramento Architect Leonard F. Starks in 1947 and without the benefit of a college degree, a determined young Bruce took classes at Sacramento City College, Sacramento State College, U.C. Berkeley Extension, and was heavily influenced by the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design. It was also in the late 1940s that Bruce's grandparents Claudia and Lou Fritz, expressed their confidence by hiring him to design their home, his first to be constructed. Following his initial employment with Starks, he worked for other noted area firms to include Herbert Goodpastor, Harry Devine, and Cox & Liske, before becoming a California State Licensed Architect in 1960. Bruce then spent eleven years in private practice, beginning with a modest home office, until finding a more professional location. In 1963, he won the Masonry Joint Industry Board of Sacramento's award, for his design of the Diamond Oaks Municipal Golf Clubhouse in Roseville. Bruce continued growing his resume and reputation, leading to his unanimous selection by the Roseville City Council in 1967, as architect for the new Public Safety complex, to house the police and fire station on Oak Street near Washington Blvd. Bruce was subsequently hired by the Spink Corporation as their Supervising Architect in 1970, became a Vice President in 1972, and was elected to their board of directors in 1973. He was instrumental in bringing D.Q. University to the Spink Corporation (Deganawidah-Quetzalcoatl) in 1971, when the firm was commissioned by D.Q.U. to develop a master plan, comprehensive report and concept design for a two-year campus anticipated for construction near Davis, California. Their objective was to blend the various pre-Spanish cultural influences of the native populations, into its design. Charged with this phase of the project, Bruce studied early Mesoamerican civilizations, their cultures, art, and architecture and traveled to visit the museums and ancient sites of Mexico. The challenges presented by D.Q.U. made it Bruce's favorite during his years with the firm, but construction never came to fruition. Bruce resigned from Spink in September 1975 and in the years that followed, became the project coordinator for Kimmel Construction and resumed his private practice as a consulting architect. Retiring as an architect in 2004, he officially concluded his career as a roofing consultant in 2008. Over the course of a career spanning sixty years, his project designs included commercial, industrial, religious, recreational, residential, and professional developments throughout the Sacramento valley.
Bruce contributed to Sacramento's "Save The Alhambra" Campaign, as chair of the renovation gifts committee in 1972-73, while a principal with the Spink Corporation. Had this effort been successful, he was designated to be the consulting architect for restoration work. Designed by his early mentor Leonard Starks in 1926, the Alhambra theater became a designated historical landmark but was demolished in 1973 to clear the ground for a Safeway market. This event more than any other, jump-started Sacramento's historic preservation movement, and part of Bruce's contribution, is included in the Patrick Melarkey Collection #2004/067, at the Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center. Of additional interest, are some of the professional continuing education courses he took thru the years. One, in particular, was thru the Department of Defense; "Fallout Shelter Analysis" in the midst of the cold war scare. He and his wife Ann even decided where, in their backyard our bomb shelter would be built, an idea they abandoned as lunacy, but not before he drew up the plans. And I suppose his biography would be incomplete, without some mention of his politics. Naturally inquisitive, I remember his nearly impenetrable focus while reading the daily newspapers. He also read a variety of news magazines and consulted other informational sources as well, always keeping himself abreast of the current issues of his day. Having deeply regretted his vote for Richard Nixon over John Kennedy in the 1960 Presidential election, he became a staunch Democrat and never again supported Republican candidates. He said the only good thing Reagan did as California's governor, was ending a years-long effort to replace the State Capital building with a 60's-modern structure, preserving our state and local history in the process. And of course, holiday gatherings at his parents' home, was inevitably the scene of arguments about politics over the dinner table. These highly anticipated, robust, and spirited debates between Bruce and his brother-in-law, became an integral, unforgettable, and enjoyable part of our family's history.
Bruce expressed an early childhood interest in aviation by building working balsa wood airplane models. And when denied his dream of becoming a pilot during the war, obtained his private pilot's license some twenty years later at the old Phoenix Field in Fair Oaks. Bruce also owned several telescopes in his youth, made his own lens and followed the science of astronomy until the last few years of his life. Photography was also another of his interests, capturing a wide variety of images over the years. He loved taking his sailboat out to Lake Tahoe or Folsom Lake and also enjoyed a good game of golf. He passed away 8 Oct 2013 on his mother's birthday, just one day after his own. A complex and complicated man, Bruce always found something to captivate his interest. He was an inspirational figure who is forever, sincerely and deeply missed but first and foremost, he was a wonderful father and a loyal friend.
Scott Adell
May 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021
Returning to his family home in Roseville, Bruce pursued his dream of becoming an Architect. His career officially began as a draftsman under the tutelage of Sacramento Architect Leonard F. Starks in 1947 and without the benefit of a college degree, a determined young Bruce took classes at Sacramento City College, Sacramento State College, U.C. Berkeley Extension, and was heavily influenced by the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design. It was also in the late 1940s that Bruce's grandparents Claudia and Lou Fritz, expressed their confidence by hiring him to design their home, his first to be constructed. Following his initial employment with Starks, he worked for other noted area firms to include Herbert Goodpastor, Harry Devine, and Cox & Liske, before becoming a California State Licensed Architect in 1960. Bruce then spent eleven years in private practice, beginning with a modest home office, until finding a more professional location. In 1963, he won the Masonry Joint Industry Board of Sacramento's award, for his design of the Diamond Oaks Municipal Golf Clubhouse in Roseville. Bruce continued growing his resume and reputation, leading to his unanimous selection by the Roseville City Council in 1967, as architect for the new Public Safety complex, to house the police and fire station on Oak Street near Washington Blvd. Bruce was subsequently hired by the Spink Corporation as their Supervising Architect in 1970, became a Vice President in 1972, and was elected to their board of directors in 1973. He was instrumental in bringing D.Q. University to the Spink Corporation (Deganawidah-Quetzalcoatl) in 1971, when the firm was commissioned by D.Q.U. to develop a master plan, comprehensive report and concept design for a two-year campus anticipated for construction near Davis, California. Their objective was to blend the various pre-Spanish cultural influences of the native populations, into its design. Charged with this phase of the project, Bruce studied early Mesoamerican civilizations, their cultures, art, and architecture and traveled to visit the museums and ancient sites of Mexico. The challenges presented by D.Q.U. made it Bruce's favorite during his years with the firm, but construction never came to fruition. Bruce resigned from Spink in September 1975 and in the years that followed, became the project coordinator for Kimmel Construction and resumed his private practice as a consulting architect. Retiring as an architect in 2004, he officially concluded his career as a roofing consultant in 2008. Over the course of a career spanning sixty years, his project designs included commercial, industrial, religious, recreational, residential, and professional developments throughout the Sacramento valley.
Bruce contributed to Sacramento's "Save The Alhambra" Campaign, as chair of the renovation gifts committee in 1972-73, while a principal with the Spink Corporation. Had this effort been successful, he was designated to be the consulting architect for restoration work. Designed by his early mentor Leonard Starks in 1926, the Alhambra theater became a designated historical landmark but was demolished in 1973 to clear the ground for a Safeway market. This event more than any other, jump-started Sacramento's historic preservation movement, and part of Bruce's contribution, is included in the Patrick Melarkey Collection #2004/067, at the Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center. Of additional interest, are some of the professional continuing education courses he took thru the years. One, in particular, was thru the Department of Defense; "Fallout Shelter Analysis" in the midst of the cold war scare. He and his wife Ann even decided where, in their backyard our bomb shelter would be built, an idea they abandoned as lunacy, but not before he drew up the plans. And I suppose his biography would be incomplete, without some mention of his politics. Naturally inquisitive, I remember his nearly impenetrable focus while reading the daily newspapers. He also read a variety of news magazines and consulted other informational sources as well, always keeping himself abreast of the current issues of his day. Having deeply regretted his vote for Richard Nixon over John Kennedy in the 1960 Presidential election, he became a staunch Democrat and never again supported Republican candidates. He said the only good thing Reagan did as California's governor, was ending a years-long effort to replace the State Capital building with a 60's-modern structure, preserving our state and local history in the process. And of course, holiday gatherings at his parents' home, was inevitably the scene of arguments about politics over the dinner table. These highly anticipated, robust, and spirited debates between Bruce and his brother-in-law, became an integral, unforgettable, and enjoyable part of our family's history.
Bruce expressed an early childhood interest in aviation by building working balsa wood airplane models. And when denied his dream of becoming a pilot during the war, obtained his private pilot's license some twenty years later at the old Phoenix Field in Fair Oaks. Bruce also owned several telescopes in his youth, made his own lens and followed the science of astronomy until the last few years of his life. Photography was also another of his interests, capturing a wide variety of images over the years. He loved taking his sailboat out to Lake Tahoe or Folsom Lake and also enjoyed a good game of golf. He passed away 8 Oct 2013 on his mother's birthday, just one day after his own. A complex and complicated man, Bruce always found something to captivate his interest. He was an inspirational figure who is forever, sincerely and deeply missed but first and foremost, he was a wonderful father and a loyal friend.
Scott Adell
May 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021
