LEE + RO offers our condolences to Sal's family and friends and former colleagues, and I speak for the entire LEE + RO family, past and present when I say that we will miss our good friend.
Sal Calderon began his LEE + RO journey in 2000, and over the next 25 years he left an unmistakable mark across our region's landscape. You cannot drive down State College or the Pacific Coast Highway without seeing the imprint of his work. His legacy lives not only in the steel, concrete, and earth that make up the projects he built, but also in the people who had the privilege to work beside him. Sal's engineering DNA is woven into the very foundation of the communities we serve—and into the hearts of those who learned from him.
As an engineer, Sal was a true original. He approached complex, costly, and "impossible" challenges with creativity and bold conviction. Where others saw risk and liability, Sal saw an opportunity worth pursuing. When someone warned, "the manufacturer doesn't think the equipment will work," Sal would smile and reply that he and physics disagreed—and he was usually right. His unwavering belief in the practical power of ideas set him apart, making him both a brilliant designer and an unshakeable problem-solver.
As a mentor, Sal shared wisdom that extended far beyond technical lessons. His mantra—"think two moves ahead"—was as much about life as it was about design. To him, every project was a chess match to be won through thoughtful strategy and patient execution. He taught us to believe in our ideas, to design with courage, and to always remember that true design comes from understanding what it means to build.
Today, as the generation shaped by the Clean Water Act makes way for the next, we find ourselves reflecting on leaders like Sal—engineers who not only built infrastructure but built people. His knowledge, his humor, his mentorship, and his belief in the next generation live on in those of us who had the great fortune to call him our mentor, colleague, and friend.
Sal is survived by his wife, Irma, his son, Francisco, and his daughter, Camillia. We hold them in our hearts and wish them love, comfort, and peace in this difficult time. He is also survived by all of us who carry forward what he taught us; like his projects, we are everywhere—each of us a living piece of his legacy.