Ed Evans Recipients
The Utah Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials (UAPMO) presents the inaugural Ed Evans Award to the following for their dedicated and outstanding contribution providing support, service and leadership to the chapter, community and profession.
2023 Kent Trussell
2022 Bob Bennet
2021 Paul Taylor
2019 William (Bill) Bailey
2018 Tim Collings
2017 Lincoln Talbot
2016 Dave Levanger
2015 Mike Durfee
2014 Paul Shephard
2013 Trudy Bush
2012 Doug Weidauer
2011 Vern Beals
Ed Evans History
Ed Evans Bio
1916 – 2003
Ed has been in or around the plumbing and heating trade most of his life. His father was one of the leading contractors in the Intermountain West. Ed worked in his father’s shop while a small boy. While in high school, he worked part-time at Crane Supply Co. He learned the fittings, fixtures, and various terms related to plumbing. After high school he attended BYU for a year and then went to Florida where he was employed by Crane Co. Florida, at that time was just coming out of the depression and 25 or 30 new hotels were being built on Miami Beach. He returned to Salt Lake in 1936, where he attended LDS Business College until he was called to serve in the British Isles for two years.
When he returned to Salt Lake, he attended the University of Utah until the Second World War broke out. He joined Local #19 and worked as a plumber on war defense projects at the Salt Lake Airport, Fort Douglas, Tooele Ord. Depot, Hill Field, Clearfield Navy Depot, Topaz Concentration Camp at Delta and Utah Oil Refinery.
After the war he worked for a number of the local contractors and eventually went into the business with his father and brother, Dave. In 1952 he moved to Los Angeles and supervised the mechanical work on the LDS Los Angeles Temple.
After returning to Salt Lake in 1956, he worked with EP Evans Co. He served as a director in the UPHCC and as chairman of the State Joint Apprenticeship Committee. When his father died, he had an opportunity to go into the business with his brother. Knowing how brothers sometimes in business have problems and knowing his brother, he made a decision to let Dave have the business and not break up a family as well as a business. Since that time, Dave has made a lot of money and Ed has watched him haul his money to the bank in a wheelbarrow.
In 1959, he was appointed director of the Utah Pipe Trades Industry Education Program and has served as the coordinator of the Educational Program until he retired July 31, 1984 (25 years).
Under Ed’s direction the training program in Utah developed into one of the best in the U.S. He made many good contacts with State and National people that have had respect for the training program. A good majority of the members of the plumbing and pipe-fitting Local Unions in Utah have gone through an apprenticeship while he has been the director.
Ed was honored by Utah Technical College in Provo in 1971 with an honorary degree in Applied Science for his work with young people.
Ed has attended the U.A. Instructor’s Training Program at Purdue University almost every year until the last three years when the economy dropped off. He served for many years as an instructor at Purdue, teaching new Coordinators how to operate a U.A. Training Program.
Ed has served on the State Plumbing Advisory Committee since it’s inception. He has also been Executive Secretary of the Plumbing Inspectors Association since it was organized in 1964. He has been a member of IAPMO since 1964 and has been instrumental in getting some of our local inspectors appointed to IAPMO Committees and elected to offices in the International Organization. At the National conference of IAPMO in Portland Oregon last October, he was given the “Industry Man of the Year Award”.
Ed was appointed by Governor Rampton to the State Vocational Advisory Committee. He served for three years and made some contributions for Management and Labor.
He has also served on the Weber State College Vocational Advisory Committee and has been an advisor to the UTC in Provo and UTC in Salt Lake Refrigeration Program for twenty years.
Ed has been active in his church. Besides serving a mission to Great Britain in 1936-38, he has held many offices in the wards and stakes he has lived in. He served as Bishop of the Cummings Ward in Salt Lake. He was in the Bishopric of the Westwood Ward. Marie accuses him of picking his own home teaching districts. He visited such movie stars that were members of the Church as Rhonda Fleming, Terry Moore, Lorraine Day and others. He served fourteen years on the M.I.A. General Board assigned to the Athletic Committee. He acted as Chairman of many of the all church tournaments. He was instrumental in getting Billy Casper to put on golf clinics and exhibitions at the all church golf tournaments during the 1960’s while he was in his prime.
Recently Ed and his wife, Marie, served a two-year mission in the old Salt Lake 9th Ward – Liberty Stake.
The best thing in Ed’s life happened in 1941 when he married Marie Okland.