Philip Nalder, Who Headed Grand Coulee In The 1950S

Philip R. Nalder, known as "Can-Do Nalder" to friends and family, could fix or make anything he put his mind to - he once made a playhouse out of dynamite boxes, and built a 14-foot runabout boat with his children.

Mr. Nalder, who headed up the dam and irrigation project on the Grand Coulee Dam from 1950 to 1960, died in his sleep early Friday morning (Dec. 25). He was 89.

A reserved man most of the time, Mr. Nalder, who loved Irish coffee, would occasionally let his sense of humor seep out, said his daughter, Nan Nalder-Griffith of Seattle. She remembers once when she was in high school, sitting in their living room on St. Patrick's Day, and without warning her father jumped up and did an Irish jig.

Mr. Nalder, who was born in Olympia and grew up mostly in Pullman, graduated from Washington State College with a degree in engineering in 1933.

Soon after college, he began working on the dam as a draftsman with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and helped acquire the canyon that now holds Lake Roosevelt, the reservoir behind Grand Coulee Dam.

Mr. Nalder entered the Army Air Corps soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor and served in the Philippines and New Guinea, eventually earning the rank of major.

When he returned from the war, he went back to his job at the dam, becoming the project manager.

In 1960, Mr. Nalder and his wife, Mibs Aurdal, moved to Afghanistan, where he led the refurbishing of an irrigation project in the Helmund River Valley for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Nalder-Griffith, who eventually followed her father's footsteps as a hydro-electric engineer, said her father loved his job.

"His job was his life," she said. "He was totally dedicated. He wanted to solve problems. He didn't like it when personalities got in the way. He didn't have much patience for that."

Nalder-Griffith said her father's public service and generosity and fierce loyalty to his family are some traits she has tried to emulate.

After he retired, Mr. Nalder set up a golf-club-repair business in the garage of his home on the golf course in Mill Creek.

When he could no longer play golf, he started making and repairing jewelry. Mr. Nalder also enjoyed fly fishing, camping and photography.

Other survivors include his children Susan Nalder of Santa Fe and Eric Nalder of Seattle; two grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. His wife of 60 years died in 1995.

Services are pending. Remembrances may be sent to a fund named in honor of Mr. Nalder's father: the Frank Fielding Nalder Scholarship Fund, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99163.