James Krebs Sr.

Tuesday, March 24, 1998

James Krebs Sr.

Prominent civil enginer and Army engineer
James Arthur Krebs Sr., a prominent consulting civil engineer who left his mark on the Pittsburgh landscape in his more than 45-year career, died in his home in Upper St. Clair on Sunday, March 22, 1998.

Mr. Krebs was 93 years old.
Mr. Krebs retired in 1978 from the Peter F. Loftus Corp. concluding an engineering career which touched Pittsburgh's waterways, highways, bridges and most important buildings. He designed and oversaw the construction of the renovations to the Bellfield Boiler Plant in Panther Hollow that provides steam to many Oakland buildings, including The Carnegie.
He was an engineer for railroads, worked on the design for the early Penn Lincoln Parkway project, and served as a consulting engineer to the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh with respect to many of its churches, including St. Bernard's in Mt. Lebanon, St. Sebastian's in North Hills, St. Mary's in Sharpsburg and St. Coleman's in Turtle Creek. He also designed the renovations for Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, his home church in Beechview.
During World War II, Mr. Krebs was a captain in the 1918th Engineer Aviation Company and the 362nd Engineers in the Army Engineering Corps where he constructed airfields for Army Air Corps bombers and fighters in the Pacific Theater, including New Caledonia and Tinian. It was from Tinian that the Allies conducted the massive bombing of Japan, including the first atomic bombs which were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Mr. Krebs, the son of Austrian-Hungarian immigrants, was born August 21, 1904, on the South Side of Pittsburgh and was raised in Beechview. He survived the influenza epidemic of 1918 which claimed his father and sister. He graduated from South Hills High School and worked his way through Carnegie Institute of Technology, while helping to support his family during the Depression. After graduating from Carnegie Tech in 1931, he worked in a series of surveying and engineering jobs, including various railroads, the Pennsylvania Highways Department and the City of Pittsburgh.
During the late 1930s, he met Helen McGrogan, who was a nurse at Magee Hospital. Subsequently, both of them enlisted in the Army before the United States entered the war. They became engaged shortly before Lt. McGrogan's Army nurse unit shipped off to support the invasion of North Africa. She spent the war as an Army surgical nurse in the North African, Italian and European campaigns.
They married after V-E Day when Lt. McGrogan's ship was being outfitted for the support of the anticipated invasion of Japan and Capt. Krebs was on leave from the Pacific.
In the early 1950s, Mr. Krebs decided to move to Upper St. Clair. This decision led his brothers, Alfred and Reinhart, who operated the Krebs Construction Co., to build a number of houses in the Brookside Farms subdivision. That project helped spur the postwar development of Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park.
After the war, Mr. Krebs worked for J&L Steel, Dravo Corp. and Peter F. Loftus. He became well known for his expertise as a structural trouble-shooter in the civil engineering field. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers. After his retirement he was active in the Senior Citizens of Upper St. Clair.
At the age of 41, Mr. Krebs began his family and is survived by his wife, Helen McGrogan Krebs, and his five children, Rose Anne Synowka of Chippewa Township, Helen E. Rishel of Whitehall, Dr. James A. Krebs Jr., of North Strabane Township, William F. Krebs of Washington, D.C., and Robert A. Krebs of Bethel Park; eight grandchildren; and a brother, Reinhart of Peters Township.
Deceased are a brother, Alfred N. Krebs Sr.; and a sister, Laura A. Krebs.