Kenneth G. Sletten
May 11, 1929 - November 8, 2017
Kenneth G. Sletten passed away quietly on the night of November 8 at the Vi in Palo Alto.
The son of Theodore and Flora Brown Sletten, Ken was born in Helena, Montana and moved with his family to Billings at the age of 5. He graduated from Billings High and, after winning an NROTC scholarship, attended the University of Colorado, earning a B.S. in Civil Engineering. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and volunteered to deploy to Korea, where he was hit by shrapnel from a mortar shell during a mission to retrieve fallen comrades. He required a full year of hospitalization at Mare Island to recover.
This brush with death and year in the hospital sharpened Ken’s resolve to pursue his dreams with intensity. Upon his discharge from the hospital, he attended Stanford Business School, graduating in 1956 with his MBA, and joined the construction firm of Williams and Burrows, where he would meet future business partner, Onslow “Rudy” Rudolph. In 1962, Ken left Williams and Burrows to join Rudy in forming Rudolph and Sletten.
Ken was determined to operate and grow Rudolph and Sletten whilst adhering to the highest ethical standards. He believed in delivering projects with maximum quality, speed, and safety, and innovated numerous business practices in pursuit of these goals. He was noted for his integrity in the construction community and was trusted to do his jobs on-time and on-budget. Years later, Engineering News Record would bestow upon him their Legacy Award for his contributions to the industry, particularly innovations such as fast track scheduling, guaranteed maximum price contracts, negotiated contracts, and the zero punch list. Ken was also a “people” person who excelled at connecting with co-workers and customers. He enjoyed mentoring employees and took great pride in watching their development.
Many buildings throughout Silicon Valley are a testament to Ken’s efforts. During his time at R&S, the company completed a number of projects for Stanford University, including the Carnegie Foundation Labs, the CMGM Building, the Chemical Lab Surge Building, the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, the Stanford Cancer Hospital, the MRI Building, the Gates Information Center, the Sir Norman Foster Science Building, the Governor’s Corner Student Residence, and the Florence Moore Residence Hall. In addition, Rudolph and Sletten was responsible for numerous corporate buildings in the area, including the Hewlett Packard, Fairchild, and National Semiconductor buildings in Stanford Business Park, Xerox Parc, the Memorex Corporation Campus, buildings for Apple and Lockheed, including the Apple Campus at 1 Infinite Loop, and the first “super clean room” for Advanced Micro Devices. Ken enjoyed telling the story of the Memorex project, which was built on 51 acres of what used to be an onion farm, because before they could break ground, R&S employees had to harvest the onions themselves. Ken’s favorite project, however, may have been constructing the Monterey Bay Aquarium for David and Julie Packard.
Ken’s work extended beyond the company to the community, and he served on the boards of numerous non-profits, including the Children’s Health Council, Peninsula Family YMCA, Avenidas, and Menlo School. He would go on to receive Lifetime of Achievement awards from Avenidas and Habitat for Humanity for his contributions.
In 1999 Ken retired from Rudolph and Sletten, and in 2005, the company was acquired by Tutor Perini. While in retirement, Ken continued to busy himself with charity work, work on boards, and mentorship. He served as managing director on the advisory board of the construction firm Level 10, one of several companies which had been founded by former R&S employees that Ken had mentored. In 2013, the Computer History Museum recorded Ken’s Oral History for the collection and wrote an accompanying article about his work in the industry, called “The Valley that Rudolph and Sletten Built.”
Ken never stopped wanting to do productive work and contribute to society, and he struggled, in recent years, as it became difficult for him to do so. He also labored to accept the role of “patient” and the help he sorely needed, as he preferred to be the one taking care of others. We are grateful to all of those who helped him during this time. Countless friends, colleagues, and health professionals helped to keep his spirits up. In particular the family would like to thank his “right hand” assistant, Carolyn Burke, for her years of help in his office and out.
His family remembers Ken as a loving father and husband who brought the same incredible energy and enthusiasm he demonstrated in his professional life to raising his family. Whether he was leading family ski trips, coaching soccer teams, cooking his famous buckwheat waffles, or playing his guitar and singing songs, we always knew how much he loved us. He was a kind soul, a passionate builder, and a father overflowing with boundless affection. He will be sorely missed and so fondly remembered. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Phyllis Stewart Sletten, children Daniel Stewart Sletten and Joanna Lisa Sletten, sister Vivian Pledge, nephew David Pledge, niece Jennifer Pledge and grand-niece Ashley Pledge. The Pledge family resides in Missoula, Montana.
A Life Celebration for Ken will be announced shortly.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Ken’s name to Habitat for Humanity or the Children’s Health Council would be warmly appreciated.