Vernon K
Vernon K. Hagen was born on 3 September 1926 in Roseau, Minnesota. He went to high
school in Cando, North Dakota, served in the Army in 19451946, and in 195 1 received a
bachelor of science in engineering from Montana State University.
In the summers of 1949 and 1950, Hagen worked as an engineering aide with the United
States Bureau of Reclamation. Upon graduation from Montana State, he continued as a full-time
employee with the Bureau, serving in the land acquisition and hydrology sections of the Bureau's
Billings, Montana, office. There he plotted the land areas to be acquired in fee or easement and
wrote legal descriptions of the real estate. He also performed surveys, measured stream flows,
and participated in hydrologic engineering studies for irrigation and hydropower development.
In 1953, Hagen joined the Corps of Engineers and worked in the hydrology sections at
Fort Peck, Montana (Fort Peck Dam), and Riverdale, North Dakota (Garrison Dam). In these
positions, he continued to develop his skills in hydrologic engineering studies, now expanded to
include questions dealing with local flood control and multipurpose reservoir operations. In April
1956 Hagen was promoted to a GS-11 civil engineer, and he transferred to the planning and
reports section at Riverdale. His responsibilities grew to encompass the coordination of planning
for water resource projects, evaluating the economics of potential projects, and determining cost
sharing. In the summer of 1957 Hagen joined the hydraulic design section at Riverdale and
conducted hydraulic design studies on spillways, sluice and tainter gates, stilling basins, intakes,
channels, pumping stations, drainage facilities, and hydroelectric power plants.
In September 1958 Hagen came to Washington, D.C., and began working as a hydraulic
engineer in the hydrologic engineering section in the civil works directorate of the Office of the
Chief of Engineers. His major responsibility was to review technical reports prepared by field
offices. Arriving in Washington as a GS-12 engineer, Hagen rapidly earned promotion. By
August 1961 he was a GS-13 engineer with additional responsibilities. He helped in the
development of the Corps` new floodplain management program, served on various interagency
committees and work groups, and participated in training sessions. He received a promotion and
became chief of the section in April 1967. In that capacity, Hagen oversaw the development of
technical guidance to the Corps on hydrologic engineering matters.
In September 1971, Hagen was promoted to GS-15 and became chief of the newly formed
hydrologic engineering branch. He remained in that position until 1975, when his branch was
consolidated with the hydraulic design branch. Jacob H. Douma headed this consolidated
hydraulic and hydrology branch but gave Hagen complete authority in matters dealing with
hydrologic engineering. When Douma retired in 1979, Hagen became the new branch chief. He
retired from the position in August 1985.
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