William R. "Bill" Hogge

William R. “Bill” Hogge’s career as Plainview’s city engineer and director of public works spanned some 38 years, from 1956 to 1994. In this important position he prepared the city’s land development and infrastructure plans and oversaw the construction of 51 different subdivisions; 132 miles of streets; 179 miles of water mains; 129 miles of sewer mains; Plainview’s storm sewers; and its modern water disinfection, storage, and distribution system. He initiated the change to a mechanized, containerized garbage collection system and the development of landfills for solid waste. He assisted in the preparation and implementation of three successive master plans and zoning ordinances, and he coordinated a study and recommendations for the city’s water system up to the year 2040.

Bill Hogge was born in 1927 in Amarillo and grew up there. After graduating from Amarillo High and Amarillo Junior College, he earned a B.S. in civil engineering at the University of Oklahoma, where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and of the Knights of Columbus. He served in the Navy in 1945 and 1946. He married Helen Ann Kiser in Pampa in 1950, and they eventually had seven children.

Bill Hogge was a registered professional engineer, surveyor, and sanitarian and was active in the American Public Works Association, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the National Society of Professional Engineers. Before moving to Plainview to become city engineer in 1956, he worked for engineering firms in Tulsa and Amarillo. He was named Plainview’s director of public works in 1965. He was named one of three Texas Public Works Men of the Year in 1988 and one of the Top Ten Public Works Leaders in the United States in 1991.

He was a life member of the Salvation Army, was active in the Lions Club for many years, directed Habitat for Humanity in the Plainview area, and served as president of the Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of Saint Alice Catholic Church. He died in 2007.