Lucien Dean Blake

Lucien Dean Blake, II, of Frankfort, Kentucky, passed away due to complications from Marfan�s Syndrome at the Hospice Care Center at St. Joseph�s Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, on June 5, 2011. Dean Blake was born in Charleston, WV, on June 22, 1939, to Lucien Dean and Maymie Marie Blake, where he and his younger sister, Ann Belden, spent their childhood. A gifted student and all-state multi-sport athlete, Dean attended Charleston High School, graduating in 1957 as class president. Dean accepted a scholarship to Virginia Tech, where he was a four-year player on the varsity basketball team. He graduated with a degree in industrial engineering in 1961. He married the former Judie Young on June 30, 1962. After graduation, Mr. Blake worked for the Department of the Navy in Maryland on the Polaris Missile Project. He was charged with developing a scheduling and management information system for this massive project. In 1964, he accepted the position of management analyst for the West Virginia Department of Highways. Over the next 15 years, Blake dedicated himself to improving efficiencies within the WVDOH, while aggressively pursuing adequate funding for more and better roads. He was named the Deputy Commissioner in 1977, and also served as Chairman of the Governor�s Task Force on Secondary Roads. Under his leadership, the state undertook its most aggressive and fruitful secondary roads program in its history. Mr. Blake became the founding Executive Director of the Flexible Pavements Council (FPC) of West Virginia in 1979. FPC was the first organization in West Virginia dedicated to the promotion and improvement of asphalt. In this role, Dean continued to lead the fight for adequate funding for transportation on both the state and national levels. In 1983, Mr. Blake accepted the position of Executive Director of the Plantmix Asphalt Industry of Kentucky (PAIKY), where his mission continued to be to work for a better product, improved quality, and to expand the asphalt market. He was a registered lobbyist and a prolific writer on highway related subjects. His experience, longevity and principled leadership resulted in measurable benefits to the industry and earned him the respect and admiration of all who knew him. He retired in 2008, and over the course of his career, he saw many changes in the asphalt industry, and was an integral voice through the "Asphalt Revolution.� During his career, Blake served as a member of the National Asphalt Pavement Association�s Board of Directors, and was a 25-year member of their Quality Improvement Committee. He served on the Board of Directors of Kentuckians for Better Transportation (KBT), as well as for The Road Information Program (TRIP). He was a past president of the American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE), a member of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists (AAPT), the Highway Advancement Task Force, and UK�s Construction Management Industry Advisory Committee. Mr. Blake was elected twice by his peers to act as chairman of the State Asphalt Pavement Association Executives (SAPAE). In 2004, the University of Kentucky�s Civil Engineering Department�s Construction Management Founders Society honored him with their coveted "Lifetime Achievement Award.� The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) honored him with its prestigious "Distinguished Service Award.� Throughout his life, Dean was committed to the communities in which he lived. He was an active member of Christ Church United Methodist in Charleston, WV, where he taught Sunday school, served on the building committee, and spent countless, beloved hours coaching youth in the church basketball league for more than 15 years with great success. He was also a Little League baseball and softball coach for both his son and daughter�s teams. For all of his academic, athletic, and career successes, Dean always considered his family and friends to be his greatest blessing and most valued treasures. He is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Judith Young Blake; his daughter Jennifer Blake Waggener, her husband Drew Waggener, and their children, son Scott Waggener, daughter Jessica Waggener Higgs, and son-in-law Jon Higgs; his son David Blake, his wife Kim Blake, and their children, daughters Haley Blake and Chelsie Stover, and sons Jeremy Blake and Collin Stover. There will be a memorial service held at 6 pm on Thursday, June 9, 2011, at First United Methodist Church in Frankfort, Kentucky. There will be a second memorial service held at 4 pm on Saturday, June 18, 2001, at Christ Church United Methodist in Charleston, West Virginia. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to either the Building Committee of First United Methodist Church in Frankfort, KY, or to the National Marfan Foundation (www.marfan.org).

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Lucien Dean Blake

June 22, 1939 - June 5, 2011