Dennis Glenn Boll, 1947-2013

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-In-Chief, Railway Age
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As reported by Railway Age, Dennis Glenn Boll, retired Assistant Vice President-Signals, BNSF Railway, died Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar, Minn., after a long battle with cancer. He was 65.

Denny Boll, born April 3, 1947 in Hutchinson, Minn. to Glenn and Dorothy (Brandert) Boll, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Minnesota-Morris. While at Morris, he was co-captain of the football team and president of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the Signal Corp of the U.S. Army. Denny trained in electronics, specializing in computer repair, signals, communications, and crypto equipment at Fort Monmouth, N.J., and served in Bangkok, Thailand. He was honorably discharged in 1973, receiving the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service.

Denny began working with Burlington Northern Railroad in 1973 as a computer technician, and in 1977 joined the BN management team. At the time of the BN and Santa Fe merger in 1995, he was promoted to Assistant Vice President-Signals. He retired from the railroad in 2006 and formed Integrated Signal Consulting, continuing his involvement with the railroad industry.

Denny is credited by Railway Systems Suppliers Inc. as a key figure in restructuring the RSSI’s annual exhibition format.
 Said RSSI President Tom Ulrich of Arthur N. Ulrich Co. in a notice to RSSI members,
”His input, commitment, and support enabled us to provide an exceptionally high value to our member companies and our railroad customers, and reach unprecedented levels of success over the past decade. In both his business and personal endeavors, Denny was a shining example of professionalism, class, and dedication, and he will be missed by so many of our members.”

Denny was a member of the Southwest Signal Engineers and AREMA. He was also a member of the American Legion and the Willmar Car Club, and enjoyed fishing, hunting, and cruising in his 1970 Dodge Super Bee.

In 1970, Denny married Lynne Salonen, also a graduate of UMM, in Keewatin, Minn. They had three sons.

A celebration of Denny’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 30, 2013 at Faith Lutheran Church ( 310 Medayto Drive, Spicer, Minn.) followed by burial in Tromso Cemetery in Lake Lillian. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Green Lake Lutheran Ministries (9916 Lake Ave S, Spicer, MN 56288), Granbury First United Methodist Church (P.O. Box 70, Granbury, TX 76048), the Caring Bridge organization (P.O. Box 6032, Albert Lea, MN 56007-6632) or a charity of choice. Arrangements are with Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar.

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