Rex E. Maiden, BSCE ’58, MS ’63
Rex E. Maiden, BSCE '58, has played a part in many of the civil engineering and structural engineering projects that have improved Ohio University and Athens County over the past 27 years. Rex was raised in Middleport, Ohio and graduated from Ohio University in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering.
Rex's first position was with the West Virginia Highway Department. He then moved to the Parkersburg Rig and Reel Company which manufactured bolted steel tanks, 1000' high transmission towers, and pre-engineered buildings. His work with the engineers there fostered his interest in structural design. In 1960, Rex worked as an area engineer for DuPont Corporation at its Parkersburg, West Virginia plant and was eventually transferred to its plant in Seaford, Delaware.
Shortly thereafter, the opportunity arose for Rex to take an acting instructor's position in the civil engineering department at Ohio University. This allowed Rex to pursue his master's degree and still support a growing family. He received his Master of Science degree in structural engineering in 1963. Rex went back to work first for DuPont, and then with a new company, Walker/Parkersburg (a division of Textron, Inc.). In 1971, Rex and his family (wife Nancy and six children) moved to Nelsonville, Ohio so that Rex could take over the family business, Maiden and Jenkins Construction.
Maiden and Jenkins Construction activities include earthmoving, bridge building, pipeline and building construction in southeastern Ohio. The business has grown from one company to four, including Maiden and Jenkins Construction, Black Top Contracting, Nelsonville Consulting and Construction, and B. T. Materials. In 1976 Rex was elected Athens County Engineer, a post he held for three years.
As a student at Ohio University, Rex was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and was registered in the Engineering Directory. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Society of Professional Engineers, and serves on the Department of Civil Engineering's advisory board and the Russ College Board of Visitors. Rex is an active community member, serving on the boards of the Peoples Bank, the Sunday Creek Coal Company, the Hocking Conservancy District, and the Nelsonville Board of Trade. In 1994 he was elected "Person of the Year" by the Nelsonville Area Chamber of Commerce.
When asked about his greatest accomplishments, Rex said, "I do not feel that I have made any great accomplishments in my life. The most important things to me are God, family, the people I love, my friends and being able to share with others. I have been truly blessed."