Max Anderson, 87, of Mexico, MO, passed away Saturday, May 23, 2015 at Audrain Medical Center in Mexico. Per his request, no formal services are being held.
Max was born October 17, 1927 in Marion, OH to Paul and Delia Groll Anderson.
He served his country with honor in the United States Navy and was a veteran for peace.
He was a consultant and lecturer in urban and regional planning, economics and design. His career spanned nearly 60 years and included public agencies at all levels of planning ranging from larger multi-state regions down to cities and neighborhoods.
After receiving his B.A. in economics and Master’s degree in city planning from U.C. Berkeley, he was the author of demographic and economic studies of the New York metropolitan region for the Regional Plan Association. From 1956-1958 he was a senior planner at Pacific Planning and Research in Palo Alto, CA; organizing hearings and preparing legislative proposals and reports on regional planning and the conservation of agricultural land resources for a committee of the State Legislature. From 1958-1961 he was Chief of Planning for Candeub, Fleissig, then the second largest planning consulting firm in the nation, supervising the preparation of comprehensive plans and development regulations for communities in the headquarters State of New Jersey and branch offices in other states.
He opened his own office in Madison, WI in 1961 and branch offices later in Iowa and Illinois. He was principal planner and author of master plans and development regulations for a total of five entire counties, 86 municipalities, 46 tax increment districts, four cases for incorporation of towns as villages, coordinator of Wisconsin’s first state planning effort, author of studies entitled “Plan for Wisconsin,” “Land Use,” and “Facilities” in Wisconsin, consultant to the Wisconsin Governor’s office, Departments of Administration, Resource Development, Health and Human Services, and the Federal Surplus Property Development Commission, urban planner for two new towns, consultant and author of several studies for the Upper Great Lakes Regional Commission, including the Commission’s report to Congress entitled “Development Strategies Upper Great Lakes Region.”
He was a lecturer in the graduate school of urban and regional planning at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, 1962-1965, teaching courses in planning theory and practice.
In the following years, ending in his retirement in 2008 from a busy career, he retired in Columbia, Missouri working on many innovative city planning projects and campaigns in the City. He wrote numerous newspaper articles in the Columbia Tribune and introduced many proposals to the City and County boards and commissions.
He was a stellar person that made an enormous foot print in the hearts of his family and friends and in the communities that he served nationwide, working tirelessly and selflessly his whole life to improve people’s lives and the environment. He was a trailblazer and visionary in city planning theory and practice. Many family members worked for him at various times and a number trained under his tutelage to become successful planners, business owners, environmentalists, community organizers and politicians because of his creative and inspiring influence. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him and his work.
He is survived by a son, Douglas Anderson & wife Jerri Lynn of Mazomanie, WI; daughter, Alison Anderson & husband Lucien (“Lou”) Phemister of Jefferson City, MO; grandchildren, Maxwell and Nina Anderson of Mazomanie, WI and Crawford NE; sister and brother-in-law, Joan & Sid Sullivan of Columbia, MO.
He was preceded in death by siblings Paul, Walt, Robert Anderson and Winifred Fout, all of Marion, OH.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.parkerfuneralservice.com
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