HAYWARD, Calif. - Leo Meyer - sheet metal worker, educator, consultant, author, and publisher - passed away at his long-time home. He was 88.

In 1939 he became a sheet metal apprentice in Bakersfield. He joined the Navy as a metalsmith during World War II, serving as a Seabee in New Guinea and other areas in the Pacific. After the war he taught apprenticeship classes for 14 years, and also taught daytime vocational sheet metal and machine shop in Bakersfield High School and then at Bakersfield College.

While working in the trade, he earned his degree in Vocational Education from California State University-Fresno. During this time he wrote for Snips and other trade magazines, and wrote apprentice material for the state of California. He also wrote books published by McGraw Hill and American Technical Publishers. His book Sheet Metal has been a staple in the industry for over 50 years, and Mr. Meyer revised it through several editions.

He was asked to conduct teacher training courses for the University of California Berkeley and Ohio State University. In 1963 he became Dean of Vocational Education at Chabot College in Hayward. He left in 1970 to start his own writing and consulting business. Mr. Meyer began a 30-year relationship with the National Training Fund (NTF, later renamed ITI) for the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) and Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association (SMWIA). He wrote and produced the sheet metal apprentice training books and many books for specialized training in the industry. He also consulted for 15 other businesses and educational institutions.

He formed Leo A. Meyer Associates to do the technical writing, typesetting, and production for the writing he did under contract with NTF, ITI, Roofers Union, and other organizations. When he dedicated his time to writing and publishing his own books, Leo A. Meyer Associates became LAMA Books, which has published and sells his 63 books and manuals.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to home2cats (www.home2cats.org) - a non-profit run by his daughter Barbara, dedicated to the rescue and care of injured, disabled, or abused cats and dogs - or to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Publication date:12/06/2010