Labor Day weekend around the United States brings with it the unofficial end of summer. Beach vacations are in the rearview. Cookout grills are stowed away. School is back in session. It feels like the party’s over. But for those in the construction industry, Labor Day weekend is a milestone of a different sort. Especially in the colder, northern parts of the country, the summer
Distinguished Member Thomas S. Maddock, a past commander of the U.S. Navy Reserve’s Seabees who also led a California water engineering firm, has died at 89. After receiving his civil engineering degrees at Virginia Tech and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Maddock, P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, NAE, decided to enroll in Navy officer candidate school, and was commissioned an ensign with the Navy Civil Engineering Corps. His
Otto Maatsch, a New York civil engineer active with ASCE’s Metropolitan Section for many years, has died at 90. Maatsch, P.E., F.ASCE, was a former purchasing manager for Westvaco Corporation, the materials and packaging company now named MeadWestvaco. Born in Nebenstedt, Germany, Maatsch grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Joining the U.S. Army, he served in the Korean War and with the Army Corps of
Earl Korynta, a former president of the Alaska Section who helped launch USKH, a former top 500 architecture-engineering-surveying firm now part of Stantec, has died at 74. Korynta, P.E., M.ASCE, began his career as a bridge and highway engineer in Los Angeles, but moved to Alaska in 1965 after the North Dakota native decided he was more comfortable in a smaller, less-crowded city and state.
George P. Kelley, who co-founded Langan Engineering & Environmental Services Inc. in 1970 and helped the Parsippany, NJ-based firm grow into a 1,000-employee giant, has died at 75. Over 48 years with Langan, Kelley, P.E., F.ASCE, served as a managing principal and as chairman of the board from 2005 through 2015. Kelley was known as talented and pragmatic, optimistic and curious, with an obstacle-defying “why
ASCE 7 Wind Loads Subcommittee emeritus member Gilliam “Gill” Harris, a wind load standards pioneer who specialized in establishing such codes for metal buildings, has died at 90. Harris, P.E., F.SEI, F.ASCE, helped write the first wind load standard in the late 1950s. His wind tunnel research on low-rise buildings at the University of Western Ontario in the 1970s is still the cornerstone for wind
Distinguished Member Joseph A. “Bud” Ahearn, who oversaw major civil engineering projects across a 34-year career in the U.S. Air Force and a 20-year tenure with CH2M HILL, and was a founding sponsor of Engineers Without Borders USA, has died at 81. In 2010, ASCE recognized Ahearn, P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, NAC, for his leadership with an Outstanding Projects And Leaders award in government. He was a
A year ago, the world watched as Hurricane Harvey battered southeastern Texas with historic levels of rainfall. The ensuing flooding changed lives there forever
I look at my to-do list at the end of the day and see a lot of tasks crossed off, and it makes me feel good. I feel accomplished, like it’s been a good day. That was before I discovered and started living by the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 Rule, both at home and work. If you are not familiar with it,
Randy P. Wall, P.E., M.ASCE, is a vice president for the Western Branch of ASCE’s Montana Section. He is the president of the Engineering Leadership Institute, consulting with firms to create success-focused cultures, improve operations, and increase profits. In today’s Member Voices column, Wall outlines a path toward profitability that might surprise some: a hyper-economic, results-based business focus might, ultimately, be bad for business. You know
