July 1999 Newsletter
See you at the Radisson Hotel on the second Monday in July |
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear ASCE Members, Special thanks to my Board of Directors for their support and help throughout the year. I want to highlight some of their extra efforts that helped make this a better year for all. Thank you Mac McWilliams for your extensive efforts with the Civil Engineering students at UT Arlington and for coordinating the student paper presentation in April. Thank you Doug Ziolkowski for planning the wrap-up party in honor of the Dallas Host Committee for the Texas Section Fall Meeting. Thank you Vicki McCullough for negotiating a good contract for our meeting place and for sending us the minutes of our board meetings on time. Thank you Ivan Nicodemus for keeping good treasury records and for creating and maintaining a databank of fax numbers/e-mail addresses that helps improve our communication efforts with our membership. Thank you Scott Young for being our financial sounding board. Thank you Rachel Hayden for directing and supporting the Younger Member Committee. Thank you Ramon Miguez for attending the Texas Section Spring Meeting and conveying our Branch's position to the Section Board. Thank you Quinn Spann for the excellent slate of officers for next year. A big thank you goes to our Committee Chairs, the backbone of our organization. Thank you Roger Behgam for developing and maintaining our Branch's Website with links to the ASCE National Website, and also for expanding the Newsletter and writing and placing very interesting and informative articles. Thank you Liz Metting for maintaining our membership database that generates labels for our newsletter. Thank you Madonna Smith for stepping in when needed and continuing sending articles on our Branch's activities to the Texas Section. Thank you Brian Erikson for bringing outstanding and distinguished speakers to our monthly meetings. Thank you Deepak Manglokar for your recruiting efforts that surpassed our membership goals. Thank you Russ Scharlin for all the press releases and media coverage as well as the nametags. Thank you Kim Limberg and Fernando Villarreal for your extensive Community Outreach effort and for leading us to build for Habitat for Humanity. Thank you Donna Long for the after work social for fundraising. Thank you Doug Newport for the Engineering Management seminars that helped us become better managers and also for participating in our presentation at the TxDOT younger engineers meeting. Thank you Walter Skipwith for the Technical seminars that helped strengthen our skills. Thank you James Phipps and Bob Brown for the Public Education seminars that not only educated the public, but also increased the public awareness of our profession. Thank you Lissa Whitehead for bringing the young engineers together through fun and worthy ASCE activities and for motivating them with your enthusiasm and energy. Thank you Jeff Ground for encouraging high school students to pursue careers in civil engineering through our Scholarship. Thank you Chula Ellepola for the Employment Bank/Salary Surveys that will provide useful information to our Members about salary ranges in our area. Thank you Jonathan Sawyer for the Professional Directory that will be a useful catalog to all our members. Thank you Aubrey Adcock for keeping the records of our History and Heritage. Thank you Tom O'Grady for providing us with excellent awardees for the professional awards during National Engineers Week. Thank you Cissy Sylo for making arrangements to honor our Life Members. Thank you Randy West for chairing the Texas Section Fall Meeting Host Committee. I think all our events and activities went great, but if something did not go as planned, please don't worry about it. Just look at the big picture of what we have accomplished this year, and feel proud and wonderful now, because you made a great contribution to our profession and to the public in Dallas with your efforts. Thank you for giving so much of your valuable time and energy to our organization! I also want to thank all your Committee Members for helping you accomplish your goals. This has been a wonderful year for me because I had the opportunity to work with outstanding people and presided over the best ASCE Branch in the Nation: The Dallas Branch! I hope our team made accomplishments that fulfilled your expectations. One of my goals this year was to increase the public awareness of ASCE and our profession by educating the public. I believe that if we want to have more successful and rewarding careers, we need to be more proactive and increase the public awareness of what we are doing. Extensive public education efforts require a lot of money, so I think we need to start involving the industry to underwrite some of our efforts, such as production of interesting high quality movies that exhibit the contribution of all engineers to our society. We are the experts, and we should be the leaders in our field, and stand up for our engineering values and ethics. In order to lead we need to continue improving our engineering skills and enhancing our broad education. We need to think in terms of understanding today's needs, and creating and utilizing safer and more advanced technologies and designs for tomorrow. And, we need to be active in public affairs and seek leadership roles, or support our capable colleagues who do, so we can get our voice heard. I hope you love and enjoy being a Civil Engineer as much as I do! There is nothing more rewarding and fulfilling than being an engineer who makes a difference by improving the quality of life for all people. I hope your heart is filled with enthusiasm, love, pride and respect for our profession. I am very proud of each one of you because I know that every day you make a great contribution to our society by being a civil engineer! Keep up the good work and stay involved in ASCE. Thank you for being Members of our Dallas Branch! Sincerely,
Sophia Iliadou, P.E. President
|
Congratulations To Our Outstanding
Members
Life long dedication and commitment to civil engineering and ASCE is rewarded by achieving
Life Member status. It is with a great deal of pride and pleasure that we announce that
the following Members have achieved the status of Life Member:
Henry C. Boecker, P.E. (Fellow)
Robert W. Brown, P.E. (Member)
Gene R. Dretke, P.E. (Fellow)
Paul M. Kenner, Ph.D., P.E. (Member)
Don C. McIlyar, P.E. (Member)
Thomas E. Taylor, P.E. (Member)
Stanley R. Caldwell, Jr., P.E., was elected to the grade of Fellow by ASCE National. As of May of this year, Fellows represent just over 6% of the ASCE membership, and they are licensed engineers or land surveyors who have made significant technical achievements and have completed ten years in responsible charge of engineering work following election to the grade of Member. Stan Caldwell is a Vice President at Halff Associates, and has been responsible for all their structural and architectural engineering services. He received both his BSCE and MSCE from the University of Wisconsin. He was instrumental in the founding of ASCE's Architectural Engineering Division (AED) as a member of its original Executive Committee. As the Chair of this committee in 1997, he was able to negotiate the merger of AED and the National Society of Architectural Engineers to jointly establish the Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI). Subsequently he led the campaign for the AEI proposal to be embraced by ASCE which was accomplished. AEI is now well into its first year of operation!
Leading the Race
The ASCE Membership Drive Standings as of April 1, 1999 indicate that Dallas leads the
number of recruits on the national level. The Branch has recruited 34 new Members and has
already exceeded the Branch recruitment goals. Special thanks to Deepak Manglokar, P.E.,
Chair of Membership Committee, Jack Furlong, P.E. and Leslie Sagar, P.E. for their
exceptional efforts! If you know of other civil engineers who are interested in joining
ASCE, please contact these Committee Members.
Branch Needs A Home
The Dallas Branch needs Members' help to find office space to house our Branch! The office
is needed for filing and storing the Branch records, exhibits and awards in a single
location. If you have extra space in your building that your company would allow the
Branch to use, or if you want to donate a building or the use of a building to our Branch,
please call or e-mail Sophia Iliadou, at (214) 948-4681, or sophia@cyberramp.net,
by July 16, 1999. If you donate property, that property will be named after you or your
firm! Any other ideas on the subject are welcomed.
Young Member Happy Hour
Young Member Committee has scheduled another happy hour for Tuesday, July 13 at Chelsea
Corner at 2822 McKinney Avenue. The festivities will begin at 6:00 PM. Steve Schell, P.E.
Project Manager with the City of Dallas will discuss the reconstruction of McKinney Avenue
and its related interesting issues including the cooperative involvement of the
businesses, those bumpy bricks, and the historic trolley. Enjoy $2.00 draft beers!
Afterwards, everyone can ride the trolley down McKinney! Come & join all your ASCE
friends! You do not have to be a younger Member to attend. For more information, please
contact Lissa Whitehead, EIT at (214) 948-4258 or e-mail: lwhitehe@pbw.ci.dallas.tx.us.
Salary Survey
As a service to our Members, the Dallas Branch Professional Activities Committee is
conducting a Salary Survey of its Members. A survey form is enclosed with
this Newsletter to obtain the Data. Please take a few minutes to complete this form and
mail or fax to the contacts as shown on the form. The results will be published in the
September Newsletter. The results will be as good as the number of responses that are
received. The Committee is also preparing a Professional Directory.
Please see the attached forms, complete and forward to the appropriate addresses as
shown on the forms:
Salary Survey Form Directory Form
Civil Engineer in the News
An article in the Dallas Business Journal of June 11, 1999 covered the issues that are
being considered by the office building managers, tenants and leasing agents with offices
near the Central and LBJ interchange that will go under a major reconstruction. In this
article, our fellow Member, Kim Limberg, P.E. of TxDOT is consulted to provide details on
the expected construction and traffic control issues for the project.
ASCE's 150th Anniversary in 2002
Daniel S. Turner, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE and ASCE President asks your help in celebrating
ASCE's 150th Anniversary in 2002. To mark this milestone, ASCE's goal is to reach 150,000
members by providing the names and addresses of non-member civil engineers to ASCE. You
will receive an address book imprinted with the ASCE logo, as a token of thanks for your
assistance. Please send the name, address, telephone number and e-mail of at least one
non-member contact to David Rosenblum, ASCE Membership Coordinator, by August 1, 1999. An
invitation for membership will be sent to each contact name provided. Please inform us if
you do not want your name mentioned in the letter sent to your contact(s). Please send
your referrals by e-mailing member@asce.org, faxing 703-295-6333, calling 800-548-2723
(ASCE) or mailing to World Headquarters, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191-4400.
Golf Classic Results
The 1999 DFW Golf Classic was a great success! The Younger-Member Committee is pleased to
announce that over $1,800 was raised for scholarships! This tournament was one of the
largest on record with 66 attendees. This year the winning team came from Turner, Collie,
& Braden in Dallas and was composed of Will Gladbach, Craig Malan, David Gladbach, and
Scott Thomas who shot a score of 61. The Second Place awards went to a team from Freese
& Nichols made up of John Atkins, Chris Steubing, George Roland, and Eric Riedinger
with a score of 62. The Closest to Pin award went to John Atkins and the Longest Drive
went to Pete Fawvor from URS Greiner Woodward Clyde. The team that was challenged the most
(score-wise at least) was composed of Cliff Hall, Dave Johnston, Joe Hart, and Mark Gatens
from URS Greiner Woodward Clyde in Dallas. Many younger Members worked hard to make this
year’s DFW Golf Classic a success. A big thanks goes to Valerie Andres, James Brown,
Cyndi Fields, Will Gladbach, Rachel Hayden, Chris Lam, Laura Lewis, Michael McMicken,
Carlos Negron, Tom O’Grady, Ron Peron, Madonna Smith, Twyla Tibbertsma, and Lissa
Whitehead. Another big thanks go to our sponsors! We had the following gold sponsors: ANA
Consultants L.L.C., Dunaway Associates, Inc., HNTB Corporation, Parsons Transportation
Group, Turner, Collie, & Braden, Inc., Wendy Lopez and Associates, Inc., and Family
Golf Center. Our silver sponsor was Roger Bullivant of Texas, Inc.
Presentation Award
Many congratulations to Ben Cernosek, P.E., City of Dallas, and Burt Weathersbee, P.E.,
Carter & Burgess, Inc., for the "Best of Session Fall 1998 Meeting" award
they received from the Texas Section for their paper presentation "Going to Record
Lengths to Save White Rock Lake"!
Section News
A.C. Burkhalter, P.E. has announced his intention to seek the office of the National ASCE
President. He has served the Houston Branch, Texas Section and the ASCE National in
various roles including as President of the Houston Branch and Texas Section, District 15
Director and National Treasurer.
Downtown Improvements
Downtown Dallas has been a busy place this year. Site cleanup and demolition activities
for the new arena are underway. The restoration of Pegasus, the Flying Red Horse has been
started and can be seen at the City Hall Plaza. The Downtown Improvement District has
initiated the planning of several projects to enhance the downtown area. The former
Federal Reserve Bank on Akard Street is being renovated for a new telecommunication center
and luxury condominiums. And of course the downtown just hosted a parade for the Dallas
Stars, the Stanley Cup Champions. Stop by for a lunch, an evening outing or take a ride on
DART.
CE in Government Award
ASCE is seeking nominations for outstanding civil engineers that work for governmental
agencies. For information, please contact George Williams, P.E. at (210) 675-7712 or CJNP39B@prodigy.com.
Civil Engineering Reference Manual
A completely revised seventh edition of the "Civil Engineering Reference Manual for
the PE Exam" by Michael R. Lindeburg has been published. The book is a standard
resource for civil engineers preparing for the professional engineering licensing exam.
With chapters on all areas of civil engineering, the book is also a standard reference
manual. Direct ordering is available from Professional Publications, Inc., (800) 426-1178
or www.ppi2pass.com.
Clean Air Act Delay
A Clean Air Act ruling that could have had significant impact on transportation projects
has once again been delayed. A state implementation plan to control air pollution will
still require careful consideration and lowering of emission standards. Texas SIP is being
developed by TNRCC for a November 2000 review of EPA. The Texas passage of the electricity
restructuring bill has helped the plan.
On-line Resources
Please check the Branch Website (July Newsletter Page) for an informative article on
researching and finding vendors for your projects to save time on looking up material and
specifications. The article has several links to useful resources.
North Central Expressway
Photo: Roger Behgam
The construction of the North Central
Expressway is near completion. Planning of this major public works project started in the
70s and caused many controversies. Once a locally preferred concept to all parties
including TxDOT, City of Dallas, DART as well as local communities (Park Cities),
businesses and residents was established, Dallas civil engineers went to work on the
construction plans in the late 80s. During the construction of the various sections,
phases and stages of the highway, traffic was kept flowing even at a crawl at times. The
project is near completion and this year it was recognized as one of the fastest flowing
highways in the Dallas Metroplex by D (Dallas) Magazine. The Dallas Branch would like to
in some way recognize the contribution of its Members to this significant project. If you
have any ideas, stories or just want to be included in a list of project contributors,
please send an e-mail to Roger Behgam, P.E. rroger_behgam@earthtech.com
or call at (214) 630-8867.
E ditor's NoteI have been privileged to prepare the Dallas Branch Newsletter for the last three years. During this time, the Newsletter has grown to many pages in order to cover our activities and news as well as provide a venue to recognize the Members' accomplishments. Our list of subscribing firms has also grown and the Newsletter acts a directory of Dallas firms. The Dallas Branch Website was developed as an extension of the Newsletter and was one of the first branch websites in the country. The Branch Website contains information augmenting the Newsletter articles, provides links to relevant information and news and acts as a communication conduit among the Members. In this position, I have been able to meet many of the Members and have come to appreciate all we do as civil engineers to contribute to development of the Dallas Metroplex. I believe that as engineers we do not promote our activities, concerns and accomplishments enough. The Newsletter and Website can help in this promotion if we hear from each of you. Do not be shy about sending us your accomplishment news. We have been blessed with a great community, growing economy, many projects to complete and an influx of new Members that should even take us to higher levels of accomplishments and exposure. I would like to thank the three Boards and Committees that I have served under and with. The encouragement of Presidents Richard Gee, Quinn Spann and Sophia Iliadou has been instrumental. I sincerely appreciate the efforts of Liz Metting who has tirelessly been trying to keep our Branch Membership Database up-to -date, a nearly impossible task for this Branch of over 1200 very mobile Members and print address labels for the Newsletter. I also thank Jim Turnell and Barabara Bullock of Bent Tree Printing for keeping up with the fast pace of Newsletter production in a Macintosh world. Rhonda Hurst will be the Newsletter Editor as of next month and she will have my help. I will continue to further develop the Branch Website and I need your help to make it truly your website. Roger Behgam |
Upcoming Monthly Meetings |
|
September |
Joint Meeting with SAME |
Branch Fax and E-mail Databank
Ivan Nicodemus, P.E., Treasurer, has accumulated a databank of fax numbers of the Dallas
firms to send Branch Meeting announcements. One fax is sent to each firm. If you receive
the fax, please post it on your bulletin board to inform everyone in your office. If your
firm is not on the list, please fax Ivan (number is on the Branch Directory on the back
page of the Newsletter).
The Branch is now in the process of developing a databank of e-mail addresses for quicker dissemination of important notices. One e-mail will be sent to each firm and its contact. The contact will then be asked to e-mail internally to the firm's engineers. If you would like your firm to be added to this databank, please e-mail Ivan at cmaq@onramp.net or Roger Behgam, P.E., Newsletter/Website Editor at roger_behgam@earthtech.com. You may e-mail all Board and Committee Chairpersons from the Branch Website.
Habitat's Thanks and Engineering Needs
The Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity has expressed their appreciation for the time and
hard work during the two ASCE workdays this past year. Volunteers help is instrumental in
enabling the Habitat to continue to provide affordable housing in the Dallas area. The
Habitat is in the need of civil engineers to help in the pre-construction phase for
another forty houses to be built in the year 2000. The civil engineering help is needed
for soils testing, design of post-tension slabs and design of approximately 500 feet of
water and sewer lines with laterals for a new Habitat community. If interested, please
contact fellow ASCE Members Emogene Liles or Debbie Willheim at (214) 827-4037, fax at
(214) 827-1619 or e-mail to eliles@dallas-habitat.org.
Trade Association Engineer
National Trade Association seeks Engineer. Responsibilities include serving on national
committees such as TRB, NCHRP and ASTM, contacting state DOT's and national consulting
firms and preparation of promotional literature. Must be self-motivated, assertive,
diplomatic, confident and committed to success. Degreed engineer with P.E. and five years
experience desired. Send Resumes to: American Concrete Pipe Association, 222 West Las
Colinas Blvd., Suite 641, Irving, Texas 75039.
Senior Geotechnical Engineer
Senior Geotechnical Engineer for profit center manager in growing and stable geotechnical
and construction materials testing firm in Dallas. MSCE preferred with P.E. and at least
10 years experience. Opportunity for excellent salary, bonus and 401K participation. Send
resume to: Alpha Testing, Inc., 2209 Wisconsin, Suite 100. Dallas, Texas 75229 or fax
972-241-5835.
Newsletter Deadline
Due to delays in distribution of the Newsletters through the bulk mail process, the
deadline for accepting news items and ads has been changed to the first day of the month
for the preceding month (i.e.: January 1 for the February Newsletter). Please forward your
Member news, Committee announcements and other Newsletter items to Roger Behgam, P.E.,
Newsletter/Website Editor at Earth Tech, Inc. at (214) 630-8867 with a new e-mail address
of roger_behgam@earthtech.com.
| CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES | |
July 29-30 |
Wind Loads for Buildings & Other structures, Washington, D.C. |
| August 12-13 | Construction Project Administration, Carleston |
| August 23-24 | Design Build Contracting, New York |
| August 26-27 | NPDES, Cincinati |
| Sept. 29-30 | NPDES Stormwater Permit, San Antonio |
See ASCE Events http://www.asce.org/confconted/cal2.html.
Dallas ASCE
