Albert A. Grant, 88, who was the American Society of Civil Engineers' first president from the public sector, in 1988, and became an early advocate of engineering sustainability, died in Potomac, Md., on April 2, says ASCE.
Fredric S. "Fred" Berger, chairman emeritus and board director of global professional services firm Louis Berger, and a long involved engineering executive in his own company and within the industry, died on April 23 in Washington, D.C.
ButtonCharles "Charlie" Button, who, as chief engineer and deputy chief operating officer of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), managed significant infrastructure built as part of the court-ordered $3-billion cleanup of Boston Harbor in the 1990s, died on March 17 at age 70.He told ENR in 1997 that initial local uproar over the harbor cleanup's cost impact on sewer rates changed after the project delivered "a tangible result—a clean harbor—and seeing ... white wakes behind boats.''The cause of death was cancer, said an online obituary.Button, who also was chief engineer of the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, managed a
Abba G. Lichtenstein, 92, a noted bridge engineer who helped develop key national load-rating and inspection standards and techniques and who was an expert in repair of historic spans and related structures, died on March 13 in Washington, D.C., his family confirms.
Photo Courtesy Michael Graves Architecture & Design Populism Portland building (top) started postmodernism. Swan Hotel graces Walt Disney World. Photo Courtesy Michael Graves Architecture & Design Related Links: Michael Graves Architecture & Design Michael Graves, who more than 35 years ago kicked off the postmodern movement in architecture with his then-controversial design for the Portland Public Service Building, died of natural causes on March 12. He was 80.In 2001, when Graves won the American Institute of Architects' Gold Medal, he talked about "populist architecture" and his aim to delight the soul through buildings—from windows to washrooms."The livable city is the
University of Maryland Clark (right) with fellow engineer and University of Maryland benefactor Jeong H. Kim at 2007 engineering building dedication. Related Links: Clark Construction website: A. James Clark obituary University of Maryland Mourns Passing of A.James Clark In 1969, when he took over an old-line Washington, D.C.-area construction firm that now bears his name, A. James "Jim" Clark had a growth vision that differed sharply from its founder. Decades later, the successor set the foundation that propelled George Hyman Construction Co. to become today's national industry giant Clark Construction Group, and transformed Clark himself into a billionaire philanthropist. Clark
Related Links: Pritzker Architecture Prize Biography of Frei Otto Architect Frei Otto, a pioneer in lightweight tensile structures, died on March 9 at age 89, soon after he learned he had won the prestigious 2015 Pritzker Architecture Prize.Otto, born in Siegmar, Germany, on May 31, 1925, was an "architect, visionary, utopian, ecologist, pioneer of lightweight materials, protector of natural resources and a generous collaborator with architects, engineers, biologists, among others," says the Pritzker Architecture Prize, in a release. Otto is the 40th laureate of the honor, sponsored by the Hyatt Foundation.OTTOIn engineering circles, Otto was best known for his innovative
Photo by Tony Illia/ENR Brock gave a press conference at CONEXPO 2011, not long before he was diagnosed with cancer. Related Links: Smell of Green May Soon Replace Asphalt's Acrid Odor Warm-Mix Asphalt Heats Up In Construction Market J. Don Brock, chairman and former chief executive officer of Astec Industries Inc. died March 10 in Chattanooga, Tenn. He was 76 years old.For more than 40 years, Brock was the construction industry’s outspoken champion of hot-mix asphalt. In later years, he sought to make flexible pavements more environmentally friendly and recyclable.Brock—also known as Dr. Brock referring to his doctorate in mechanical
Related Links: Edmund Cranch Obituary-Worcester Polytechnic Institute CranchEdmund T. Cranch, 92, who served as dean of Cornell University's engineering school in the 1970s, became president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass., and was a well-known education consultant in the private and public sectors, died on Feb. 4 in Florida, says WPI.Cranch oversaw extensive campus expansion during his 1978-1985 tenure at WPI, and doubled its revenue and endowment, the school adds.He later was president of the American Society for Engineering Education, of which he was named a fellow in 1993. Cranch was also a fellow of the American Society of
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