Corps of Engineers Morris (far right in hardhat) observes recovery activities in Buffalo, N.Y. after 1977 blizzard. Related Links: Memoir of Lt. Gen. John W. Morris, December 2000 (Link to PDF) Family obituary and memorial donation details Lt. Gen. John W. “Jack” Morris II, who led the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1970s through an agency revamping and a period of tough scrutiny from regulators and environmentalists, but also one in which the Corps managed two huge and politically charged construction programs, died on Aug. 20 in Wilmington, N.C.His son, Col. John W. Morris III (ret.) confirmed the

Related Links: Obituaries of other AEC sector leaders and innovators William G. "Bill" Scott, 69, a construction executive and project manager who helped complete schedule-challenged dams, among other projects, died on April 24 in Denver.ScottThe cause was cancer, according to former colleague Garth L. Wilson, chairman of consultant Engineering and Construction Insights.Scott, who began his career with contractor S.J. Groves & Sons, became a vice president at Green Construction Co. and later president of its mining unit in Guyana.Scott was a key participant in managing completion of the $217-million Merrill Creek Dam in western New Jersey in the mid 1980s,

Related Links: History of STV Inc. Obituaries of other leaders and innovators in the AEC sector Ira Hooper, a former chief structural engineer at STV Inc., New York City, who worked on complex projects for NASA and the U.S. Energy Dept., among others, died on June 20, says the firm. He was 93.HOOPERHooper's expertise included multi-story frames, plastic design, composite construction and rapid design for steel and concrete.His projects included the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, one of the world's largest structures, and the Enrico Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill.Hooper, also a vice

Related Links: Symmes Maini & McKee Associates (SMMA) The Lyceum Fellowship Other Fellowship and Grant Programs for Design Students Jon D. McKee, 86, a founding partner of architect-engineer Symmes Maini & McKee Associates, Cambridge, Mass., and an industry philanthropist, died on June 6 in Peekskill, N.Y., of natural causes.Begun in 1958, SMMA became one of New England's largest design firms in the 1960s and 70s.  McKeeNoting McKee's push for high-quality design at the integrated architect-engineering firm, current CEO Ara Krafian said he "created architecture at SMMA."McKee was still active with SMMA after retiring more than a decade ago. In a

ESPN Linbeck was the go-to guy to lead an independent probe of the Texas A&M bonfire structure collapse; the 1999 accident killed 12 students and injured 27. Related Links: June 17 Tribute to Leo Linbeck Jr.s leadership of Bonfire Commission by former Texas A&M President Link to PDF-Report of Texas A&M University Bonfire Commission Investigation Can Leo Linbeck IIIs Super PAC Remake Congress? Leo Linbeck Jr., who led Houston-based Linbeck Group LLC to become a regional building giant and took on high-profile causes in Texas and nationwide, died in Houston on June 8 at age 78 from complications of a

Related Links: Joseph R. Loring & Associates Inc. Virginia Tech College of Engineering Joseph R. "Joe" Loring, founder and former CEO and chairman of the New York City electrical-mechanical design firm that handled electrical engineering for the 12-million-sq-ft World Trade Center six years after the company's launch, died on May 30 in Arlington, Va., at age 86.LORINGLoring founded the now 90-person Joseph R. Loring & Associates Inc. in 1956. The firm had key roles on large jobs, such as Manhattan's Citicorp Center in the 1970s and Australia's Parliament building in the 1980s (ENR 1/15/87 p. 20).The firm's work in replacing

Related Links: July 31 Deadline for Cervantes Online Fundraiser/Tributes page Los Angeles Community College District Builds Green ENR California's 2007 Owner of the Year: LACCD Michael Cervantes, an architect whose development of building information modeling (BIM) standards for firms participating in the Los Angeles Community College District's (LACCD) $6-billion sustainable building program was touted by owners and designers nationwide for their ease of use and practicality, died suddenly on May 16 in Long Beach, Calif., of an unknown cause, according to information provided by district colleagues.Cervantes, 38, had been the district's BIM manager since 2009.The district's BIM approach "has been

Related Links: SMPS Ron Garikes Student Scholarship website Obituaries of other industry leaders and innovators GarikesRon W. Garikes, 54, former chief operating officer of the now-closed architecture firm Karlsberger Cos. and a longtime professional services marketing advocate, died on April 28 in Birmingham, Ala., of complications of ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease.Garikes, who was based in Birmingham, also led Karlsberger's national laboratory and technology group before the Columbus, Ohio, firm closed in 2011.He was a former national president and distinguished life member of the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) as well as a founding member and past president of

Even while gaining book smarts—a civil engineering degree from MIT and an MBA from Stanford University—Thomas W. Traylor stayed close to the core of his family-owned contractor, Traylor Bros. Inc., working summers in its welding shop building tunnel shields and the firm’s first rotary tunnel excavator, says one biography.

Graham Downes Architecture Inc. Hard Rock hotel in San Diego was a signature design project for the firm founded by Graham Downes. Related Links: Website of Graham Downes Architecture Obituaries of other industry leaders and innovators DownesSan Diego architect Graham T. Downes died on April 21 from injuries following a late-night fight two days before with an employee outside his San Diego home. He was 55.Downes suffered blunt force head and neck trauma, including numerous skull fractures, from the altercation with Higinio Soriano Salgado, according to the San Diego County coroner's report.Salgado was a development manager since 2008 with Blokhaus,