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
Related Links: IBI Gruzen Samton website GruzenJordan Gruzen devoted himself to urban architecture in and around New York City. He died on Jan. 27 from cancer. He was 80. In the early 1960s, Gruzen and his college classmate Peter Samton joined Kelly & Gruzen, founded by Gruzen's father in 1936. Gruzen and Samton became partners in 1967. In 2009, Gruzen Samton merged with the nearly 2,800-person IBI Group and is now known as IBI Group-Gruzen Samton. The 50-person New York City office has a portfolio that includes schools, colleges, dormitories, courthouses, transportation terminals, residential complexes, facilities for the elderly
Related Links: Website of Olsson Associates, Lincoln, Neb. Geotech Engineer Leland Walker, ASCE President and 1960s ENR AwardeeLeland J. Walker, who led efforts beginning in the 1960s to raise engineering education standards and boost the influence and image of civil engineers through industry group collaboration, died on Dec. 31. He was 91.WalkerThe founder of a predecessor of geotech engineer Northern Engineering and Testing, he was the first in that sector to become president, in 1977. of the American Society of Civil Engineers. According to ASCE, he helped spearhead formation of what would become the American Association of Engineering Societies "to
Related Links: Xtreme Unveils Largest Telehandler at CONEXPO Top 25 Newsmakers of 2014: Don Ahern President of XTreme Manufacturing and noted equipment engineer Lee Kramer died in Las Vegas on Jan. 18 from pneumonia. He was 67.KRAMERKramer joined Xtreme in 2003 as vice president of engineering. He played a key role in developing the firm's lineup of telehandlers, which now includes the world's largest, Xtreme XR7038. Introduced last year at CONEXPO, the machine had a lift capacity of 65,000 lb but was soon upgraded to 70,000 lb. "Although pragmatic, Lee had a willingness to push the boundaries on design and
Related Links: After Elections, Workplace-Organizing Bill Faces Longer Odds http://enr.construction.com/technology/information_technology/2010/1027-everifyissue.asp E-Verify Issue, Quiet for Now, Likely To Return After Elections KnottKatherine "Kelly" Knott, 45, a former lobbyist for the Associated General Contractors on employer issues, including immigration, labor relations and risk management, died on Dec. 3 in Alexandria, Va.The cause was breast cancer, according to an online obituary.From March 2001 to July 2011, Knott was an AGC congressional relations director. She spoke out on AGC member concerns, such as the need for comprehensive immigration reform and terrorism insurance.AGC Chief Executive Stephen Sandherr told ENR that Knott still kept up relationships
Georgia State University Herman J. Russell, who built a successful building business in Atlanta and was a noted philanthropist and activist, died on Nov. 15 at age 83. Related Links: Herman J. Russell, Sr. International Center for Entrepreneurship Memoir: Building Atlanta-How I Broke Through Segregation to Launch a Business Empire Link to Herman J. Russell, business history photo gallery Herman J. "HJ" Russell, whose instinct to buy a vacant Atlanta lot at age 16 propelled him to found a construction and real estate firm involved in building many city landmarks—and made him one of the country's most successful and well-known
Kohn Pederson Fox President of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, he worked on some of the worlds tallest buildings Related Links: KPF Engineering News-Record Paul Katz, president of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC since 2010 and a 30-year veteran of the architecture firm, died on Nov. 20 of septic shock after a brief battle with colon cancer. The South African native was 57.Katz was known for his work on mixed-use supertall buildings, including the 101-story Shanghai World Financial Center—at 492 meters, the world's fifth-tallest building—and the 118-story International Commerce Centre in Hong Kong—at 484 m, the world's sixth-tallest high-rise.Recently, Katz was
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