Related Links: Jimmie W. Hinze Graduate Scholarship in Construction Safety - Univ. of Florida M.E. Rinker School of Building Construction Jimmie W. Hinze, 67, a well-known construction safety researcher and champion, died on Sept. 12 in College Station, Texas, of cancer. He served, most recently, as director of the Fluor Program for Construction Safety at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and previously led its M.E. Rinker School of Building Construction.HINZIEHinze's research "was groundbreaking and unprecedented and provided the technical foundation for significant aspects of contemporary approaches to construction safety," says Robert Ries, the current Rinker school director.In August, Hinze presented
Related Links: NAVFAC Facebook page (See Sept. 20 and Sept. 16 posts) A Naval Facilities Engineering Command employee and a NAVFAC contract security guard were among the 12 people killed in the Sept. 16 shootings at the Washington Navy Yard, according to NAVFAC statements on its Facebook page. Kenneth "Kenny" Proctor, 46, of Waldorf, Md., a NAVFAC utilities plant supervisor, was working in the central heating plant behind the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters (NAVSEA) and was shot in the alley between those buildings, NAVFAC said in a Sept. 17 Facebook posting.Proctor joined NAVFAC's Washington. D.C. region in 2003 as an
Jonathan E. "Jon" Pettit, a Seattle-based managing principal of architect-engineer DLR Group, Omaha, and a 36-year industry veteran, died on Aug. 19 of cancer, the company announced on Sept. 3. He was 61. PETTITPettit led Seattle operations and provided strategic direction for DLR's growth into a regional design leader in the corporate, justice and education sectors, says the firm.He also was key in building its retail and workplace practice nationally and, in the 1980s, led the firm's acquisition of architect John Graham & Associates.DLR ranks at No. 101 on ENR's list of Top 500 Design Firms, with $116.3 million in
Arturo Ressi di Cervia, one of the preeminent constructors of slurry walls in the world, died of cancer at age 72 in New York City on Aug. 23.Ressi worked on signature projects in many countries, but the most famous may be the Italian engineer's first job in the U.S.: construction of the slurry-wall perimeter of the World Trade Center basement."The quality of the work became evident on Sept. 11, 2001, when the walls were re-exposed after three decades. The walls withstood the Sept. 11 attack and helped prevent the Hudson River from flooding parts of lower Manhattan," says George J.
Related Links: Cooper, Robertson & Partners website Karen K. Cooper, 54, president of New York City architect-planner Cooper, Robertson & Partners, died on Aug. 22 after a struggle with cancer, the company confirms.CooperShe joined the firm in 1979 and was named president in 2008, responsible for firm-wide strategic planning and business performance, the firm says.Cooper was also a marketing consultant to developers and an advisor to the New York City School Construction Authority on the reorganization of its design and construction department practices, according to Cooper, Robertson.The firm reported $9.1 million in total 2012 revenue; it was ranked at No.
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