Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame to Hold 2003 Ceremony

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame will induct seven individuals and honor two projects and two corporations/institutions during a ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2003 at the Auburn University Hotel and Dixon Conference Center.

The State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame was founded by proclamation of the governor in 1987 to honor, preserve and perpetuate the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of individuals, projects, corporations and institutions that have brought and continue to bring significant recognition to the state.

Joining the 85 individuals already inducted into the Hall of Fame will be:

Dennis L. Baxendale, president and CEO of ELTECH Systems Corp., began his career in chemical engineering as a process engineer at Diamond Shamrock’s Mobile chlorine plant. The University of Alabama graduate held many executive and management positions at the company and was a “charter member” of the upper management team of Diamond Shamrock’s divestiture unit, which became ELTECH.

Baxendale continues to have strong links to his alma mater as he was recognized as a Distinguished Engineering Fellow in 2000 and as a Chemical Engineering Fellow in 1999.

John W. Brown, chairman, president and CEO of Stryker Corp., has dedicated the last 25 years of his career in making Stryker Corp. one of the world’s leading developers and manufacturers of specialty surgical and medical products. Throughout his career, Brown has pursued engineering’s highest ideal — the intelligent application of science for the good of humanity.

A graduate of Auburn University, Brown also has become a leader in medical advocacy with active roles in the Advanced Medical Technology Association, Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, and the American Business Conference.

A resident of Kalamazoo, Mich., Brown serves on the boards of National City Bank, the Greater Kalamazoo United Way, the Michigan Economic Development Corp., and Southwest Michigan First.

Dr. Bryghte Davis Godbold served the field of engineering in all corners of the globe in every setting: college, combat, business and government. A native of Coy, near Selma, Godbold received a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University. From a Marine Corps commission following his 1936 selection as a top-100 college graduate, to leading “Goals for Dallas,” the plan for Dallas’s recovery from the effects of JFK’s assassination, Godbold has led the way in innovative applications in electrical engineering. Some of his most noted accomplishments include the development of the predecessor of satellite-based “distance education” at Purdue University and coordinating six universities in providing closed-circuit-TV coursework as manager of the Midwest Program on Airborne Television.

Leroy McAbee Sr. formed McAbee & Co. in 1963, and it has grown into one of the most respected construction and engineering firms in the region. Industrial customers include those in power generation, chemical processes, pulp and paper, automotive, and many other manufacturing industries.

McAbee, a mechanical engineering graduate of The University of Alabama, indicates he follows this simple principle, “Safety is first, quality of work is second, and a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay third.” The firm’s employment practices have earned a National Society of Professional Engineers commendation, and the firm’s accident reporting is 80 percent below average. McAbee has been honored as a UA Distinguished Engineering Fellow in 1988, the Tuscaloosa County Citizen of the Year, Scouting’s Silver Beaver Award, and a presidential appointment to the U.S. Selective Service Board.

Charles D. McCrary, president and CEO of Alabama Power Co., challenged Southern Company’s dozens of individual generating plants to share the best practices and efficiencies to become the world’s best. All Southern Co. plants now operate in the same, efficient manner; one reason why Alabama Power can provide reliable electricity at prices well below the national average. In addition to providing cost-efficient electricity, under McCrary’s direction Alabama Power will have invested $1.5 billion in “green” technologies for its generating units by 2010.

McCrary is an Auburn University alumnus, earning a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering. In addition to his role as president and CEO, McCrary is the chair of the Chamber of Commerce and the Metropolitan Arts Council and has active roles in the Business Council of Alabama, Alabama Archives and History Foundation, and the Boy Scouts.

Leonard L. Mitchum, a mechanical engineering graduate of Auburn University, focused his career on developing satellite technologies.

Mitchum was instrumental in eight Explorer satellite missions, the nation’s first Earth-orbiting satellites. He continued developing satellites by starting and spending the next 30 years of his career at Space Craft Inc., best known as SCI Systems but now formally Sanmina-SCI Corp. In 1992, SCI entered the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame.

A Talladega native, Mitchum was a registered engineer for 30 years. His gratitude toward Auburn University continues in the large endowment he provided for the Mitchum Presidential Scholarships. Several of these full scholarships in engineering are awarded yearly.

John Thomas Walter received a degree in engineering physics from Auburn University and has become one if its most accomplished graduates. After graduation, Walter served aboard an Atlantic Fleet destroyer and with the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project. During his destroyer tour, he met Ross Perot. In 1962, Perot founded a computer service company, Electronic Data Systems, and asked Walter to join him. Twenty years later, General Motors purchased EDS for $2.5 billion. In later years, Walter was a consultant to Perot Investments, and in 1989, as an honor to his friend, Perot granted $2.6 million to Auburn University to build the Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management, home of the National Consortium for Technology in Business.

Walter, a Selma native, is an esteemed member of the Auburn University Foundation, where his extensive experience is valued on the investment committee. Walter is also a force in civic life in his adopted state of Texas where he has served on the boards of Zale Lipshy University Hospital, Southwestern Medical Foundation, the Salvation Army and the Perot Foundation.

Also to be honored at the induction are two projects: the I-65 Emergency Bridge Replacement and the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) Pavement Test Track.

The I-65 Emergency Bridge Replacement has already become “text book case study” material. It was unthinkable for a major interstate bridge in the heart of a big city to be removed, improved and rebuilt in 37 days.

On Jan. 5, 2002, a loaded gasoline tanker heading north on I-65 slammed into a pier supporting southbound lanes directly overhead at the braided interchange of Interstates 65 and 20/59. The raging of the inevitable fire compromised the bridge’s steel girders. The melted metal sagged eight feet, although the bridge did not collapse.

The Morris Group and Brasfield & Gorrie submitted the winning bid as a joint venture, and the contract allowed 90 days to finish. The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) had completed its design for a new three-span bridge, 20 feet longer than before with added lanes in both directions.

Sherman Prestressed Concrete of Pelham supplied the 31 new bridge girders.

Due in part to mild weather, the new bridge was completed in just 36 days — an unprecedented seven weeks before deadline. One day later it was opened to I-65 traffic — typically 100,000 vehicles travel daily through Birmingham. The pace of construction meant addressing various aspects of the project concurrently, and an average of 60 men and women worked on the site each day. The I-65 Emergency Bridge Replacement project truly exemplifies the expertise and efficiency of many dedicated engineers.

The National Center for Asphalt Technology’s (NCAT) mission is improving pavements, a valuable service: lengthening pavement life by just 10 percent saves two billion U.S. dollars annually. The NCAT Pavement Test Track boasts a 1.7-mile track, research quarters, a weather station and an asphalt plant. At the NCAT track designers can subject surfaces in just two years to a load equaling a decade of busy interstate traffic.

The highly anticipated $7.5 million test track opened in late 2000. Its 32-foot-wide paved surface was installed using premier paving equipment. The inaugural research at the track tested 46 surface pavements developed by nine state transportation departments and the federal government.

Volkert & Associates designed the track roadway and the architecture of the research quarters. Montgomery-based W. S. Newell undertook the first phase of construction: site preparation including the subgrade. The second phase of construction, completing the track through the experimental mix layer, was handled by APAC-Couch Construction Division of Dothan. W.W. Dyar of Hamilton built the 4,700-square-foot laboratory. The NCAT Pavement Test Track unites several forms of engineering in skillful service to industry, government and taxpayers.

In the corporations/institutions category, American Cast Iron Pipe Co. (ACIPCO) and Volkert & Associates Inc. will be honored.

In 1905, American Cast Iron Pipe Co. (ACIPCO) went to work making premium metal products. Nearly a century later, its work continues under the principled plan laid down by founder John J. Eagan. The Eagan plan teaches industrial cooperation, incorporating Christian ideals, such as leading by serving. This company philosophy saw it designated by Fortune magazine as one of the 100 best employers in America for six years running.

ACIPCO’s main plant and headquarters are located in Birmingham, though it markets products worldwide through its five divisions. Presently, Van Richey serves as ACIPCO’s president and CEO. The company serves the waterworks, energy and capital goods industries with product lines comprising ductile iron piping, fire hydrants and fire truck pumps, centrifugally cast steel products, and specialized steel pipe.

There are few corporations approaching ACIPCO’s level of progressiveness. It has assuredly earned its brilliant reputation for polished products, inspired engineering, a community hallmarked by justice, and dependable technical leadership.

Volkert & Associates Inc. continues to be ranked as one of the top engineering, architectural, planning and environmental consulting firms in the United States. Engineering News-Record’s Top 500 Design Firms Sourcebook ranks Volkert No. 198 overall and No. 47 in transportation out of the 500 firms listed. Business Alabama magazine ranks Volkert No. 1 in the 2002 listing of Alabama’s top engineering firms.

Alabama’s Hall of Fame has inducted three Volkert projects — I-10 Twin Bridges over Mobile Bay, McDuffie Coal Terminal, and Cochrane/Africatown USA Bridge. Last year, CEO Keith King was selected.

Across the decades, Volkert branched out through the Southeast. Its 600 employees occupy 13 regional and design offices, plus field offices for construction and right-of-way services. Volkert’s corporate vision is to participate in the expansion of the nation’s infrastructure, while enhancing the environment and quality of life by focusing on the highest standards of professional practice, client satisfaction, growth and development, and public service.

Note to Editors and Reporters: For more information about the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame, visit the Web site at http://aehof.eng.ua.edu.