45th Annual | Distinguished Engineer Awards Luncheon | April 15, 2011
Texas Tech University | Whitacre College of Engineering
Distinguished Engineer
Award Program Information
The measure of a college’s distinction and influence depends greatly upon the achievement
of its alumni and the positions they earn in their respective communities and fields of
endeavor. To recognize some of the most outstanding alumni of Texas Tech, the Edward
E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering has established the Distinguished Engineer Award.
This year’s awards mark the 45th anniversary of the program, initiated by
Dean John R. Bradford in the 1966-67 academic year.
Purpose and Philosophy
The purpose of the program is to recognize and honor engineering alumni who have made
significant contributions to society and whose accomplishments and careers have brought
credit to the Whitacre College of Engineering of Texas Tech University and to the engineering
profession as a whole.
This program does more than honor these former students. It spotlights the accomplishments
of the Whitacre College of Engineering of Texas Tech, and thereby increases the pride of
alumni, students, faculty, and staff. It likewise presents to the people of Texas and the
nation tangible evidence of the effectiveness of engineering at Texas Tech.
In establishing this program, it was recognized that these awards were to be given for
outstanding achievement both inside as well as outside the profession and that no
compromises diminishing the significance of the awards would be made.
To be eligible for the Distinguished Engineer Award, an individual must:
• Be distinguished in their profession, life work, or other worthy endeavors,
and have received recognition from contemporaries.
• Be a person of such integrity, stature, and demonstrated ability that the faculty, staff,
students, and alumni will take pride in and be inspired by their recognition.
• Have demonstrated a continuing interest in areas outside the field of engineering
to bring honor and prestige to the profession.
• Have received a degree from the Whitacre College of Engineering
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at Texas Tech University.
2011 Distinguished Engineer Awards Luncheon
Merket Alumni Center | April 15, 2011 |11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Welcome and Invocation
Lunch
Will Hagood ’69
Senior Vice President, HDR Engineering, Inc.
2007 Distinguished Engineer
Dean’s Remarks
Al Sacco Jr., Ph.D.
Dean, Whitacre College of Engineering
Presentation of 2011 Distinguished Engineers
Dennis Carroll, Ph.D., P.E.
B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Computer Science
1987, 1989, & 1991
Randy Crawford, Ph.D.
B.S., Chemical Engineering
1949
Terry Fuller
B.S., Petroleum Engineering
1977
Paul Grimmer
B.S., Chemical Engineering
1977
William Guion, Ph.D.
B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Electrical Engineering
1966, 1968, & 1970
Mary Anne Hicks, P.E.
B.S., Industrial Engineering
1979
Jack Rentz, P.E.
B.S., Mechanical Engineering
1974
Walter T. Winn Jr., P.E.
B.S., M.S., Civil Engineering
1972 & 1973
Presentation of Awards
Closing
Al Sacco Jr., Ph.D.
Will Hagood ’69
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Dennis Carroll, Ph.D., P.E.
Distinguished Engineer – 2011
B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Computer Science, Texas Tech, 1987, 1989, & 1991
Director of Innovation
Government Solutions Group - Affiliated Computer Services
Wife: Children: Amy
Amber and Zachary
Dr. Dennis J Carroll is the director of innovation for the Government Solutions Group of Affiliated
Computer Services (ACS), a Xerox Company. GSG provides software solutions for federal, state, and local
government services.
Born in Canyon, he grew up in numerous Texas cities including six years in Lubbock and his high school
years in Abilene. He entered Texas Tech and remained there for eight and a half years earning a bachelor
of science, master of science, and doctor of philosophy in computer science, becoming the first person to
enter as a freshman and exit with a Ph.D. in computer science at Texas Tech.
After finishing at Texas Tech in 1991, he joined IBM Federal Systems Company, becoming the software
development lead for the on-board space station freedom fault detection, isolation, and recovery software.
During his 18 years at IBM, he worked in a wide variety of business applications including space technology,
telecommunications, health insurance, state corrections, and banking. However, most of his assignments
were as the lead architect in increasingly complex state and U.S. federal systems.
In 2001, Carroll became the forty-second person licensed as a professional engineer in software
engineering in Texas. In 2002, he was invited to serve on IBM’s I/T Architect Profession board. He has
been an active board member for seven years, focusing on mentoring, establishing formal processes, and
building educational materials in I/T architecture and advanced systems engineering.
In 2006, he served as the lead architect of the Defense Commissary Agency’s project to replace all retail
equipment in 270 stores worldwide. In 2008, he served as the chief engineer for the EADIS program
consolidating FEMA software development into one organization. In this role, he established formal
software engineering methods leveraging Homeland Security, Department of Defense, and NASA complex
systems engineering processes to redefine how FEMA builds and maintains its software systems.
In 2009, he left IBM to join ACS as chief engineer of the Payment Solutions Group (PSG). This 360-person
organization provides software for electronic payments systems and drives over $400 million in revenue
from service programs in 29 states and the US Treasury. Carroll led the group’s transformation into an
engineering process oriented I/T service provider. In 2010, he was named director of innovation in PSG’s
parent organization charged with initiating an active innovation program in the billion-dollar Government
Solutions Group.
While at Texas Tech, Carroll was an active student member of the Association for Computing Machinery
(ACM), spending five years as a contestant, captain, and coach of the Texas Tech Programming Team.
After graduating, he continued his relationship with ACM, serving for seven years as Chief Judge of the
South Central Region. He also served as chief judge of the Texas UIL high school computer programming
contest for an additional four years. Now an emeritus member, he was a charter member of the Whitacre
College of Engineering Dean’s Council. He is also a charter member of the Computer Science External
Advisory Board and currently serves as chairman.
He married his wife Amy in 1992. She received a bachelor of science in computer science from Texas
Tech in 1992. They live in Leander, Texas with their beautiful daughter, Amber, and their wonderful son,
Zachary. Formerly an avid volleyball player, he now enjoys fishing and working outside at his home in
the Texas Hill Country.
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Randy Crawford, Ph.D.
Distinguished Engineer – 2011
B.S., Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech, 1949
Retired
Wife:
Children:
Louise
Michael, Donald, Nancy, Barbara
Dr. Randy Crawford worked as an engineer and manager in petroleum production, well completions and
stimulation, contract research, fertilizer, and municipal trash collection and disposal. He is an author of
30 technical papers. He has received six patents and has applied for a patent titled “Mitigation of Rotating
Windstorms.” He and his wife, Louise, established three endowed scholarships and have encouraged more
than 100 students to go to college, 25 of whom went to Texas Tech.
Crawford graduated from Haskell High School. He, as three of his older brothers had, received a bachelor
of science in chemical engineering from Texas Tech. He then worked for Sun Oil for a year before entering
the United States Army, where he taught radiological defense in the Far East Command Chemical School
in Japan. He received a commendation medal for improving the design of a RADIAC instrument and
correcting publications.
With help from the GI Bill, Crawford attended the University of Texas at Austin. He taught mathematics
and received a master of science and a doctor of philosophy in chemical engineering. Crawford then
worked for The Western Company of North America developing acidizing, cementing, and fracturing
products and treatment design methods for the oil and gas industry. Crawford was a pioneer in the design
of hydraulic fracturing treatments, publishing the first practical design technique in 1959. As manager
of contract research for Western, Crawford’s team designed, built and demonstrated a system to repair a
runway “bomb” crater, 70 feet in diameter and 14 feet deep, so that an Air Force fighter plane could land
in 45 minutes. The Air Force Liaison person received the “Project Manager of the Year” award for this
successful project.
Crawford then joined Conoco where his task was to increase the production rate of new oil and gas
wells. He prepared and implemented a well completion and software design program. He developed and
taught in schools for employees to learn the new techniques. The result of this effort increased Conoco’s
production by about five million barrels per year.
Crawford was on a team that persuaded the management of Conoco’s sister company, Consol Coal, to
allow engineers to fracture and produce methane from coal seams prior to sending miners into the mine.
This project made mining safer, doubled the mining rate, and is estimated to save $1.5 billion over the
life of project. Consol sells 80 billion cubic feet per year of methane and prevents its release into our
atmosphere. Methane is said to be 25 times more damaging as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Crawford was honored by being named one of eight members selected to be a “Legend of Production and
Operations” from the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) as reported in the December 2009 Journal of
Petroleum Technology. SPE has 90,000 members.
Crawford received the Boy Scouts “Silver Beaver Award.” He was a member of Tau Beta Pi. He is listed in
Who’s Who in Texas, in Engineering, in High Schools, and in the South and Southwest. He was president
or chairman of the: Dallas AIChE, Richardson Optimist Club, UT Austin Omega Chi Epsilon, Waller County
Appraisal District, and The Society for Red Raider Engineering.
Randy Crawford’s two brothers are also Distinguished Engineers. Paul B. Crawford ’43 received the award
in 1982 and Duffer B. Crawford ’41 received the award in 2008.
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Terry Fuller
Distinguished Engineer – 2011
B.S., Petroleum Engineering, Texas Tech, 1977
Founder and President
Phoenix PetroCorp, Inc
Wife: Children: Linda
Clint
Terry Fuller is president and founder of Phoenix PetroCorp, Inc., an independent oil and gas production
company with operations in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
Fuller was born and raised in Amarillo, Texas and graduated from Palo Duro High School in 1973. Planning
to major in engineering, he took a tour of the Texas Tech campus hosted by the Departments of Civil and
Mechanical Engineering. During the tour, he happened to meet Dr. Harold Winkler, Chairman of the Bob
L. Herd Department of Petroleum Engineering. Winkler was enthusiastic about the future of the oil and
gas industry and convinced Fuller to give the field a closer look. A scholarship offer sealed the deal and he
became a petroleum engineering student. Within months, the Arab oil embargo sent the price of oil from
$3 to $10 a barrel, boosting the demand for engineers in the petroleum industry. As they say, timing is
everything! Fuller was an active member of Sigma Chi Fraternity and Saddle Tramps while a student at
Texas Tech. He graduated with a bachelor of science in petroleum engineering in May 1977.
He went to work for Arco Oil and Gas in Midland before transferring to Denver in 1978. He worked as a
drilling engineer and spent considerable time onsite, supervising drilling operations throughout the Rocky
Mountain region. Following a short assignment in Dallas as a staff drilling engineer, Fuller transferred
to Arco Alaska in 1983. He progressed through increasingly responsible field supervisory positions at
Prudhoe Bay from 1983 to 1990. In 1990, he was promoted to operations superintendent in Denver City,
Texas where he was responsible for CO2 enhanced oil recovery operations in West Texas.
While on a golf trip to Arizona in early 1993, Fuller had discussions with several engineers about utilizing
their expertise and experience to start an independent oil and gas production company. Upon his return
from the trip, he contacted a former oil and gas law professor at Texas Tech, Jerome Schutzberg, and began
the process of establishing a corporate entity in the state of Texas, Phoenix PetroCorp, Inc. His partner in
this venture is a colleague from Arco, Jim Williams. Today, Phoenix PetroCorp, Inc. owns and operates oil
and gas properties in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas with a particular focus on secondary recovery projects.
Fuller is a member of the Academy of Petroleum Engineers of the Bob L. Herd Department of Petroleum
Engineering. He is currently national president for the Red Raider Club. He also serves on the Executive
Committee and is a Board member of the Texas Tech Foundation.
He is married to Linda Schlinkman Fuller who also graduated from Texas Tech with a bachelor of arts in
English.
Linda is a National Board member of the Texas Tech Alumni Association and serves on the Equal Access
Scholarship Selection Committee and on the Texas Tech Club Board of Governors. The Fullers live in
Frisco, Texas. Their son Clint also graduated from Texas Tech.
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Paul Grimmer
Distinguished Engineer – 2011
B.S., Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech, 1977
Owner
Eltron Research & Development and Continental Technologies
Wife:
Children:
Glenda
Sarah, Andrew, Emily, Joseph, Michael
Paul Grimmer owns and leads two companies, Eltron Research & Development in Boulder, Colo., and
Continental Technologies, located in Ponca City, Okla. Eltron R&D develops novel materials and catalysts
for the energy and chemical industries. Continental Technologies designs and fabricates pilot and
demonstration scale plants for other companies doing research and development.
Grimmer was born in Bartlesville, Okla., but grew up in Borger, Texas. His father was a reservoir engineer,
and he had two older brothers at Texas Tech majoring in engineering, so it seemed clear that he would go
to Texas Tech and become an engineer. In time, he and his four brothers graduated from Texas Tech. There
are three chemical engineers, a civil engineer and a computer scientist.
He started at Texas Tech in the fall of 1973 and graduated with a bachelor of science in chemical
engineering in 1977. He was active in the student senate, Tau Beta Pi, and many intramural sports. His
fast pitch softball team was undefeated and university champions three years in a row.
After graduation, Grimmer worked for 26 years for Conoco in many locations including Houston, Corpus
Christi, New Orleans, Anchorage, and Dubai. While in Dubai after the first Gulf War, he was in charge of
projects and construction for Dubai Petroleum Company. He then moved back into business development
where he worked throughout the Middle East and particularly in Iran. He was one of the lead negotiators
in the Sirri development project, which was the first contract awarded to a western oil company since the
1979 revolution.
After that, Grimmer moved back to Houston where he was in charge of new business development. One of
his accomplishments was starting a gas-to-liquids effort that ultimately grew to a project of $100 million
per year.
In 2005, he purchased Eltron R&D. In its lifetime, the company has invented more than 100 technologies.
The most significant to date is a system to capture CO2 in power plants, while producing pure hydrogen
at the same time. The company has been awarded $80 million dollars from the Department of Energy to
complete development of this system, the largest amount ever awarded to a small business.
In 2007, he started Continental Technologies in Ponca City, Okla., the former home of Conoco’s research
and development. This company is deeply immersed in the alternative energy industry, helping hundreds
of companies large and small scale up their new technologies.
At the start of his sophomore year at Texas Tech, Grimmer was introduced to his roommate’s cousin from
Tyler. This Tyler Rose, Glenda Squyres, stole his heart and they have been married for almost 34 years.
They have five diverse children; a lawyer, an entrepreneur, a business developer, a musician, and one
about to be a cadet at the Air Force Academy. They have one grandchild to date but are anticipating many
more in the coming years.
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William Guion, Ph.D.
Distinguished Engineer – 2011
B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, Texas Tech, 1966, 1968, & 1970
Vice President
Southwest Research Institute
Wife: Children: Freda
Susan, Catherine, and Rebecca
Dr. William G. Guion is a vice president with Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio, Texas,
where he is responsible for the operation of the Signal Exploitation and Geolocation Division. The institute
is a non-profit research and development organization with a staff of approximately 3,000 and annual
revenues more than of one-half billion dollars.
Guion was born in South Carolina but moved to Dallas the summer before entering the first grade.
While in high school in Dallas, he found that the subjects he liked and excelled in were mathematics
and science. He also had a desire to know how things worked. These two interests propelled him toward
the engineering profession. Upon graduation from Highland Park High School he enrolled in what was
then Texas Technological College. After receiving a bachelor of science in electrical engineering in 1966
from the recently renamed Texas Tech University, he enrolled in the Graduate School and worked under
Dr. John Craig to design, build, test, and use the first laser constructed at Texas Tech. He was awarded
a master of science in electrical engineering in 1968 and continued his graduate studies under Dr. David
Ferry, studying microwave emissions from bulk semiconductors. Guion received a doctor of philosophy
in 1970 with a major in electrical engineering and a minor in mathematics. His published work on these
topics appeared in Proceedings of the IEEE, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Bulletin of
the American Physical Society, and Applied Physics Letters.
Following his graduation from Texas Tech, he took a position as a Senior Research Engineer at SwRI.
He focused his efforts on the fields of radio direction finding, antennas, radiolocation techniques,
communication signal acquisition, modulation recognition, and RF signal propagation. Guion is a coinventor on four patents in these areas. He progressed through positions of ever increasing responsibility
and authority to his current position of vice president of the Signal Exploitation and Geolocation Division.
His division performs project work in the signals intelligence area for commercial firms and the U.S.
government, and also for approved foreign companies and governments. Guion’s division oversees
nationally recognized programs in radio direction finding, radiolocation, spectrum surveillance, and
advanced geolocation techniques.
A long time supporter of Texas Tech, Guion has been a member of the Alumni Association Century Club
since the 1970s, served on the Electrical Engineering Industrial Advisory Board from 1981 to 1985
(chairman for the 1984-1985 year) and on the Electrical and Computer Engineering Industrial Advisory
Board from 2002 to 2008 (chairman for the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 years), helped start (and was
first president of) the Texas Tech Electrical Engineering Association, provided significant support in San
Antonio during the Horizon Campaign, and was inducted into the Electrical Engineering Academy in
1997. He is highly involved in his church of more than 5,000 members, and has served in and chaired
almost every lay position in the church. He has also served as a representative to the denomination’s
annual church conferences. Additionally, Guion is on the Trinity University Engineering Sciences Board
of Advisors and is a member of the following professional organizations: The Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers, Sigma Xi The Scientific Research Society, Tau Beta Pi, Phi Eta Sigma, The American
Physical Society, and The Association of Old Crows.
Guion is a member of the Texas Tech Whitacre College of Engineering Dean’s Council.
He is greatly blessed to have been married to Freda Thompson Guion, also a Texas Tech graduate, for 47
years, and has daughters Susan, Catherine, and Rebecca, and eight grandchildren.
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Mary Anne Hicks, P.E.
Distinguished Engineer – 2011
B.S., Industrial Engineering, Texas Tech, 1979
Vice President - Infrastructure Program Management
AT&T
Husband:Gary
Children:
Carolyn and Robert
Mary Anne Hicks is the vice president of infrastructure program management at AT&T, a global
telecommunications company based in Dallas, Texas. In this role, Hicks is responsible for the introduction
of new technology into AT&T’s global network and managing large scale network deployments.
Hicks received a bachelor of science in industrial engineering from Texas Tech in 1979. She began her
career at Southwestern Bell Telephone Company as a transmission equipment engineer in Dallas. During
the first 12 years of her career, Hicks held a variety of engineering and planning assignments.
In 1991, Hicks joined SBC’s integrated marketing team to establish a custom proposal center for sales. In
1993, Hicks returned to the network organization and led the planning activities for the 713, 214, and 314
area code splits. As director of network planning, she was responsible for Southwestern Bell’s five state
network including switching and transport. After the SBC/Pacific Bell merger, Hicks served as the SBC
lead to set merger initiative goals for network. In 1997, she was named director of switching engineering
for the seven state network.
In 1999, Hicks was named executive director of network engineering for SBC Telecom. She planned,
designed, and implemented a 30-city out-of-region network ahead of schedule, meeting all FCC due dates
and avoiding $1.2B in penalties for SBC/Ameritech merger commitments. In 2001, Hicks led the SBC
data services team for SBC’s 13 state Digital Subscriber Loop (DSL) and ATM/Frame Relay network.
She also implemented and led SBC’s access management team, responsible for acquiring network access
through effective supplier negotiation and mechanized cost models that reduced SBC’s cost of access by
eight percent on a multi-billion dollar cost stream. Hicks also led the engineering team for SBC’s internet
network during this timeframe.
In February 2006, Hicks was appointed lead for the network merger synergy team as a result of the AT&T
and SBC merger. In this role, she assembled a start-up team and program managed the various merger
initiatives resulting in significant cost savings for the combined companies. After the BellSouth/Cingular
merger, Hicks assumed the lead network role again achieving significant merger savings. In January 2008,
she led the U.S. transport engineering team for AT&T and was responsible for implementing transport
strategies that reduce cost, improve service, and support AT&T revenue generation.
In July 2008, Hicks was named vice president of international engineering for AT&T in San Antonio,
Texas. In this role, she managed an engineering team located in 15 countries around the world. She
was responsible for planning, expanding, and implementing network equipment in support of AT&T’s
international data and transport products. Key projects included implementing lawful intercept in India.
In 2010, Hicks moved back to Dallas and assumed her current role.
Hicks is active in her community, including support for Habitat for Humanity and Women of AT&T. She
leads several mentoring circles and is passionate about encouraging young women to pursue their career
dreams. She served on the Texas Tech Industrial Advisory Board from 1999 to 2005 and currently serves
on the Texas Tech Whitacre College of Engineering Dean’s Council. She resides in Dallas, Texas with her
husband Gary and has two grown children, Carolyn and Robert, one son-in-law, John, and one grandson,
Jacob.
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Jack Rentz, P.E.
Distinguished Engineer – 2011
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Texas Tech, 1974
Founder, President, and CEO
RENTECH Boiler Systems, Inc.
Wife: Children: Becky
Scott, Amy, and Bailey
Jack Rentz is the founder, president, and CEO of RENTECH Boiler Systems, Inc. The company designs and
sells a wide variety of custom designed and manufactured industrial steam boilers that are used by the
refining, power generation, and chemical industries. RENTECH also designs and sells heat recovery steam
generators. Rentz is also a co-founder and vice president of RENTECH Boiler Services, Inc. and Frontier
Welded Products, Inc.
Rentz was born and raised on a small farm near China Spring, Texas, which has been owned by his family
for 110 years. He worked his way through high school managing the farm operations for a prominent local
attorney. He was the only student in his freshman class at China Spring High School that drove a company
truck. He graduated from high school in 1970. That year, he applied and was accepted to Texas Tech.
When he got off the tractor that summer, he vowed that his farming days were over. He had decided that
he would go off to Texas Tech and get one of those “engineering degrees” to see where it would take him.
Rentz enjoyed his years at Texas Tech, where he met his future wife, Becky. During his senior year, he was
hired for a part time position at Lubbock Manufacturing Company. This is where he got his first exposure
to the ASME code for boilers and pressure vessels. Rentz also learned about manufacturing and general
management while in this position. After graduating from Texas Tech in the summer of 1974, he continued
working full time at Lubbock Manufacturing. It was during this time that he realized he enjoyed designing
and building fabricated steel products. The satisfaction of seeing the final product that he had designed
and built being shipped out the door to a customer was something he truly enjoyed.
After his wife Becky graduated from Texas Tech in the fall of 1974, they moved to Abilene, Texas. In
Abilene, he went to work for ABCO Industries, Inc. ABCO was a small company that manufactured boilers.
During the course of his 21 years at ABCO, Rentz designed and sold many “first of a kind” boilers which
are being used by major corporations today. Working his way up through the company that he helped to
build, he was named President of ABCO in 1992.
In 1996, he decided it was time to start his own boiler company. That year, Rentz left ABCO and started
RENTECH Boiler Systems, Inc. At that time, he registered the trademark - “RENTECH Boilers for People
Who Know and Care”. He chose this guiding statement to set his company apart from his competitors that
were selling boilers that simply were not as good as he knew they should be. Sticking to this philosophy,
he has grown RENTECH into in the largest industrial boiler company in the industry, experiencing
phenomenal growth over the past 14 years and supplying industrial boilers all over the world.
Rentz currently serves as the chairman of the Board of the American Boiler Manufacturers Association.
He is a member of the Abilene Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers. He served as the
president of the Abilene Chapter in 1988 through 1989 and was voted “Young Engineer of the Year” in
1984 and “Engineer of the Year” in 1993. He has also served on the boards of directors for the Abilene
Better Business Bureau, the Kiwanis Club, and the Abilene Industrial Foundation. RENTECH was awarded
the Corporate Star Award in March of 2011. This award is presented by the Abilene Chamber of Commerce
to a Corporation that has demonstrated outstanding service to the Abilene community.
Rentz’s companies are active in the Abilene community and support many local charities. He and Becky
are also active members of First Baptist Church of Abilene.
Rentz is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas. He was inducted into membership of the
Texas Tech Academy of Mechanical Engineers in 2001. He and Becky have been married for 37 years and
have three children - Scott, Amy, and Bailey.
Because of his and his wife’s hard work, they are enjoying the American dream. They enjoy all types of
water activities at Possum Kingdom Lake where they spend as much time as possible. He also finds time
to get back to his roots and visits the family farm.
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Walter T. Winn Jr., P.E.
Distinguished Engineer – 2011
B.S., M.S., Civil Engineering, Texas Tech, 1972 & 1973
Owner
Winn Professional Engineers and Constructors, LLC
Wife:
Children:
Phyllis
Holly and Tim
Terry Winn grew up in the Houston area. He and his wife of 39 years graduated from Clear Creek High
School in League City, Texas. They were married and their daughter Holly was born while they were
students at Texas Tech. After they both graduated, they moved back to Houston where he worked for
Brown & Root, Inc. for five years. There, he worked with oil and gas industry cooperatives to lead EPA
in development of wastewater effluent guidelines for the petroleum refining and offshore oil and gas
production industries, designed environmental systems for two offshore supertanker unloading terminals,
and designed wastewater treatment systems for industrial facilities. Their son Tim was born while they
lived in Houston.
The family moved to Longview in 1978, where Winn was one of the founders of KSA Engineers, Inc.
There, he continued his environmental engineering work for industrial clients, and widened his practice
to serve municipalities, counties, utility districts, and state and federal agencies. His project experience
broadened, too, designing water supply, municipal and hazardous solid waste systems, and air emissions
control systems. He worked on a new regional water supply for three independent water utilities, a pump
station and pipeline to supply reclaimed municipal wastewater as supply for a new power plant, the first
municipal solid waste incineration and heat recovery system in East Texas, the first municipal groundwater
desalination system in East Texas, a new wastewater interceptor, a treatment plant and outfall to the
Brazos River for Texas A&M University in College Station, and many others.
In 2004, he and three of his staff left KSA to form Winn Professional Engineers and Constructors, LLC in
Longview. They have worked on a new Trinity River intake and water treatment plant for a rural water
supply corporation, expansion of a municipal wastewater treatment plant, and many others – mostly water
system supply, storage and distribution improvements projects.
Winn has been actively involved in the American Society of Civil Engineers since he was a student at
Texas Tech. He served in all of the offices of his local Northeast Texas Branch and advanced through the
various state offices to be Texas Section President. He is currently the vice-chair of the Region 6 Governors
representing Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. He is a trustee of the Texas Civil Engineering Foundation
and of the J. Walter Porter Graduate Fellowship in Water Resources. He has been president of his local
Rotary Club, a 20 year president of Glenwood Water Supply Corporation, and a six year secretary/teasurer
of the Northeast Texas Regional Water Planning Group (Region D). He is very active in his church having
served in numerous leadership and teaching roles over 30 years of membership. He is currently vice-chair
of the Board of Trustees for Newgate Mission, serving the homeless of Longview.
He recently completed his last term as a member of the Texas Tech Whitacre College of Engineering Dean’s
Council, having served as president for two years. He is a member of the Civil Engineering Academy and
a former chair of the Civil Engineering Advisory Council.
He is licensed to practice engineering in four states and holds diplomate status in the American Academy
of Environmental Engineers and the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers.
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The Edward E. Whitacre Jr.
College of Engineering
Texas Tech University
The Whitacre College of Engineering is one of the nation’s largest engineering colleges and is ranked
as one of the top 100 undergraduate programs by U.S. News & World Report. The college is one of only
16 colleges nationally that offer petroleum engineering degrees. Graduates of the Whitacre College of
Engineering, with their exceptional skills, combined with a strong work ethic, are heavily recruited by
national and international organizations.
The college features renowned research programs in pulsed power and power electronics, nanophotonics,
medical image processing, semiconductor materials, water remediation, energetic materials, polymer
materials, neuroimaging and autism research, and intelligent software systems.
In step with national energy needs and programs, researchers in the college are studying ways of improving
production, utilization, distribution, and storage of energy produced by both conventional fossil-based
fuels as well as alternative energy sources. These research areas include petroleum engineering, biomass
and biofuels, wind power generation and storage, optoelectronics, and photovoltaic capture devices.
Research and academic programs are being built in bioengineering, with emphases in biomolecular
engineering, tissue engineering, human factors, and medical image analysis. Through partnerships with
the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and other colleges on the campus, the college is able to apply this
expertise to meet the technical needs for improved health care and for advancements in biotechnology.
The Whitacre College of Engineering has a strong fiscal foundation with a $100 million endowment that
provides sustainability for students, faculty, and academic programs.
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Distinguished Engineers
Read full biographies of all past Distinguished Engineers at www.coe.ttu.edu/alumni/de
2010
Jeff Bayer Mica Endsley Thomas A. Harper Allen D. Howard Randy Howard 2009
Blake W. Augsburger Chi–Ming Chang James A. Edmiston J.G. “Greg” Soules
Shelby Johnson 2008
Duffer B. Crawford
Thomas J. Zachman
2007
David H. Barr
G. Kemble “Kem” Bennett
William B. Hagood
Harold R. Inman
2006
Ajay M. Marathe
Jerry L. Morgensen
Travis A. Simpson
2005
J. Gregory Boyd
Francisco “Frank” A. Figueroa
Gerald C. Murff
Alvin Dale Williams
2004
Joseph J. Beal
Philip L. Frederickson
Louis D. Jones
Chung-Shing “C.S.” Lee 2003
Roy A. Battles
William M. Marcy Fredrick S. Yeatts
Civil Industrial Comp. Sci. Electrical Mechanical 2002
1979
1982
1988, 1995
1978
1972
Electrical 1987, 1989
Industrial 1983, 1986
Petroleum 1982
Civil 1979, 2009
Const. Engr. Tech. 1986
Chemical
Civil
1941
Douglas E. Barnhart
Joseph C. Martz
Jerry S. Rawls
Richard D. Smith
Cloyce A. Talbott
2001
Ming Chiang
Enoch L. Dawkins
2000
Robert C. “Bob” Banasik
Robert R. Click
W. R. “Rick” Hamm
Jimmy D. Williams
Civil Engineering 1969
Chemical
1986
Mechanical1967
Industrial
1966
Petroleum
1958
Electrical
Petroleum
1978
1960
Industrial1967
Chemical1948
Civil
1970
Mechanical
1972
1974
1999
Mechanical
Industrial
Civil
Petroleum
1971
Industrial
Civil
Electrical
1983
Civil
Electrical
Mechanical
Engr. Tech.
1976
1970
1969
1950
Dale Courtney
Julie Spicer England
Dain M. Hancock
Raymond C. Vaughn
1998
1965
1981
1967
1961
William “Bill” Hervey
David L. Hirschfeld
Raymond B. Ince
Thomas S. Moore
Steven W. Nance
Garth Nash
Bill M. Sanderson
David E. Sharbutt
Charles F. Winder
Industrial1971
Chemical
1979
Mechanical
1966
Engr. Tech.
1973
Mechanical
1976
Textile1949
Civil
1962
Mechanical
1948
Mechanical
1964, 1965
Petroleum
1978
Electrical1963
Chemical
1960
Electrical
1971
Industrial
1979
1975
1997
Civil1968
Industrial
1978
Petroleum
1976
Electrical
1978
Bus. Admin.
1982
Woodrow W. Hitchcock
Rick D. Husband
Herbert A. Mang
Jeff D. Morris
Harry L. Tredennick III
1996
Mechanical
1969
Electrical
1964, 1966
Inter. Engr1972
Electrical
1970
Keh-Shew Lu James H. Posey
Wolfgang Vogel
Margaret R. Walker
C. Clayton Yeager
Mechanical
Mechanical
Civil
Chemical
Electrical
1969
1980
1974
1974
1970
Electrical1969
Petroleum1964
Industrial
1970
Chemical
1974
Civil
1964
13
Distinguished Engineers
1995
William G. Burnett
Patrick R. Gallagher
Bob L. Herd
Larry D. McVay
David G. Wight
1994
Raymond E. Goff
William R. “Bob” Herrin Jr.
Karen S. Hogg
Mary Jo Poindexter
Louis “Jack” Powers
Arati Prabhakar
1993
Charles A. Bassett II
Jack L. Clem
L. D. “Buddy” Sipes Jr.
J. Rex Vardeman
Gary B. Wood
1992
Jack L. Byrd
R. D. Cash
F. Max Merrell
James G. Renfro
1991
Arnold Maeker
E. Dave Newman
Albert A. “Pete” Smith
John Michael Stinson
Bill G. W. Yee
1990
William A. Blackwell
R. David Damron
Robert E. Dragoo
Bill D. Helton
Allen P. Penton
1989
Chester A. Green Jerry D. Holmes
Charles E. Houston
Joseph E. Minor
L. Homer Moeller
14
Civil Engineering 1971
Electrical
1964
Petroleum1957
Mechanical
1970
Petroleum
1964
1988
Melvin Bobo
E. R. Brooks
Larrie F. Judd
H. Bennett Reaves
Noel D. Rietman
1987
Industrial
Petroleum
Industrial
Civil
Mechanical
Electrical
1969, 1970
1958
1974
1968
George C. Beakley, Jr.
James A. McAuley
J. Garland Threadgill
D. Wyman Tidwell
Mechanical1949
Electrical1961
Electrical 1965, 1967, 1969
Civil1948
Petroleum1957
Mechanical1947
Petroleum1953
Civil1950
Chemical1961
1939
1979
Electrical
1960
Mechanical
1975
Petroleum
1957
Civil
1961
Electrical 1973, 1975, 1977
Petroleum
1956
Industrial
1966
Chemical
1957
Electrical1959
Civil
1946
Mechanical
1964
Electrical1966
Industrial1966
Electrical
1961, 1964
Electrical
1949
Chemical1971
Mechanical1962
Electrical1964
Chemical1957
Civil1947
Electrical1959
Electrical
1931
Civil1974
Industrial1962
1986
Gerald L. Farrar
T. Scott Hickman
Robert E. Hogan
George F. Watford
1985
Glenn C. Bandy
James W. Clifton
Jesse L. George, Jr.
Charles L. Harris
James W. Lacy
Robert J. Lewis
Russell H. Logan
Wendell Mayes, Jr.
William D. Trammell
Edward E. Whitacre Jr.
Alpha M. Wiggins
1984
Jerry C. Edmonson
Robert L. Hale
John C. Mihm
James P. Myers
Thomas J. Reeves
Kenneth W. Robbins
1983
Gary E. Frashier
Harley D. Henry
Leon Ince
E. Carlyle Smith Jr.
Joe A. Stanley
Walter D. Warren
Chemical1942
Petroleum
1957
Civil
1950
Petroleum
1948
Electrical
1949
Electrical
1960
Petroleum
1947
Textile
1947
Petroleum
1949
Civil
1949
Electrical
1951
Electrical
1949
Chemical1957
Industrial1964
Electrical
1933
Electrical1963
Textile
1948
Chemical
1964
Industrial1969
Civil1963
Petroleum1943
Chemical
1958
Petroleum
1959
Mechanical
1936
Architect. & Civil1963
Civil
1939
Electrical1959
1982
Larry R. Byrd
Paul B. Crawford
Robert B. Dyer
Joseph W. Luckett Jr.
1981
Roger K. Owen
Richard I. Robinson
Ben R. Stuart
Allan J. Tomlinson Jr.
1980
Charles Robert Black
James L. D’Acosta
Hugh R. Fewin
James Harold Yeager
1979
Scott G. Arbuckle
Lynn H. Elliott
Norman M. Jasper
H. Alan Nelson
1978
Richard W. Hurn
T. A. Rogers
Gerald R. Seemann
Horace L. Smith
1977
John S. Ball
Donald R. Clark
A. L. Kincheloe
Orval L. Lewis
1976
Charles Ovid Baker
Dan T. McDonald
Evan E. Roberts
Billie J. Whitworth
1975
Mack Atcheson
Ray Butler
George Raymond Coffman
George W. Dupree
Herbert S. Erskine
Industrial1957
Chemical1943
Industrial1960
Petroleum1948
Electrical
1948
Chemical1952
Mechanical
1957
Chemical1954
1975 (continued)
Howard Houston Hinson
Guillermo E. Perea
Berl M. Springer
Louis Dixie Stevens
David Charles Williams
1974
John R. Bradford
Henry H. Meredith Jr.
John W. Sheehan
R. L. Williams
1973
Petroleum1958
Industrial1950
Civil
1957
Chemical1942
James W. Harrell
A. M. L. Kube
Paul C. Nail
James H. Wright
1972
Industrial1957
Electrical
1958
Industrial
1960
Petroleum
1947
Mechanical1940
Electrical
1928
Mechanical
1959
Civil
1948
Chemical1934
Industrial1959
Civil
1950
Mechanical1939
Chemical
Chemical
Architectural
Industrial
J. Fred Bucy
Arthur W. Busch
1971
Roy Butler
Earnest F. Gloyna
Edwin B. Locke
Donovan Maddox
1970
Miles Roger Clapp
Lester Lynne Kilpatrick
Jack F Maddox
1969
R. Trent Campbell
W. Lyle Donaldson
Dysart E. Holcomb
Geological
1934
Textile
1951
Industrial
1943
Electrical
1948
Mechanical1947
Chemical
1942
Mechanical1939
Chemical1939
Mechanical
1941
Textile
1935
Industrial
1942
Mechanical
1947
Chemical1948
Engr. Physics1951
Civil
1950
Petroleum1949
Civil
1946
Mechanical1948
Textile
1934
Mechanical1933
Electrical1946
Textile
1929
Civil
Electrical
Chemical
1932
1938
1937
1939
1938
1948
1949
Chemical
1942
Petroleum
1949
Electrical1936
Electrical
1938
Petroleum
1950
1968
W. Austin Davis
Charles W. Woolridge
1967
William W. Akers
Byron J. Bennett
Charles H. Feltz
H. Elliott Knox
Mechanical
1936
Textile1930
Chemical
Electrical
Mechanical
Textile
1943
1943
1940
1935
15
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