THE
UNIVERSITY
of AKRON
this issue
UA CE Faculty & Staff P.2
Timeline
Past Faculty Photos P.6
Past Student P.8
Organizations & Activities
Past Students/Labs P.9
Alumni and Faculty P.12-19
Reflections
Centennial Celebration P.20
Special Edition
1
Department of
Civil Engineering
Newsletter
Celebrating 100 Years of Civil Engineering at UA
By: Weislaw K.
Binienda
The
Civil
Engineering
Program was
founded
in
1914 together with Mechanical
Engineering
and
the
Cooperative Education Program
as three parts of the College of
Engineering at The University of
Akron. Dean Frederic E. Ayers
took responsibility as the first
Dean of the College as well as
the
He ad
of
the
Civil
Engineering Department. The
first several years were not
easy. The first full time
instructor was J.S. Mathewson,
responsible for most of the CE
courses. Three years later,
Professor Ross C. Durst was
added to the faculty but Mr.
Mathewson left just a year
later. So, until 1919, the CE
department had only one
faculty member. The first
student, Mr. John S. Kennedy,
graduated with a BS in Civil
Engineering in 1918. In 1919,
the second student, Lucius F.
Converse, graduated. The first
three years generated only one
graduate each.
Mr. Clarence O. Edgahl was
responsible for the Engineering
Labs for two years from 1918
to 1920, but he left the
department two years before
Professor John W. Bulger was
“100 YEARS” continued on page 2
“100 YEARS” continued from page 1
added in 1922 followed by
Associate Professor David E.
Anderson who started in 1923.
From that time, the CE
department consisted of three
pr o fe s so r s
and
s tu de n ts
increased to four and then to
seven leading up to the Second
World War. Professors Boris W.
Boguslavsky (1942-1948), Mr.
Paul Montgomery (1942 -1943),
and Professor Lester H.
Weinberg (1946-1951) had
fewer students as most of them
participated in the war effort in
Europe and Asia.
A new era for the Civil
Engineering Department started
after the war when Dr. Rudyard
M. Cook (1951-1955) became
the second department head,
leading the department with
faculty members including Alvin
M. Richards (1949-1980),
William F. Schlenk (19481951), Donald Hoffman (19481949), and R.D. Landon (19461963).
Next, Dr. Duane R. Keller
(1955-1964) became the third
department head. In this time
period, Dr. George P. Manos
(1957-1979), William M. Glazier
(1958-1962), and David H.
Timmerman
(1962-1988)
educated Civil Engineering
Students. The same year Ms.
Minnie Pritchard was the first
Page 2
2
female graduate from our
department. In 1959, the first
MS degree was granted to Mr.
Burt W. Blum who received his
BS in CE from MIT in 1953.
T he
de par tme nt
gr e w
significantly under the fourth
department head, Dr. Andrew
L. Simon (1965-1989). New
faculty included Dr. Gabor S.
Szava-Kovats (1965-1967),
William F. Coney (1964-1966),
Romeo Ernest Carter, Jr. (1966
-1971), Dr. Demeter G. Fertis
(1967-1999), Dr. Joseph F.
Lestingi (1967-1978), Dr.
Simsek Sarikelle (1967-1999),
Dr. Robert Wheeler (19691971), Ronnie G. Adams (1969
-1971), Robert Brown, Jr.
(1971-1973), Dr. Douglas G.
Pennell (1971-1972), Kenneth
L. Klika (1972-1999), Edward
S. Gaffney (1973-1978), Dr.
Clarence B. Drennon (19751999), and Dr. William Brian
Arbuckle (1976-2009). The
first Ph.D degree was granted
to Mr. Pramod Jashbhai Dasai
in 1971 under the guidance of
Dr. Fertis and Mr. Yoseph BarKochba and advised by Dr.
Simon.
Dr. Tse Yung P. Chung
(1973-1992), Dr. Robert Liang
(1985 – present), and Dr. Atef
Saleeb (1978 – present)
significantly expanded Civil
“100 YEARS” continued on page 4
3
Fedric E. Ayer
(1914 – 1946)
Andrew L. Simon
(1965 – 1988)
William B. Arbuckle
(1993 – 1994)
Rudyard M. Cook
(1951– 1955)
Duane R. Keller
(1955 – 1964)
Tse Young P.
Chang
(1989 – 1992)
Clarence B. Drennon
(1992 – 1993)
Robert Liang
(1995 – 2000)
Wieslaw K. Binienda
(2000 – Present)
“100 YEARS” continued from page 3
Prof. Ross C. Durst
(1918-1947)
Dr. Alvin M. Richards
(1949-1980)
Prof. Demeter G. Fertis
(1967-1999)
4
Page 4
Engineering research. Dr.
Chung became the next
department head (1990-1992)
followed by acting department
head Dr. B. Drennon (19931994), Dr. Arbuckle (19951996), Dr. Liang (1996-2000),
and since 2000 the helm of the
Civil Engineering Department
has been held by Dr. Wieslaw
K. Binienda (1988- present).
Many
excellent
faculty
helped
expand
the
department, such as Dr. David
Ross (1979-1985), Paul Simon
(1983 -1998),
Dr.
David
Robinson (1983-2000), Dr.
Mark S. Kennedy (1984-1990),
Dr. Patrick D. Zuraski (19861991), Dr. Allen L. Shen (1990
-2003), Dr. Susan D. Pritchard
(1991-1993), Dr. Lambros S.
Katafygiotis (1991-1994), Dr.
James Kankam (1994-1997),
Dr. Robert Zobel (1996-1999),
Dr. Chun-Yi Kuo (1998-2004),
Dr. Pizhong Qiao (1999-2006),
Dr. Omer Nawari (1997-2000),
Dr. Waseem U. Khalifa (19992006), Dr. Yu Qiao (20022006), Dr. Hangseo Choi (2004
-2005), Dr. Daren Zywicki
(2005-2008), Dr. Kallol Sett
( 2 0 0 9 -2 0 1 4 )
an d
many
lecturers and part time faculty
such as Mr. Robert L. Bunnell
who started teaching in 1977
and continues to help us today.
Students
often
better
remember the front office
staff, so it is important to list
the
many
people
who
supported the Department
Chair for one hundred years:
Ms. Diana Smith (19671969),
Ms.
Doris
Byrd
(1968),
Ms.
Rosemary
Phillips (1968-1973), Ms.
Dorothy Guilliams (19701976), Ms. Cecilia De Bonis
(1976-1978), Ms. Aggie Stitz
(1978-1999), Ms. Annetta E.
Brown (1995-1999),
Ms.
Barbara Caillet (1999-2001),
Ms. Adele Millin (2001-2002),
Ms. Kimberly Stone (2003present), Ms. Jackie M.
Lombardie (2008-2011), Ms.
Lone East (2011-2013), and
technicians Mr. John Arendt
(1967 – 1970), Mr. Paul
Rhodes (1970-1974), Mr.
Roger Buck (1975-1999), Mr.
Dave McVaney (2000 –
present), Mr. Brett Bell (2008
– present), and Mr. Steve
Patterson (2012) who helped
CE in a moment of crisis.
College
of
Engineering
previous
and
current
technicians Mr. Dale Ertley
(2000- present) and Mr.
William
Wenzel
(2005present) also helped CE
students and faculty in
machining
and
research
facility
design
and
development over the years.
Many excellent teachers
served students as lecturer,
visiting,
and
adjunct
professors. They include Dr.
Jia-Yih Yen (1980-1984), Dr.
Christos C. Chamis (19801989), Dr. Thomas M. Pienoski
(1980-1984), Dr. Stephen F.
Duffy (1981-1985), Dr. Steven
Arnold
(1981-1985), Dr.
Stephen C. Pasternack (19811984),
Dr.
Joseph
A.
Recktenwald (1982-1986), Dr.
Susan I. Yablonski (19821988), Dr. Scott F. Korom
(1982-1986), Dr. Sharon E.
Kilgallin (1986-1989), Dr. John
Lommler (1987-1991), Ms.
Elisabeth S. Davidson (1988)
and many others.
Today, the Civil Engineering
Department is proud to have
eighteen active Professors: Dr.
Ala R. Abbas, Dr. Wieslaw K.
Binienda, Dr. Teresa J.
Cutright, Dr. Gary Doll, Dr.
Stephen E. Duirk, Dr. Qindan
Huang, Dr. Robert Y. Liang,
Dr. Craig C. Menzemer, Dr.
Christopher M. Miller, Dr.
Ernian Pan, Dr. Anil Patnaik,
Dr. David Roke, Dr. Atef F.
Saleeb,
Dr.
William
H.
Schneider, IV, Dr. Kallol Sett,
Dr. Juliang Tao, Dr. Ping Yi,
Dr. Gunjin Yun, Dr. Lan Zhang.
5
Current
staff
members
include
Ms. Kim Stone
(Administrative Assistant),
Ms. Sheila Pearson (Assistant
to Editor), Mr. Dave McVaney
(Technician), and Mr. Brett
Bell (Technician). Often we
are helped by adjunct faculty
including
Dr.
Robert
Goldberg, Dr. William Arnold,
Mr. Robert Andrews, Dr.
Waseem U. Khalifa, and our
longest employed adjunct
professor Mr. Robert L.
Bunnell.
I would like to express my
great gratitude to all past
and current staff and faculty
members who contributed to
the success of the Civil
Engineering Department over
100 years of serving our
students. I apologize to
those faculty and staff whose
names I have not been able
to find and I hope to hear
from many alumni and
friends who would like to
share their good memories
and words of wisdom for the
next 100 years.
Prof. George P. Manos
(1957-1979)
Prof. Simsek Sarikelle
(1967-1999)
Thank you!
Prof. David H. Timmerman
(1962-1988)
ENGINEERING FACULTY
(Above) Massey-Ferguson/UA “Construction Administration” Seminar (April 5 and 26, 1971) - Tom
MacCalla Jr., Manager, MF Training; Dr. Andrew Simon,
Professor and Head of Department of Civil Engineering; N.
Robert Bennett, President, Bennett Construction Co.; Dr. S.
Sarikelle, Asst. Professor, Department of Civil Engineering;
Robert Schiesswohl, General Sales Manager, MF Eastern
Division.
(Right) 40th Anniversary of College of Engineering.
Seated: Dean Landon, President Auburn, Dean Emeritus
Ayer. Standing: Walter R. Crumrine ‘53, J. Earl Gulick, ‘19
(Left) Engineering Faculty 1952
Row 1: Dr. Li, Professor Wilson, Dr.
Huss, Dr. Tao, Professor Petry
Row 2: Mr. B. Smith, Professor P.
Smith, Professor Hamlen, Dean
Landon, Mr. Bezbatchenko,
Professor Siblia
6
Page 6
Dr. Simon speaks with engineering students
Engineering Faculty 1961: Row 1: A. Chatterjee, M. Kult, W. Petry, R. Peringer, G. Manos, W. Glazier. Row 2: R. Landon, A. Richards, M.
Bezbathcenko, J. Edminister, R. Bowers, K. Hamlen, D. Anderson, K. Sibila, D. Keller.
7
CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDENTS
Student Organizations and Activities
ASCE 1928 Members (not in order): L.E. Miller (President), Ray Harter, (VicePresident), K.R. Hooley (Secretary & Treasurer), Ben Gilbert, Leland Hine, Willard Kopf,
Lawrence Miller, Vernon Miller, Wallace Robishaw, Sam Syms, Hamilton Tomb, Carl
Viall, Ralph Wingerter
1924 O.H.M. Engineering Honorary Fraternity
(clockwise from top middle): Laurel Fletcher, Lester
Cole, William Glass, Eugene Salber, Theodore Harrington, Ross Wilson, Bertrum St. John (middle).
ASCE 1947 Row 1: J. Sloan, J. Moore, J. Alkire. Row 2: R. Nottingham, R. Cottrill, J.
Hammontree, F. Kaylor, L. McGlinchy.
ASCE Officers 1986:
ASCE 1954: Row 1: Peter Ringeis, Phil Opp, Minnie Griffiths, Rudyard M. Cook. Row 2: Harold Fyre, Leonard Mercer, Charles Lathrop (President), Robert Cottrill, Walt Dombroski.
8
Page 8
Teri (Therese) Evans,
Bonnie Jeeuwen, John
Eliott, Joe Derrig, Jim
McHenry, Jim Weber
1976 Concrete Canoe team: Dan Pasolovich, Tom Nixdorf, Tom Clark, Joe Racquia, Roger Swart, Lou Ciraldo, Brian Walsh, Rick
Rokich
(Above) 1983 Concrete Canoe Team members
1978 Concrete Canoe Team
(Left) 1973 Concrete Canoe Team at
Notre Dame: John Malivuk, Mike
Cavanaugh, Roger Zimmerman, Frank
Pavlovicz, Eric Forsperg, Roger Lyons,
Glen Nespeca (in canoe).
9
CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDENTS & LABS
Engineering lab 1941
1951: Co-op student Charles Messmore’s “On the Job
Training” at the new expressway in Akron.
1962: A civil engineering student spends time in the sanitary lab
1962: All engineering students must know how to use a Post
Versalog Slide Rule.
10
Page 10
CE Students Practicing Surveying Techniques in 1963
1984
1978
Civil Engineering students pose around the sign they
built for the ASEC building in 1984.
11
1975
REFLECTIONS
Mark Kennedy (1984-1991)
Hello to all my friends
and foes alike who were in
or around the University of
Akron from 1984 to 1991.
I
have
many
fond
memories of my seven
years at U of A. I enjoyed
working with my colleagues
Andrew
Simon,
Brian
Arbuckle, Simsek Sarikelle,
Paul Timmerman and John
Carpenter.
I especially
remember some of my
more colorful students such as Paul
Wischt, Byron Rose, Joe Recktenwald,
Thomas Knapp, Gordon Smith and Eric
Klink to mention a few. My apologies to
others I may have forgotten, but many
years have passed. I remember a few
concrete canoe races (selling hotdogs
with
a
then
Ph.D.
student
Joe
Recktenwald), a weekend trip to Seven
Springs Ski Resort (with Mr. Wischt and
Mr. Rose), many weekends trampling
across Hardy Road Landfill with Mr. Klink
and many nights with an assortment of
students at some bar across Exchange
Ave. from campus (the name escapes
me). I regret that I cannot make the
reunion, as I will be sending my daughter
off to Costa Rica for a study abroad
program about that time.
A little about me since I left the land of
“ muzak and shopping malls from Seneca
to Cuyahoga Falls” in the immortal words
of Chrissy Hines. After a five year stint at
South Dakota State University, I found
12
Page 12
my final resting place at the
University
of
Portland
(Oregon that is). I have
taught here on the bluff, for
the past 17 years. U of P is
a
small
Catholic
comprehensive
University
affiliated with the same
order
of
priests
who
founded Notre Dame.
I
continue
to
teach
Environmental and Water
Resources
Engineering
courses.
I have also become very
involved with study and service abroad
through Engineers without Borders.
Those two passions have provided me
several opportunities for teaching and
service in Europe, China and Central
America.
I have two great kids (Eric and Claire)
who are currently in the final years of
their college careers and looking forward
to the day when they will support my
retirement.
When not slaving at the
office, I enjoy urban farming and
experiencing the great northwest and
exploring the world whenever the
opportunity presents itself.
To all that made my seven years in
Akron such a great experience, enjoy that
reunion and have a few brews on me. If
you are ever out on the “Left Coast” be
sure to look me up.
Pizhong Qiao (1999-2006)
Pizhong Qiao is a world
leader in the development of
high performance materials
used in civil infrastructure and
aerospace structures. Now, a
professor at the Department of
C ivil
and
Envi r o nme ntal
Engineering at Washington
State University (WSU) and an
engineering
mechanics
professor at Shanghai Jiao
Tong University, Qiao had
worked as an assistant/
associate professor in the Department of
Civil Engineering at UA from 1999 to
2006.
As a recent recipient of Anjan Bose
Outstanding Research Award at WSU,
Qiao is honored as a highly successful
researcher, internationally recognized
and respected by his peers. Qiao has a
sustained level of research productivity
that
is
exemplary,
and
he
has
significantly
contributed
to
WSU’s
reputation for excellence in research, as
noted by one of his nominators for the
award.
While at UA, he was bestowed the
2005 Outstanding Researcher of the Year
in the College of Engineering and
selected as the 2006 Outstanding
Teacher of the Year by the Engineering
Honor Society – Tau Beta Pi Student
Chapter.
At UA and WSU, he has
collaborated on research with NASA,
Boeing, and IFOS. His current research
is focused on smart structural health
monitoring,
interface
mechanics,
nonlinear large deformation of composite
13
structures, impact (blast and
ballistic) resistant materials,
and sustainable concretes.
Qiao has more than 160
refereed publications in print
in national and international
journals and books, including
several that are considered
seminal contributions in the
field. He is among the top
one percent of the most
highly cited authors in
engineering,
according
to
the
ISI
Essential Science Indicators. He holds
one awarded patent and two nonprovisional patent applications in the area
of hybrid composite structures for blast
and ballistic protection.
In 2007, he was elected a fellow of the
American Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE) for his outstanding technical
contributions in advanced composites.
He is the current chair of ASCE Aerospace
Division and serves as the associate
editor
for
Journal
of
Aerospace
Engineering, Journal of Engineering
Mechanics,
and
Structural
Health
Monitoring-An International Journal.
Qiao has received more than $5 million
in funding from federal and state
agencies as well as companies, including
the National Science Foundation (NSF),
Air Force Office of Scientific Research,
Federal Highway Administration, and
NASA.
Qiao now lives with his wife Dan Liu
and two daughters, Lily (15 years old)
and Lynnlin (9 years old and born in
Akron, OH).
REFLECTIONS
Robert D. Stevens, Class of 1963
The University of Akron
gave me the credentials that
started me on a very exciting
and interesting career. Since
graduating as part of an 8person class of civil engineers
in 1963, my career has taken
me to live in 8 states and 2
other
countries.
I’ve
participated in projects in
other states and in over 20
countries. Civil engineering
has given me the opportunity
to make a difference in the lives of
people by helping to plan, design and
build infrastructure that improves the
quality of life.
Civil engineering has been and
continues to be a great profession for
me. In fact it’s been a very fulfilling one.
I’m so glad that as a young boy I
discovered what a civil engineer does by
watching a new freeway being built a few
blocks from my home in Akron, Ohio.
That experience led to my decision to
become a civil engineer and attend UA.
One of the things that I liked about UA
was its co-op program. Through my coop work experience, I learned first-hand
what civil engineers do and ultimately
decided that transportation was for me.
At one point in my undergraduate
studies, I considered going into church
music. Fortunately I had a wise advisor
who suggested that I continue in
engineering and take music as part of a
second degree. I took his advice. To this
day piano and organ playing are part of
my life.
I was also advised to join ASCE’s
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Page 14
student chapter. That was
the beginning of my longtime participation in ASCE.
Throughout my career and
the
many
moves,
I’ve
continued
my
ASCE
involvement. Last October I
was installed as the ASCE
President-elect and will be
installed as the ASCE 2015
President this October.
Like my advisor at UA, I’ve
served over the years as a
mentor for others through part-time
university teaching, presentations to
ASCE student chapters, and participation
in student roundtables at the ASCE
Regional Leadership Conferences and
student days.
During my career, I’ve worked for a
city government and 3 consulting firms. I
joined ARCADIS U.S. and served as the
Transportation Practice Director. While I
retired from full-time employment in
2007, I continue to work for ARCADIS on
a part-time basis.
I’ve
thoroughly
enjoyed
the
opportunities these jobs gave me to
participate in planning, design and
construction of various civil projects.
These projects have made people’s lives
better and safer. After all, isn’t that what
civil engineers do?
A couple of project examples illustrate
this clearly. The first is the Taipei Metro.
In 2009 my wife and I returned to Taiwan
and observed many people using the
Metro and very few using the motor
“STEVENS” continued on page 15
Clarence B. Drennon (1975-1996)
I retired from the Civil
Engineering Department of
The University of Akron in
1996. I still live in Fairlawn,
in the same house that I
have lived in my entire time
in Akron.
While my wife
and I have traveled a bit, I
am usually at home.
My principal activity is
with Stan Hywet Hall.
I
guide at the house two
afternoons per week, and have helped
clean the house (a six-week, full time
job) each winter. Otherwise, I read a lot,
with a library of over 4,000
books. I am an operetta and
musical
enthusiast,
and
attend the Ohio Light Opera
season in Wooster each
summer. The wife and I also
attend the Shaw Festival in
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario,
each year.
I
now
have
five
grandchildren. My son lives
in Rockville, Maryland, and
my daughter in Vandalia, Ohio.
“STEVENS” continued from page 14
scooters which were everywhere 20 years
ago. Traffic on the streets and pedestrian
safety were greatly improved, improving
the quality of life for the people in Taipei.
The second example is the restoration
of Bataquitos Lagoon in Southern
California.
Since
its
restoration,
endangered birds, fish and wildlife are
flourishing and the awful smell is gone.
The dead lagoon is alive again.
A couple of months ago, we visited the
lagoon with my son and 5-year old
grandson while on a family vacation in
San Diego. What a beautiful walk we had
on the trails at the lagoon.
After retirement, we moved to Fort
Worth to be only 3 miles away from our
grandkids. It’s great to be so close.
Volunteering has been and is an
important part of my life. I serve on the
15
American
Road
and
Transportation
Builders Association (ARTBA) Board and
completed a 3-year term on the EWBUSA Board at the end of 2013. I’ve been
on homeowner associations, school,
zoning and transportation boards. While
each board is different, they have one
thing in common, which is to serve their
members.
As a volunteer, I’ve participated in
almost every facet of ASCE by serving on
over 40 ASCE committees including
Section/Branch, Professional, Finance,
Award, Editorial and Technical.
As the first ASCE President to be
nominated by ASCE’s Transportation &
Development Institute (T&DI) and the
Technical Region, I’m excited to have the
opportunity to serve the engineering
profession.
REFLECTIONS
Joe Lestingi (1967-1978)
I am very pleased
and how to improve
and humbled to be
designs from year to
writing this short note
year. It was also
for the Department of
gratifying to watch
Civil
Engineering
our team win one
Newsletter.
It
all
competition
after
started
when
I
another, year after
received a phone call
year. Akron was the
from
Professor
envy of many schools.
Binienda
last
July
In 1978 I took a
when my wife and I
Joe and Jean Lestingi
position at General
were in Hawaii celebrating our 56th
Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan as
wedding anniversary. We were very
chairman
of
the
Department
of
happy to be invited to attend the 100th
Mechanical Engineering. While at GMI, I
anniversary of the Department in May
had the opportunity to teach a NASTRAN
and plan to be active participants.
continuing
education
class
to
GM
Professor Binienda asked me to provide
engineers at the GM Tech Center. After
an update of what I have been doing and
that I returned to my alma mater,
where I have traveled since leaving the
Manhattan College, as Dean of the School
University of Akron. Let me start by
of Engineering from 1983 to 1992. I was
letting you know I was a member of the
blessed to then have the opportunity to
Civil Engineering Department from 1967
become
Dean
of
the
School
of
to 1978. I arrived in Akron with three
Engineering at the University of Dayton.
sons, Michael, Gene, and Daniel. John
During my five year tenure, I was able to
was born that October. My memories of
start a minority engineering program and
being a teacher are all positive. It was a
an enhanced engineering program. The
pleasure to be able to work with so many
latter program was the key to having
fine men and women students and to
90% of the freshman students move to
watch them mature as individuals, learn
their sophomore year in engineering. It
engineering concepts and principles, and
was also responsible for having almost
then move on to engineering practice. To
70% of the students graduate in
this day, I am in contact with many of my
engineering, which is twice the national
former students. Perhaps one of my most
average. In 1999 and 2000, I worked for
memorable activities was being a part of
SDRC
teaching
Ford
engineers
in
the concrete canoe program. The
Dearborn, Michigan how to use the MCAD
program served many purposes as
program, I-DEAS.
students learned how to work in teams
“LESTINGI” continued on page 17
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Page 16
Tse Young P. Chang (1989-1992)
In 1992, Professor Chang
retired from the University of
Akron and joined Hong Kong
University of Science and
Technology (UST), as a chaired
professor in the Department of
Civil
&
Environmental
Engineering. Since UST was a
relatively young university in
1992, part of Professor Chang’s
duties, in addition to teaching
and research, is to recruit
highly qualified faculties in structures and
civil engineering materials, help the
department to set up curriculums for
B.S., Master and Ph.D programs, recruit
high-caliber
graduate
students
and
establish academic collaborations with
top-ranked universities in China, such as
Beijing, Tsinghua, Tongji Universities,
etc.
While teaching at UST, Professor
Chang
also
established
research
programs in structural health monitoring
for long-span bridges, development of
computational
methods
for
parallel
computing machines, computer-aideddesign and data-transfer technology
applied to tall-building design.
Under
these
research
programs, he has guided a
number of Master as well as
Ph.D students, leading several
journal publications in the
related topics. As a result of
his research work, he started
a high-tech company called
TBCAD Technology Limited in
2001 to conduct structural
optimization and cost analysis
for tall buildings. In this connection, the
company has completed about 36 design
projects
for
Hong
Kong
Housing
Department, Sun Hung Kai Property
Development
Company,
Maunsell
Engineering Consultants, etc.
In 2004 when reaching the age of 65,
Professor Chang retired from UST and his
company.
Immediately
after
his
retirement, he served as a guest
professor at Tongji, Shanghai Jiatong
Universities, and later Taiwan University
(his alma mater), teaching courses on
finite
element
methods,
computer
methods in structural analysis, structural
dynamics, elasticity and plasticity.
“LESTINGI” continued from page 16
I retired to Tucson, Arizona in 2000
and have enjoyed playing softball three
days a week 45 weeks per year. Now
that Jean and I have six grandchildren
and one great grandson, we will be
moving to Mount Juliet, Tennessee to be
17
a little closer to them.
Jean and I hope to have the
opportunity to greet many of you at the
100th anniversary of the Civil Engineering
Department. I would be pleased to hear
from you at pepe.lestingi@gmail.com.
REFLECTIONS
Patrick Zuraski (1986-1991)
I left the University
of Akron in 1991 and
joined
the
Civil
E n g i n e e r i n g
Department
at
Louisiana
State
University
in
Baton
Rouge. I continued my
work
in
bridge
engineering
research,
as well as teaching
design
courses
in
reinforced concrete and
structural steel and structural analysis.
It was a fascinating experience to
become immersed in the culture of the
south – different (and delicious) food,
slightly different way of speaking (y’all),
and different temperatures (rarely below
32).
It was an enjoyable time for
broadening our experiences.
We still
travel annually to Baton Rouge to
reconnect with friends and favorite
places.
In 1995 I accepted a position in the
Department of Civil Engineering at the U.
S. Air Force Academy in Colorado
Springs, where Karen and I currently
reside since retiring from the Academy in
2006. (The courses that I taught were
primarily the same, except for the
addition of some statics and strength of
materials.) It was a special opportunity
to be involved with teaching so many
outstanding young men and women from
across the entire country.
During the 2003-04
academic year I went
on a sabbatical to the
University of Maine in
Orono and joined a
te am
inve sti ga ting
applications
of
advanced
wood
composites.
My
primary
focus
was
preliminary design and
laboratory testing of
wood
composite
components for a pier to be constructed
at a nearby Coast Guard station.
Knowing that the nine months would
pass quickly, we took advantage of every
weekend between Labor Day and
Thanksgiving, and between the end of
March and Memorial Day, to explore the
wonderful coastal towns of “Downeast
Maine.” (Winter required staying a little
closer to home!) This is also an area to
which we return on a regular basis.
Another marvelous opportunity that
came our way during my time at the
Academy was being able to participate in
the semester exchange program between
the Air Force academies of the United
States and France. During each of the
fall semesters over the interval 2000—
2013 (except for 2003) we have
sponsored one or two French cadets.
They spend their first week in the U. S.
with us, subsequently check into the
“ZURASKI” continued on page 19
18
Page 18
William Brian Arbuckle (1976-2009)
Since retiring in 2009, I
relocated to Nashville, TN.
Here I am able to spend
quality time with two of my
granddaughters, I met my
sweetheart, and I have
done some traveling.
I
have also taught Fluid
Mechanics
twice
at
Vanderbilt
U n iv e r s i t y .
Teaching Vandy students
reminded me of how special
University
of
Akron
students are, something I learned when I
first arrived in Akron from the University
of Florida. I feel fortunate to
have spent the majority of
my career teaching The
University
of
Akron
undergraduate students who
are engaged and frequently
have been exposed to many
of the practical aspects of
civil engineering through the
co-op program.
I feel
honored to be associated
with Akron graduates, who I
would hold up to any
graduates in the country.
“ZURASKI” continued from page 18
dorms to become immersed with all the
American cadets, and then frequently
come to our home for dinner throughout
the remainder of their stay.
This exchange program has led to our
forming a great number of lasting
international friendships – not only
between us and the cadets, but also with
their families.
(I’ve also managed to
learn to speak a little French.) We have
made eleven visits to France over the
years and are still, even after retirement,
active participants in the program. We
will be welcoming our 22nd French cadet
at the end of July!
Prior to retiring from the Academy in
2006 I had become involved with tennis
officiating – working local tournaments on
19
weekends beginning in 2001 and working
college matches (Air Force competes in
the Mountain West Conference of the
NCAA) beginning in 2004. In 2007, freed
from
the
obligation
of
“regular
employment,” I decided to become
involved
with
officiating
at
the
professional level, and can now add “line
umpire” to my list of officiating activities.
I typically call lines at six or seven
professional events each year at various
tournaments around the country.
In
addition, I have also worked the U. S.
Open at Flushing Meadows in New York
during the last four years and expect to
be there again this year.
Karen retired from teaching high school
“ZURASKI” continued on page
100 Anniversary
th
Wince-Smith to Speak at Centennial Banquet
corporations, and labor union
leaders – promotes public
policy to advance America’s
competitiveness in the global
marketplace.
The Honorable Deborah L.
Wince-Smith, President and
Chief Executive Officer of the
U . S .
C o u n c i l
o n
Competitiveness, will serve as
guest speaker for the 100th
anniversary celebration. Her
presentation will be “The
Coming Age of Innovation:
Engineering the Future of a
Turbulent and Transforming
Global Economy.” The Council
on
Competitiveness
–
co mpr ise d
of
univer sity
presidents, CEOs of major
20
Page 20
Ms. Wince-Smith is a
leading
voice
on
competitiveness, innovation
strategy, science/technology,
and international economic
policy. She is frequently
called upon to testify before
the U.S. Congress and is
regularly invited to appear on
global
television
news
networks such as Bloomberg,
BBC, CNBC, CNN and Fox
News.
Ms.
Wince-Smith
has
served on the Boards of the
Department
of
Energy
National
Laboratories,
including the University of
California President’s Council
overseeing the Lawrence
Livermore, Los Alamos and
Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratories. Ms. WinceSmith has also served on the
University of Chicago’s Board
Celebration
of Governors for
National Laboratory.
Argonne
A valedictorian from Old
Trail School in Akron, Ohio,
Ms. Wince-Smith graduated
magna cum laude from Vassar
College with a Bachelor of Arts
degree. She was one of the
first female students to enter
King’s
C o l l e ge
at
the
21
University of Cambridge,
where she read for a
Master’s degree in Classical
Archaeology. In 2006, she
was awarded an Honorary
Doctorate in Humanities from
Michigan State University.
“ZURASKI” continued from page 19
mathematics in 1999. She was
unable, however, to entirely walk
away from the world of numbers.
Since that time she works each
tax season, early January to April
15, for Jackson Hewitt as a tax
prep.
Our son, Matt, graduated from
Stow High School in 1991 and
went on to obtain a degree in Civil
Engineering from the University of
Wisconsin – Madison.
For the
past 18 years he has been a
project engineer for UOP (a
supplier
and
licensor
of
technology for the petroleum
industry), which is a division of
Honeywell. He was married for a
while, no children, and lives in the
northwest suburbs of Chicago, in
Schaumburg.
Life is enjoyable in Colorado
Springs. The front range of the
Rocky Mountains is a great place
to be, with lots of sunshine and
plenty to keep us busy.
We
commit some of our time to our
pastimes/hobbies
(tennis
officiating and tax work) but we
ensure that large blocks of time
are available for travel – home
and abroad.
At this 100-year celebration for
the College of Engineering I look
forward to getting together with
former colleagues from my time
at Akron U to learn about their
experiences during the last 20+
years -- which seemed to have
passed by so very quickly.
The University of Akron
College of Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering
Wieslaw K. Binienda, Ph.D.,
Department Chair
Akron, OH 44325-3905
wbinienda@uakron.edu
22
CE Newsletter 2014 Special Anniversary Edition