Texas Engineers Receive Honors for Contributions to the Engineering Profession

Robert S. Patton, PE, recently received the Texas Section ASCE Lifetime Service Award and Lawrence G. Griffis, PE, was presented the Wilbur C. Schoeller Award.

James C. Wall, PE, has joined the firm as senior associate and senior engineer. He will be responsible for assisting in the development of Walter P. Moore's Bridge Corps - a group of structural bridge engineers specializing in the utilization of advance bridge design concepts. He will be located in the firm's Austin office.

Wall comes to Walter P. Moore after a 37-year career with the Bridge Division of the Texas Department of Transportation, from which he recently retired. Throughout his career, he worked in a variety of capacities including draftsman, engineering technician, design engineer and project manager. He was responsible for one of the Bridge Division's Design Branches, which designs bridges and prepares construction documents. His areas of expertise include prestressed concrete box beams, laps and splices of mild reinforcing steel and structural analysis techniques.

Wall received a degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas.

Robert S. Patton, PE, recently received the Texas Section ASCE Lifetime Service Award in recognition of his contributions to the civil engineering profession, the community and the state of Texas. He has more than 30 years of professional engineering experience and is currently a senior consultant at Fugro South Inc., Dallas.

Patton is a Fellow member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and has been active in the Dallas Branch since 1965. He served as president of the Texas Section in 1982 and president of the Dallas Branch in 1990. He is also involved in several other organizations, including the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Society of American Military Engineers, ASTM International, American Concrete Institute, Structural Engineers Association of Texas and Rotary International.

Robert Flowers has joined J.E. Dunn-Southwest as manager of the health care group for its Houston office. Flowers has served on both the client's and the contractor's side of the table, and brings 22 years of health care project delivery experience to J.E. Dunn.

Also joining the company are Ennie Hickman as superintendent, and Mike Russell as estimator/project manager for J.E. Dunn Southwest's Dallas office.

The Structural Engineers Association of Texas, Houston, has presented Lawrence G. Griffis, PE, with the Wilbur C. Schoeller Award."

Named in honor of Dr. Schoeller, a founding member of SEAoT, this prestigious award is given to individuals in recognition of specific achievement or attainment of noteworthy prominence in the structural engineering profession.

Griffis is president of Walter P. Moore's Structures Division, Houston, encompassing structural engineering services, parking consulting services, research and development, and structural diagnostics services.

William "Bill" L. Hale, PE, is the new Texas Department of Transportation Dallas District engineer.

Hale oversees the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of the state's transportation system in the seven-county Dallas District.

Hale began his TxDOT career in 1983 as a resident engineer in training for the Ellis County area office. He became the resident design engineer in 1985 and then assistant area engineer in 1987. He was promoted to area engineer in the southeast Dallas County area office in Hutchins in 1992.

Hale received his graduate degree in civil engineering in 1989 from the University of Texas at Arlington and was an adjunct professor there for six years, teaching a graduate-level course in pavement design.

Hale is the 1996 recipient of the Luther DeBerry Award given to an engineer at TxDOT for excellence on the job. He was recognized for a $16.9 million Interstate 30 project near Fair Park in Dallas.

Hale previously served as district engineer for the Abilene District, a position he has held since 1999. He fills a position held by Jay Nelson, who retired Aug. 31.

Benjamin M. Bishop Jr., COO of The Western Group of St. Louis, recently succeeded William L. Bishop as CEO. Bishop is a member of the third generation of Bishops to lead the firm. He is only the fifth CEO in the company's 88-year history.

He started with the firm in 1972 as a field laborer during college summer breaks. After college he served with the St. Louis branch office as a new construction estimator until 1982. He then opened Western's new Denver branch office, became regional manager of Midwest operations in 1988 and led the Southeast Division from 1992 to 1997.

Western is one of the nation's leading specialty contractors for masonry and concrete restoration and preservation, as well as new-construction waterproofing. The Western Group operates 35 branches nationwide as Western Waterproofing, Brisk Waterproofing and Harry S. Peterson Co.