History of the Fort Worth Chapter
by John P. Wier, P.E.
Establishment of the West Texas Chapter
The Texas Society of Professional Engineers, T.S.P.E., was founded in 1936, about two years after the National Society of Professional Engineers, N.S.P.E., was founded in New York. At first, the whole state was divided between two Chapters, one meeting in San Antonio and one in Austin. In 1937, in the wake of the New London School disaster in East Texas, the Legislature passed the Texas Engineering Registration Act into law, and Texas engineers began to be registered under the Act. By the early 1940s, two additional Chapters of T.S.P.E. were formed, one in Beaumont and one in Houston. But, Fort Worth and our neighbor cities and counties had no Chapter meeting closer than Austin at that time.
In the Spring of 1944, during the height of the great World War II effort, a group of professional engineers residing in Tarrant County and adjacent counties were called to meet in Fort Worth to discuss the formation of a T.S.P.E. Chapter. The opinion of those engineers unanimously favored the organization of a new chapter here.
A committee to draft the Chapter Constitution and By-Laws was formed, with the late Joe J. Rady, P. E., chosen as Chairman. The new chapter was called the "West Texas Chapter." Its territory included all that area in Texas, lying West of the Katy Railroad and North of the Santa Fe Railroad. The late Will A. Bounds, P. E., was elected the first President of the Chapter, serving for the term of 1945, and the Chapter was fairly launched. Organizing Chairman Joe Rady was elected President for the following term of 1946.
Development of the Fort Worth Chapter
Years later, as Chapter membership was growing to more than five hundred here and other chapters were being formed in parts of this territory farther West, our "West Texas Chapter" changed its name to "Fort Worth Chapter." For example, the Mid-Cities Chapter, comprising several cities in Eastern Tarrant County and Western Dallas County, was formed largely from territory of our Chapter more than 20 years ago, and the Denton Chapter was carved out of Fort Worth Chapter about 1992. The Fort Worth Chapter now serves engineers in nine (9) counties of West Texas and North Central Texas, including Wise, Jack, Palo Pinto, Parker, Erath, Somervell, Hood, and Johnson Counties in addition to most of Tarrant County.
Service to the Public and to the Profession
Among the outstanding engineers named in the historical lists which follow these paragraphs, you will find nearly every kind of engineer. The disciplines represented include the Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Environmental, Industrial, Structural, Agricultural, Architectural, and others as well as many Civil Engineers. The Fort Worth Chapter has welcomed into its leadership engineers employed in Industry as well as in Government, those employed in Education as well as entrepreneurial and employed engineers in Private Practice, of both genders and a variety of ethnicities. Active in support of education and professional improvement, the leaders of the Chapter have organized and presented many educational seminars and workshops through the years, offering the engineering community effective opportunities to maintain and extend their technical and professional knowledge, placing emphasis on professional competence and ethics.
Leaders of the Fort Worth Chapter have played prominent roles in the affairs of both the Texas Society and the National Society of Professional Engineers through the decades. They have been in the forefront of those far-seeing engineers who have worked to maintain and strengthen the Texas Engineering Practice Act and other legislation affecting the public welfare as well as the profession and the practice of Engineering, through advocacy in the public interest of sound policies and improved regulations and statutes, in the Texas Legislature, in the U. S. Congress, and when called upon, in other States.
In recent years, both Robert L. Nichols, P. E., and the late Joe Paul Jones, P. E., of our Chapter have played prominent roles in the profession and through wisdom, hard work, and brilliant service, have been called successively to the Presidencies of the Fort Worth Chapter, the Texas Society, and the National Society of Professional Engineers.
Fort Worth Chapter Award Recipients
young engineers of the year
2024 Mason Jones, P.E.
2023 Ishtiaque Hossain, P.E.
2022 Shweta Rao, P.E.
2021 Matt Giglio, P.E.
2020 Joe LaCroix, P.E.
2019 Jacob T. Hays, P.E.
2018 Holly S. Ahumada, P.E.
2017 Scott Scherer, P.E.
2016 Garrett Johnson, P.E.
2015 Caleb Milligan, P.E.
2014 Jonathan D. Russell, P.E.
2013 Benjamin Pylant, P.E.
2012 Kervin M. Campbell, P.E.
2011 Josh Logan, P.E.
2010 David A. Burkett, P.E.
2009 James P. Sappington, P.E.
2008 Travis N. Attanasio, P.E.
2007 Amy Irwin Ellis, E.I.T.
2006 Daniel G. Stoutenburg, Jr., E.I.T.
2005 Kristina Douglas, E.I.T.
2004 Mark N. Assaad, P.E.
2003 Kerry E. Risser, P.E.
2002 Mauricio Zuazua-Elizondo, E.I.T.
2000 Jim Painter, P.E.
1999 Angela K. Pereira, P.E.
1998 Lana P. Logan, E.I.T.
1997 Maria Martinez, P.E.
1996 Candace Reed Watkins, P.E.
1995 James P. (Jim) Amick, P.E.
1994 James A. (Jim) Greer, P.E.
1993 Alan D. Greer, P.E.
1992 Mark A. Crowson, P.E.
1991 Don Allen, P.E.
1990 Patti G. Richards, P.E.
1989 Robert H. (Bob) Price, P.E.
1988 Kemp A. Akeman, P.E.
1987 Raul Pena III, P.E.
1986 Rudy M. Garcia, P.E.
1985 Roxanne L. Pillar, P.E.
1984 John P. Wier, P.E.
1983 John W. (Bill) Baird, Jr., P.E.
1982 Michael M. (Mike) Shiflett, P.E.
1981 John E. Levitt, P. E.
1980 Victor A. Weir, II, P. E.
1979 John H. Nall, Jr., P.E.
1978 Roger Yandell, P.E.
1976 Gary J. Teague, P.E.
1975 Steve O'Kelly, P.E.
1974 Charles M. McElroy, P.E.
1973 Jerry W. Allen, P.E.
1972 David A. Hullender, P.E.
1971 John H. Cook, P.E.
1970 Ernest Hedgcoth, P.E.
1969 Ronald G. Denton, P. E.
1968 Emil E. Friberg P.E.
1967 A. W. (Bill) Veselka, P E.
1966 R.C. Alden, P.E.
1965 Richard L. Tucker, Ph.D., P.E.
1964 Paul R. Cunningham, P.E.
engineers of the year
2024 Michael Owen, P.E.
2023 Austin Baird, P.E.
2022 Jay Sappington IV, P.E.
2021 Jonathan Russell, P.E.
2020 David Burkett, P.E.
2019 Angela K. Pereira, P.E.
2018 James P. Amick, P.E.
2017 Kelly Dillard, P.E.
2016 Steven E. Eubanks, P.E.
2015 King Cook, P.E.
2014 Michael J. Dellies, P.E.
2013 Alan Plummer, P.E.
2012 Timothy J. Welch, P.E
2011 Harold Leeman, P.E
2010 Michael Wellbaum, P.E.
2009 Joseph C. Schneider, P.E.
2008 Robert F. Pence, P.E.
2007 David Rubenkoenig, P.E.
2006 James A. Greer, P.E.
2005 Charles M. Jackson, P.E.
2004 Joe R. Thompson, P.E.
2003 Coy M. Veach, P.E.
2002 Robert H. (Bob) Price, P.E.
2001 Raul Pena III, P.E.
2000 Victor A. (Vic) Weir II, P.E.
1999 Michael M. (Mike) Shiflett, P.E.
1998 Gary J. Teague, P.E.
1997 Roxanne L. Pillar, P.E
1996 John P. Wier, P.E.
1995 Ned K. Burleson, P.E.
1994 Roger L. Yandell, P.E.
1993 Alfred W. (Al) Dirnberger, P.E.
1992 Emil E. Friberg, P.E.
1991 Robert A. Thompson, III, P.E.
1990 Roland S. Jary, P.E.
1989 E. Dale Scarth, P.E.
1988 James B. (Jim) Davies, Jr., P.E.
1987 J. R. Stone, P.E.
1986 Keith A. Smith, P.E.
1985 Floyd G. Henk, P.E.
1984 G. Scott Adams, P.E.
1983 James R. (Jim) Nichols, P.E.
1982 Olen W. Yandell, P.E.
1981 Glen Arnold, P.E.
1980 George H. Hedrick, P.E.
1979 Joe Paul Jones, P.E.
1978 Ernest L. Buckley, Ph.D., P.E.
1977 Paul P. Schwartz, P.E.
1976 Harrell Edwards (Eddie) Chiles, P.E.
1975 Charlie M. Moore, P.E.
1974 A. Blan Bell, P.E.
1973 Burl B. Hulsey, Jr., P.E.
1972 W. Ralph Hardy, P.E.
1971 John R. Burgess, P.E.
1970 Howard R. Drew, P.E.
1969 Robert H. (Bob) Widmer, P.E.
1968 Cyrus K. Rickel, P.E.
1967 Robert L. (Bob) Nichols, P.E.
1966 Wendell H. Nedderman, Ph.D., P.E.
1965 Birge D. Alexander, P.E.
1964 C. Milo Thelin, P.E.
1963 Frank G. Clayton, P.E.
1962 J. R. (Jack) Woolf, Ph.D., P.E.
1961 Art Gordon, P.E.
1960 Uel Stephens, P.E.
1959 Joe J. Rady, P.E.
1958 Preston M. Geren, P.E.
1957 Frank W. Davis, P.E.
1956 Waldemar H. Sindt, P.E.
1955 John Evans, P.E.
1954 Col. H. R. Hallock, P.E.
1953 W. O. Jones, P.E.
1952 J. B. Thomas, P.E.
1951 Marvin C. Nichols, P.E
The Fort Worth Chapter instituted the Richard Van Trump Award in 1971 as a means to recognize an exemplary member or members for service to the chapter during the previous year and to give honor to the late Richard Van Trump. The recipient is selected by the chapter’s past president to recognize those whom he finds most helpful and deserving in service to the chapter during the past president’s year in office.
Richard van trump awardees
2024 Austin Baird, P.E.
2023 Shweta Rao, P.E.
2022 Matthew Giglio, P.E.
2021 Holly Ahumada, P.E.
2020 Michael Owen, P.E., CFM
2019 Caleb A. Milligan, P.E.
2018 Jacob T. Hays, P.E.
2017 Steven E. Eubanks, P.E.
2016 Scott Scherer, P.E.
2015 Ken Randall, P.E.
2014 Jonathan D. Russell, P.E.
2013 Josh Logan, P.E.
2012 Ben Pylant, P.E.
2011 Kelly Dillard, P.E.
2010 Kathleen Autumn Permenter, E.I.T.
2009 Travis N. Attanasio, P.E.
2008 David A. Burkett, P.E.& Josh Logan, P.E.
2007 Amy Irwin Ellis, E.I.T.
2006 Joshua W. Jackson, E.I.T.
2005 Michael Wellbaum, P.E.
2004 Mauricio Zuazua-Elizondo, P.E.
2003 Alfred W. (Al) Dirnberger, P.E.
2002 Joe C. Schneider, P.E
2001 Edward B. Worley, Jr., P.E
2000 Terry D. Mayo, P.E.
1999 Robert H. (Bob) Price, P.E.
1998 James A. (Jim) Greer, P.E.
1997 James B. (Jim) Davies, Jr., P.E.
1996 Kenneth E. (Ken) McDonald, P.E.
1995 Candace Reed Watkins, P.E.
1994 William L. (Bill) Stewart II, P.E.
1993 Lana P. Logan, E.I.T.
1992 George H. Hedrick, P.E.
1991 Julia W. Skare, P.E.
1990 W. John Barnett, P.E.
1989 Raul Pena III, P.E.
1988 Kenneth H. (Kenny) Carr, P.E.
1987 Roger Ford, P.E.
1986 Ernest Hedgcoth, P.E.
1985 C. Diane Palmer, P.E.
1984 J. L. (Jim) Pape, P.E.
1983 J. M. (Ted) Everage, P.E.
1982 Roland S. Jary, P.E.
1981 Ernest L. Buckley, Ph.D., P.E.
1980 John E. Levitt, P.E.
1979 Larry Frassinelli, P.E.
1978 Earl Bradley, P.E.
1977 Victor A. (Vic) Weir II, P.E.
1976 James R. (Jim) Dunaway, Jr., P.E.
1975 John G. Heit, P.E.
1974 Kenneth R. Thompson, P.E.
1973 C.P. Ferbrache, P.E.
1972 A. Blan Bell, P.E.
1971 Roger N. Parsons, P.E.