Highlights of the 2007 Annual Spring Meeting and Conference

Elba U. Hamilton, EI

     There were approximately 65 participants in the Section Annual Spring Meeting and Conference. They were able to choose from 18 technical sessions presented by 15 different speakers that provided professional development units required to maintain professional engineering licensure in Louisiana. Beside the many technical sessions offered, conference attendees were able to listen to the keynote speaker for the Thursday luncheon, Cedric Glover, Mayor of Shreveport. This luncheon was dedicated to the memory of Shreveport Branch member Gordon C. Russell, PE, who died unexpectedly in February. 
     As part of the Conference, the Branch hosted the traditional awards banquet to honor the ASCE members who recently achieved the status of Life Member. Also, the Section’s distinguished senior civil engineering students from the civil engineering departments housed in Louisiana’s universities were also honored. The awards banquet this year was dedicated to the memory of Louisiana Tech University professor, Freddy L. Roberts, PE, who died in March. 
    On behalf of the host, Shreveport Branch, I wish to thank Branch. Branch member O. Lee Underwood, PE, for helping us to honor our newest Life Members in such a dignified manner. Always being willing to serve the Branch, Lee served as the master of ceremonies for the Life Member certificate presentations during the awards banquet. He presented a brief summary of the careers and achievements of the 4 Life Members who were present during the banquet to accept their certificates. This presentation left the audience impressed with their many professional and personal accomplishments. 
     The brief history of each of the Life Members David N. Williams, PE, Donald M. Edington, PE, Jerry G. Lazenby, PE, and Steven P. Rider, PE, who were present during the banquet follows:

     David N. Williams, PE, is a resident of Baton Rouge and since 2001 he has been the Civil/Structural Department Manager for CDI Engineering Solutions, Process and Industrial. Williams is a native of Saint Joseph Michigan, and in 1964 he earned his BS in civil engineering from Tri-State University, Angola, Indiana. He is currently licensed to practice in 21 states and territories of the United States. 
     Williams is married to his childhood sweetheart and friend for life, the former Nancy Lee Rose, of Saint Joseph, Michigan. They have 4 daughters who graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and have graced them with 10 grand children. Of their 4 sons-in-law, 2 hold degrees from Louisiana Tech University and Louisiana State University. 
     He began his career in the Chicago area as a Structural Engineer, designing commercial and residential high rise structures. He was an associate with the joint venture of the businesses including of Daniel, Mann, Johnson, and Mendenhall — Max O. Urbahn — Seeley, Stevenson, Value, and Knecht — and The George A. Fuller Construction Company. Collectively known as DUSAF it was commissioned to engineer and construct the National Accelerator Laboratory west of Chicago now known as the Fermi Laboratory. www.fnal.gov. For his part in this project, Williams was instrumental in the structural design of the 16 story Robert Rathbun Wilson Hall, the 830 seat Norman F. Ramsey Auditorium, and the Meson Laboratory located in the Fixed Target Experimental Area on the 6,800 acre complex. 
     In 1973 Williams moved to Baton Rouge where he continued his career as a Senior Structural Engineer in the capacities of Lead Engineer, Project Engineer, and Department Manager with the engineering firm of Barnard and Burk Inc. In 1989 he joined Salmon and Associates as the Chief Structural Engineer and Manager of the Civil/Structural Department. In 1992 he moved to Lakeland Florida as Vice-President, and Chief Engineer of the firm’s Florida Operations.
     Donald M. Edington, PE, a native of Springhill, Louisiana and a 1965 graduate of Louisiana Tech University, earned his BS in Civil Engineering and continued a semester of graduate studies in Environmental Engineering. He attended Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island and commissioned as Ensign. He served in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineering Corps and attended the Navy Civil Engineering Corps School in Port Hueneme, California. From there he served as Facility Engineer, Public Works Center, Subic Bay, Philippines, 1966-1967; and Assistant Public Works Officer, Naval Air Station, Lemoore, California, 1967-1968.
     In 1969 Edington continued his graduate studies at Louisiana Tech in Environmental Engineering where he and his wife Patricia Carroll from LaSalle Parish met and were married. He was employed as Project Engineer, International Paper Company, Mobile, Alabama, 1970-1974 — Community Development Engineer, Research and Development Center, Jackson, Mississippi, 1974-1981 — Engineer Supervisor, Resource Recovery and Development Authority, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1981-1985 — Parish Engineer and Parish Administrator, DeSoto Parish Police Jury, 1985-2000, from which he retired. He has since served as Branch Manager for Meyer, Meyer, Meyer, LaCroix & Hixson, Inc. to present.
      Don and his wife Pat have a daughter, Suzanne.
      Jerry G. Lazenby, PE, is President of Lazenby and Associates, Inc. in West Monroe, Louisiana. The firm offers consulting engineering and land surveying services. A 1965 Graduate of Louisiana Tech University, Jerry began his engineering career with the Federal Highway Administration. In 1974 he moved to West Monroe joining the consulting firm of Jenkins and Madden Engineering Company that evolved into Lazenby and Associates.
     Jerry is a past chairman of the Professional Engineers in Private Practice, a practice division of the Louisiana Engineering Society, and a past President of the Monroe Chapter of the LES. He is the 1993 recipient of the LES Charles M. Kerr Public Relations Award and the 1994 recipient of the LES Andrew M. Lockett Civic Affairs Award.
      A past President of the Consulting Engineers Council of Louisiana, Jerry also served as its Louisiana National Director 1997-1998 and chaired its Transportation Committee. In 2000 Jerry received the A.E. Wilder, Jr. Award for Outstanding Service to the CEC/L. He has been elected to the position of Fellow in the American Consulting Engineers Council and the Institute of Transportation Engineers. Jerry was appointed to — and served 6 years as a member of — the Louisiana Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors Board and he has remained active in service to the National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors.
     Jerry has served on the Louisiana Tech Engineering Foundation, and the Tech Civil Engineering Advisory Committee and Engineering and Science Foundation. In 1995 he was awarded Tech’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in Civil Engineering and elected a Life Director of Tech’s Engineering and Science Foundation.
     In his community, Jerry is a member and past president of the West Monroe/West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce and the West Monroe Rotary Club and he is a Paul Harris Fellow. Jerry and Christine, his wife of 41 years, have 2 sons, a daughter and 9 grandchildren. Christine is also a Louisiana Tech graduate. They are active members of the First Baptist Church of West Monroe. Jerry’s hobbies include deer hunting and fishing.
     Steven P. Rider, PE, graduated from college in 1965 and began working for Rust Engineering in Calhoun, Tennessee. He moved to Northeast Engineering in Springfield, Massachusetts and then proceeded to earn his MS from the University of Cincinnati in 1975. In this setting, he was the only student licensed to practice in California and he gave the professor a hard time about leaving out parts of the seismic calculations.      
     The following 13 years he worked for Pedco in Cincinnati, Ohio and then for Fleur Daniel in Cincinnati, Ohio and in Richmond, VA for 16 years. He retired on 2000. Since retirement, Williams works on small jobs for McCormick & Co. At one time, he was licensed in 13 states including Civil in California and Structural in Illinois. He has worked all over the world, including service in the countries of Mexico, Uruguay, the Philippines, India, Turkey, and all over the United States.
     Stephen Rider, PE, currently lives in Shreveport with his wife and they were recently blessed with grandchild.

     The distinguished senior civil engineering students honored during the banquet were John David Brown from Louisiana Tech University, Lauren Johnson from LSU, Brandon DeJean from Southern University, Rebecca Sherer from UNO, Atieh Sehati from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and David Minton from McNeese State University and The keynote speaker for the banquet was radio personality Moon Griffon from the Moon Griffon Show. He gave an informative and entertaining presentation about “Louisiana Politics.”
     The Conference concluded with the Section’s Annual Spring Meeting presided over by Section President, Tim Ruppert. During this meeting, the Section Board of Directors for the next administrative year was nominated and elected by the Section members present. President-Elect, E. R. DesOrmeaux, PE, will succeeding to the office of President of the Section for the 2007-2008 administrative year.

David Williams receives his Life Member certificate from Section President Tim Ruppert.	Donald Edington receives his Life Member certificate from President Ruppert.
Jerry Lazenby receives his Life Member certificate from President Ruppert.	Steven Rider receives his Life Member certificate from President Ruppert.

John David Brown receives his commemorative plaque from Shreveport Branch President Elba Hamilton for the Louisiana Tech University Distinguished Senior Civil Engineering Student Award.	Lauren Johnson receives her commemorative plaque from President Hamilton for the LSU Distinguished Senior Civil Engineering Student Award.	Brandon DeJean receives his commemorative plaque from President Hamilton for the Southern University Distinguished Senior Civil Engineering Senior Award.
Rebecca Sherer receives her commemorative plaque from President Hamilton for the UNO Distinguished Senior Civil Engineering Senior Award.	Atieh Sehati receives her commemorative plaque from President Hamilton for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Distinguished Senior Civil Engineering Senior Award.	David Minton receives his commemorative plaque from President Hamilton for the McNeese State University Distinguished Senior Civil Engineering Senior Award.

Announcement of 2007 Annual Spring Meeting and Conference (For reference only.)
     The Shreveport Branch is the host branch for the 2007 Annual Spring Meeting and Conference. It is scheduled for March 22-23, 2007 in Shreveport and it will be housed in the Shreveport Clarion Hotel. This conference occurs in the same week that the Louisiana Tech University ASCE Student Chapter will be hosting the Deep South Conference of ASCE student chapters in Ruston March 23-24, 2007. It is hoped that Section members will take this opportunity to attend and possibly participate in a portion of both conferences as it may be practical. A downloadable image of the tentative agenda for the 2007 Annual Spring Meeting and Conference is available on this page. It will be routinely updated as the plans are solidified by the Shreveport Branch host committee. If you have any suggestions concerning the Conference and particularly the agenda, please feel free to share them with a member of the Branch leadership. Registration for the Conference is now open. Downloadable images of the Conference registration form and application form for sponsors and exhibitors are also available on this page.
     The Louisiana Section is required to have two membership meetings a year. The principal business of one —— the Annual Spring Meeting —— is to elect the leadership for the Section Board of Directors. This meeting is usually hosted by one of the branches in a rotation and it is held in conjunction with a conference where technical sessions and other professional development activities are planned for those in attendance. The principal business of the other meeting —— the Annual Meeting —— is to install the elected leadership and mark the beginning of the new administrative year. This meeting has been historically hosted by the New Orleans Branch in September.

Conference Agenda (Tentative) (for reference only)
Conference Registration Form (for reference only)
Sponsor/Exhibitor Application Form (for reference only)