People Watch

• Reinhard Ludke, S.E., elected president of SEAONC
• KAI Texas has hired Chuck Kush, P.E.
• AISC’s 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award presented to William Liddy and Bert Cooper
• The Concrete Industry Foundation presented Charles H. Thornton, Ph.D., P.E., and Richard L. Tomasetti, P.E., with the Humanitarian Fellow Award

The full press-releases are below.

Reinhard Ludke, S.E., senior vice president of Creegan + D’Angelo Engineers is elected president of Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) for 2008—2009 term

Members of the Structural Engineers Association of California elected Reinhard Ludke, S.E., to serve as President of the association and lead the nine member Board of Directors. Reinhard Ludke has been practicing structural engineering and involved in construction since 1969 and is a recognized engineering leader. He is the principal structural engineer with Creegan + D’Angelo Infrastructure Engineers transportation, water, buildings, public works, and earthquake performance projects.

The Structural Engineers Association of Northern California [SEAONC] is a 2,000 member professional association of licensed Structural Engineers and Civil Engineers regularly engaged in the practice of structural engineering. Reinhard Ludke, the 2008-2009 President will serve as Board President for a one-year term and another year as past president.

KAI Texas hires senior project manager Chuck Kush, P.E.

Dallas—KAI Texas has hired Chuck Kush, P.E., of Fort Worth, Texas, as a senior project manager. In his new position, Kush will lead multiple development projects; provide program coordination with clients, in-house design studios, consultants and constructors; maintain internal project budgets and schedules; develop client relationships; and pursue new business opportunities.

Kush has nearly 24 years of industry experience, having previously worked two years as a project director for G.L Barron Company, Inc.; three years as a regional and studio director for WD Partners, Inc.; 10 years as a structural engineer, project manager, and program manager for Carter & Burgess, Inc.; three years as a structural engineer team leader for General Dynamics, Inc.; and three years as a structural engineer and structural project lead for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

"We are so thrilled to add Kush to our KAI Texas staff," said Darren James, AIA, president and chief operating officer of KAI Texas. "His wealth of knowledge and experience will be an invaluable tool to our clients, as well as to the rest of our team."

Kush has a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in structural engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

AISC presents distinguished achievement awards at annual meeting

Chicago—The American Institute of Steel Construction’s Lifetime Achievement and Special Achievement awards were presented at the 2008 AISC Annual Meeting in Colorado Springs, Colo., held on September 11-13.

AISC’s Lifetime Achievement Award honors living individuals who have made a difference in the structural steel industry’s success. It provides special recognition to individuals who have provided outstanding service over a sustained period of years to AISC and the structural steel design/construction/academic community. The 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to William Liddy and Bert Cooper.

Bill Liddy spent nearly 60 years in the steel industry, first promoting structural steel for the mills, then as a regional engineer with AISC, and finally as an advisor in the Steel Solutions Center. He worked closely with the fabrication industry, especially in the Midwest, and is very respected by both the fabrication and design community. He has also acted as a mentor for younger staff at AISC.

Bert Cooper is a long-time contributor to the structural steel industry as both an AISC board member and as the owner of a leading fabrication firm, W&W/AFCO Steel. He’s contributed substantial time and financial resources to support steel industry research activities. Bert is known as an active "agent provocateur" who isn’t afraid to stir the pot to move ideas forward and has been instrumental in pushing for unified specification.

AISC’s Special Achievement Award gives special recognition to individuals who demonstrated notable singular or multiple achievements in structural steel design, construction, research or education. This award honors living individuals who have made a positive and substantial impact on the structural steel design and construction industry. The 2008 Special Achievement Award was presented to William W. Brown and Joseph J. Hunt.

William Brown is the president of Ben Hur Construction Co., and Joseph Hunt is the general president of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers. They were awarded this year’s Special Achievement Award for their work in developing and nurturing I.M.P.A.C.T., which is a labor/management partnership designed to bring together local unions and their signatory contractors to address mutual problems and create solutions to those problems.

For more information on AISC’s Individual Awards and past recipients, please visit www.aisc.org/awards.

Charles Thornton and Richard Tomasetti honored with Humanitarian Fellow Award from the Concrete Industry Foundation

NEW YORK—The Concrete Industry Foundation, an educational fund that fosters excellence in design and construction through a scholarship and grant program for study in the concrete built environment, presented Charles H. Thornton, Ph.D., P.E., and Richard L. Tomasetti, P.E., founding principals of Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., with the Foundation’s Humanitarian Fellow Award at its annual awards luncheon.

The Foundation’s Humanitarian Fellow Award is presented to those whose dedication to the industry, community, and society results in outstanding benefits to future generations. The presentation was made September 17th at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan.

"We are honored to recognize Charlie Thornton and Richard Tomasetti for their lifetime of accomplishments and dedication to providing opportunities and guidance to future generations of architects, engineers, and construction professionals," said James Halpin, president of the Concrete Industry Foundation. "Their dedication to the future of our industry is an inspiration to us all."

Charlie Thornton and Richard Tomasetti have spent much of their careers giving back through teaching, lecturing, and philanthropy. They jointly established the Thornton Tomasetti Chair in Engineering at Manhattan College, the first of its kind. Richard Tomasetti serves as chairman of the New York Building Foundation and of the newly formed Thornton Tomasetti Foundation. Charlie Thornton is chairman and founder of the Architecture, Construction, and Engineering (ACE) Mentor Program, which has affiliates in 31 states and involves 37,000 students in learning about the design and construction industries. He is also chairman emeritus of the Salvadori Center, a nonprofit educational organization in New York.

For more than five decades, Thornton Tomasetti, Inc. has devised interdisciplinary engineering solutions for globally iconic skyscrapers, stadiums, museums, health care, and airport facilities, as well as leadership in forensic engineering, historical preservation and building information modeling. The firm was charged with overseeing the rescue and clean-up operations after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York.