Hall of Honors

2011 Honorees 

Larry A. Fuess, P.E. 1945-2004
Founder of L.A. Fuess Partners
Leader, Innovator and Mentor
Recognized with numerous awards for excellence

Frank W. Chappell, P.E.- 1968
Founder of Datum Engineers
Designed over 47 major structures
Fellow and life member of of the ASCE; TSPE and TACE

2010 Honoree

Ray Pinnell – 1925 – 2012
Businessman – Innovator and Entrepreneur
Helped attract tourism to San Antonio
Built landmark buildings in San Antonio

2009 Honorees 

Elmer W. Ellisor- 1924 1976
Businessman – Innovator – Organizer and Role Model. Responsible for numerous Texas landmarks, including the Pennzoil building, Gallerias (Houston and Dallas), Allen Center (Houston), Greenway Plaza and numerous other buildings. Founder of Ellisor Engineers.

2008 Honorees

Wyatt C. Hedrick, P.E. – 1888 1964
A three-quarter century of exemplary contribution to the practice of Engineering. Wyatt C. Hedrick, P.E. took the practice to the highest level.

Walter Parker Moore, Sr., P.E. 1903-1983

Walter Parker. Moore, Sr., was one of the structural engineering pioneers in Texas. Licensed as Texas P. E. 116, he established – and managed for 50 years – one of the outstanding consulting engineering firms in the country, personally guiding or contributing to the structural design of some of the most outstanding structures in Texas. He was acknowledged by his peers and clients as an exemplary consulting structural engineer who helped establish the quality and dependability of today’s structural engineering profession.

2007 Honorees 

Phil Ferguson – 1899-1986.

• Dedicated Educator – A half-century of teaching at UT Austin
• Tireless Researcher – Author of hundreds of test reports and studies
• Outstanding Author
  • First textbook emphasizing Ultimate Strength Design
  • Long term participation on ACI 318 committee
• Citizen Engineer
  • President, American Concrete Institute
  • President, Texas Society of Professional Engineers
• Compassionate Mentor
  • Faculty Advisor to PhD Candidates
  • Design Consultant to Former Students
• Pre-eminent Role Model – Personified by former engineering students

2006 Honorees 

Otto H. Lang – 1864-1947.

Otto H. Lang, engineer and architect, was born in Freiburg, Germany on December 2, 1864.  He was educated in engineering and architecture at the Karlsruhe Polytechnic Institute in Karlsruhe, Germany.  In 1888 he traveled to the United States on a wedding trip and stayed to make his home in Dallas, Texas.3  After working in local architects’ offices for two years, he became responsible for architecture and design for the Texas and Pacific Railway.  In this position, Lang designed the Texas and Pacific depot in Fort Worth.  He also eventually designed railroad stations in Wichita Falls, Amarillo, Paris and Weatherford.

Adolphus Trost – 1876-1957.

During a time when reinforced concrete construction was beginning to be used as a structural system, (1905 -1912) Ad Trost contributed to the structural engineering profession through his innovative use of multi-story, reinforced concrete framed structures, which took full advantage of continuity.  Photographs of buildings under construction in the early 1900’s reflect the use of cast-in-place concrete construction in large buildings, which was considered to be a pioneering approach at the time.

Adolphus G. Trost was truly a pioneering structural engineer.  He apparently had confidence in the knowledge he had gained early in his career which allowed him to design some of the first large reinforced concrete structures in Texas.  It is believed that these buildings were constructed before any comparable concrete structures were built in Dallas or Houston.

2005 Honorees:

Robert James Cummins of Houston 1881-1960

Robert Cummins was probably one of the first Texas engineers to provide structural engineering services to the public. His engineering achievements included the structural design of buildings, ports and port facilities, monuments and consultation on a wide range of engineering projects. Mr. Cummins pioneered the use of welded steel frame design and construction well before it was a popular structural system. This enabled structural steel construction to proceed without the noise associated with riveting.

Willard E. Simpson, Sr. of San Antonio. 1883-1967

Willard Eastman Simpson died in 1967 at the age of 84. At the time of his death, the W.E. Simpson Company was operating as a partnership between himself, his son, W.E. Simpson Jr., and Manfred Gerhardt. W.E. Simpson has many distinguished contributions to the field of Structural Engineering and will be remembered as a loving family man, a lifelong learner, a civic leader, and a pioneer in the profession of engineering.