Nominations Open October 2024
Please support our Section by nominating a deserving Inland Empire Section member for the 2025 Distinguished Career Award or 2024 Engineer of Merit Award.
A short paragraph describing the specific contributions of the member would be greatly appreciated.
Please send your nomination to [email protected] by November 15, 2024.
Student Scholarship
At the Annual Banquet, student scholarships are awarded to students who respond to the essay prompts provided by the TechEd Committee. Prompts are prepared annually in the Fall and the due date is typically in November each year. Contact a member of the TechEd Committee for additional information for annual student scholarship essay solicitations.
Engineers of Merit Criteria
The Engineer of Merit award is awarded to an individual who have substantially contributed to the status of the civil engineering profession by:
- A distinguished career in any branch of civil engineering;
- Distinguished service to the Inland Empire Section;
- Exemplary professional conduct in a specific outstanding instance;
- An established reputation for professional service;
- Objective and lasting achievement in improving conditions under which professional engineers serve in public and private practice;
- Significant contribution toward improvement of employment conditions among civil engineers;
- Significant contributions toward improving the professional aspects of civil engineering education;
- Professional guidance of qualified young persons who would seek civil engineering as a career; and professional development of young civil engineers in the formative stages of their careers; or
- Other evidence of merit which, in the judgement of the award committee, shall have advanced the Society’s professional objectives; and
- Who is a current member in-good-standing of ASCE.
Chronology of Engineer of Merit Award
| Year | Name |
| 2024 | Jeanne Finger |
| 2023 | Bill Meeks |
| 2022 | Duane Studer |
| 2021 | Marianne Barrentine |
| 2020 | Mark Muszynski |
| 2019 | Bill Melvin |
| 2018 | Kevin Chang |
| 2017 | Sandra Anthony |
| 2016 | Randy LaBeff |
| 2015 | Gary Nelson |
| 2014 | Alan Gay |
| 2013 | No Awardee |
| 2012 | Richard Koch |
| 2011 | Krista Brown |
| 2010 | John Finnegan |
| 2009 | David McLean |
| 2008 | Don Phelps |
| 2007 | Lars Hendron |
| 2006 | Doug Busko |
| 2005 | Darold Orgill |
| 2004 | David Kliewer |
| 2003 | James Correll |
| 2002 | Virgina Darrell |
| 2001 | Kim Zentz |
| 2000 | Mike Taylor |
| 1999 | Bob Turner |
| 1998 | Howard Copp |
| 1997 | Max Patterson |
| 1996 | Bruce Rawls |
| 1995 | Cecil Hathaway |
| 1994 | Dave Larsen |
| 1993 | Ken Carper |
| 1992 | F.C. (Bud) Budenger |
| 1991 | Chuck Prussack |
| 1990 | Don Bender |
| 1989 | Rafik Y. Itani |
| 1988 | John A. Roberson |
| 1987 | Howard Pettibone |
| 1986 | Wilho E Williams |
| 1985 | Robert S Turner |
| 1984 | William P. Ilgen |
| 1983 | James G. Fuller |
| 1982 | John F. Osborne |
| 1981 | Jesse E Buchanan |
| 1980 | Larry A. Esvelt |
| 1979 | Richard A. Saty |
| 1978 | Frederick J. Watts |
| 1977 | Gilbert W. Gray |
| 1976 | Daniel V. Neal |
| 1975 | Roger H. Nelson |
| 1974 | Loren B. Almy |
| 1973 | John A. Swanson |
| 1972 | Richard A. Busch |
| 1971 | Kenneth P. Norris |
| 1970 | James A. Sewell |
| 1969 | G.A. Riedesel |
| 1968 | Gilbert Dunstan |
| 1967 | Glen A. Yake |
| 1966 | Leon D. Luck |
| 1965 | Rodger James |
| 1964 | Allen S. Janssen |
| 1963 | John Esvelt |
| 1962 | J. Bryon Barber |
| 1961 | L. Vaughn Downs |
| 1960 | Charles L. Barker |
| 1959 | W.L. Maloney |
| 1958 | Thomas H. Judd |
Distinguished Career Awards
The award consists of a suitably inscribed and framed certificate presented to an individual who is judged to have had a distinguished career in any branch of civil engineering and contributed to the status of the civil engineering progression by:
- Achieving a broadly recognized reputation for outstanding professional service and ethical conduct;
- Objective and lasting achievement in public or private practice;
- Significant contributions toward improving the professional aspects of civil engineering;
- Professional guidance of qualified young persons who would seek civil engineering as a career; and mentoring of young civil engineers in the formative stages of their careers; or
- Other evidence which, in the judgment of the award committee, demonstrates the unique, long-lived and preeminent qualifications of the candidate; and
- Who is a current member in-·good-standing of ASCE, or has significant past history as a member with ASCE.
Chronology of Distinguished Career Award
| Year | Name |
| 2024 | Brad Blegan |
| 2023 | Kim Zentz |
| 2022 | Bill Ilgen |
| 2021 | Bruce Rawls |
| 2020 | Wilho E. Williams |
| 2019 | Steve Shrope |
| 2017 | Craig Lee |
| 2016 | Jim Harakas |
| 2015 | Howard Peavy |
| 2011 | Larry Esvelt |