The Zachry Department of Civil Engineering announced the recipients of the department’s 2018 Distinguished Graduate Legacy Award and the Distinguished Graduate Award at the department’s annual scholarship and fellowship banquet that was held at the Hilton Hotel in College Station, Texas, on Nov. 15th.
The Distinguished Legacy Award was established in 2014 to honor remarkable former students whose life-long contributions and service have had an immeasurable impact on the civil engineering profession and society. The inaugural recipient H.B. “Pat” Zachry’s lifetime achievements serve as the benchmark against which future consideration of recipients are judged. John Thomas Lamar McNew ’18 was selected as this year’s recipient.
McNew was a patriot, mentor and teacher. A former head of the department and vice president of the Texas A&M College of Engineering, McNew devoted himself to the service of others through his excellence in teaching. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1920, McNew became an instructor of civil engineering at Texas A&M. McNew later pursued a master’s degree in civil engineering in 1926, at which point he became a professor of highway engineering at Texas A&M. McNew’s devotion to the engineering discipline was superseded only by his love of country, suspending his studies to serve as a lieutenant of engineers in the U.S. Army during World War I. McNew later became the civil engineering department head in 1940 and left his teaching position to serve in World War II as a lieutenant colonel and airport engineer before returning home to Texas A&M in 1944. McNew was then made vice president of the college and later named director of the college’s engineering extension service in 1945, positions he held until his death in 1951.
The following individuals were selected as distinguished graduate recipients for 2018. The award recognizes these former students as engineers that have excelled in the civil engineering profession, highlighting their significant contributions and achievements.
Lee C. Lennard ’87 (image to the right), president and chief executive officer of BGE Inc., is known as both a consummate professional and an empathetic humanitarian. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M in 1987, Lennard established a career as a consulting professional civil engineer that has spanned more than 30 years. Since joining BGE Inc. in early 2000, the firm has grown to become a well-known and trusted resource for providing engineering solutions in the southeastern United States. Lennard’s career has embodied the ideals of civil service, contributing his technical expertise to Harris County, Fort Bend County and the city of Houston, serving on numerous task forces, professional boards and advisory committees.
Mario Roberto Monterroso Vasquez ‘73, founder and executive director of Ingenieros Estructurales and Construcciones Y Proyectos, has left an impact on the engineering discipline that can be seen from Texas all the way to his home country of Guatemala, where he has spent most of his professional life as a structural engineer. Monterroso began his studies at Texas A&M in 1969 where he attended on scholarship and graduated magna cum laude, later graduating with a Master of Engineering degree in civil engineering in 1974. Monterroso then returned to Guatemala, where he served, planned and constructed a variety of public works projects and established his own engineering firm, demonstrating a talent for both engineering and business acumen. His work across Guatemala includes hydropower projects, ports, hospitals, high rise apartment buildings, malls and warehouses, and much more.
William “Bill” J. Winkelmann ’73, chief executive officer of Winkelmann & Associates, is known as a man whose passion, intelligence and business acumen have driven him to exemplify the principles of success that Texas A&M demands of its graduates over a 44-year career in civil engineering. Winkelmann graduated with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1973 and then worked as an engineer in Houston for several years before moving up to North Texas, establishing his own engineering and consulting firm in 1982, PAWA-Winkelmann & Associates. Winkelmann later sold the firm and established yet another firm, Winkelmann & Associates Inc. in 1989, which has been known as a reputable and dependable firm for almost 30 years. Winkelmann’s professional work includes a long history of development work in North Texas, including clients such as IKEA, Costco, Kroger and many more.
David Yeaman ’84, president and general manager of the Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company’s Federal and Aviation Division, places his Aggie values at the core of a more than 32-year career in the industry, with projects spanning the field of military and commercial aviation facilities, airport and airfield design, and engineering planning. Yeaman began his work at Burns & McDonnell in 1991, where he leads more than 500 employees in aviation engineering design projects. His engineering career has covered the realm of project management, business development and project finance, demonstrating his unique skill set that has led to many key project management positions. Being dedicated to both professional results and community impact, he has advocated for the company’s corporate social responsibility programs to serve more than just the basic needs of consumers and shareholders.