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President's Message - November 2023

Hello and Happy November!

 This month we celebrate ASCE’s 171^st anniversary! It is hard to believe this all started with just twelve engineers gathered at New York City’s Croton Aqueduct on November 5, 1852, to establish what is now the American Society of Civil Engineers.

 Do you know what else is hard to believe? We are turning 100 years old in 2024! Well, I doubt many of us are personally turning 100, but our Dallas Branch will be 100 years old. I have $1 for anyone who can share with me our actual birthday with supporting documentation – you can find me at our next membership meeting.

 I am incredibly excited to celebrate our Dallas Branch’s 100^th Anniversary with you, and for the opportunity to serve you as President. For those of you I have not yet met, my name is Reece Taylor. I am a native Minnesotan that made his way to Dallas, Texas in December of 2017. I was born and raised in northern Minnesota, I completed my civil engineering studies at the University of Minnesota, and in June of 2010 I began my career at Braun Intertec in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Upon my arrival in Dallas, I immediately started attending our Branch’s membership meetings, and shortly thereafter, began serving in a variety of capacities, including Younger Member Chair, Branch Director, Secretary, Vice President, President Elect and now as your President. With your assistance, and the support of our Board of Directors, I’d like us to focus our Centennial year “Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present and Engineering the Future!” Beginning in January, we will incorporate a little bit of our Branch’s history and heritage into each meeting.

On Monday, November 13, 2023, we will continue our tradition of meeting jointly with the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) of the Dallas Post. Please help me welcome our colleagues of the SAME Dallas Post and thank SAME Dallas Post President Jack Otteson and Board for their support. For our keynote, Jennifer Nicewander, P.E., Interim Director – Office of Bond and Construction Management – City of Dallas, will share information related to the City of Dallas Bond Program. If you haven’t already, please register before it’s too late; you don’t want to miss it. Oh, and invite someone to come along with you.

 Please don’t hesitate to contact me with your ideas, questions, and feedback. I am here to serve you and the Dallas Branch to the best of my abilities. If you are looking for ways to get involved, I’d love to speak with you. Together, we can do our part to advance the Dallas Branch for the next 100 years.

 Lastly, I wish to honor the life of Jim Griffin, a Life and Fellow Member of ASCE who attended many of our Branch meetings, and celebrate his 66 years of contributions to our profession. Jim fulfilled his allotted life on this Earth on October 21, 2023, at the age of 90. For more information about his life and memorial service (scheduled for Friday, November 10, 2023,) please take a moment to read his obituary found here.

 My best,

 Reece E. Taylor, P.E. 

[email protected]