NJSPE News
View Photos from the 2011 Awards Dinner
Proclamation Declares February 18-26 "Engineer's Week"
October 17, 2011:
Congratulations Bernard Berson!
Bernard R. Berson, F.NSPE, was recently inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Engineers of the School of Engineering at the University of Connecticut. Berson, who was NJSPE President for 1990-1991, served as 2007-2008 President of the National Society of Professional Engineers, practices forensic engineering in New Jersey. He is the coauthor of the guidance book, Career Success in Engineering. He resides in Perrineville, NJ, with his wife, Toby.
October 5, 2011:
Robert McEldowney, retired owner of Clinton engineering and surveying firm, dies in Florida at 92
NAPLES, Fla. — Robert McEldowney Jr. died on Monday, Oct. 3 from respiratory failure. He was a resident at Moorings Park retirement community in Naples since 1997. He was 92.
Bob was born April 8, 1919 in Johnstown, Pa. to Robert and Helen Nicholson McEldowney. He also lived in Pittsburgh and for many years in Hunterdon County before moving to Naples in 1982.
After public schooling in Johnstown, he graduated from Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh in 1936 and from Princeton University with high honors and a bachelor of science in engineering in 1940 and a professional civil engineering (master’s) degree in 1941.
From 1941 until 1950 he was associated with the Taylor-Wharton Iron and Steel Co. in High Bridge, starting as a manufacturing apprentice and advancing to assistant plant superintendent.
In December 1942 Bob was commissioned a second lieutenant (AVS) in the Marine Corps Reserve, serving on active duty until March 1946, attaining the rank of major. After extensive electronic training, he was assigned to the radio-radar-communications officer in Marine Night Fighter Squadron VMF (N)-543, remaining in that capacity from commissioning at Cherry Point, NC, then at El Centro, Calif., Honolulu, and through the entire Okinawa battle and occupation duty at Omura, Kyushu, Japan. His squadron was awarded the presidential unit citation.
Bob was a licensed professional engineer and land surveyor in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, a fellow and life member of the American Consulting Engineers Council and National Society of Professional Engineers, a fellow of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping and the NJ Society of Professional Land surveyors, from which he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1983. He was also a life member of the NJ Society of Municipal Engineers and served as president of the Northwest Jersey Chapter of the NJ Society of Professional Engineers. He was elected to membership in the honorary scientific fraternity, Sigma Xi, the honorary engineering fraternity, Tau Beta Pi, and was listed in Who’s Who in the East, Who’s Who in Technology Today and Who’s Who in Engineering.
In 1950, he joined a civil engineering and land surveying partnership in Clinton with John E. Studer. The firm was incorporated in 1970 as Studer and McEldowney. After Studer’s death in 1973, Bob became president of the firm, from which he retired in 1982, when ownership and management of the firm was assumed by his son, H. Clay McEldowney. The firm was acquired by Hatch Mott MacDonald in 2006.
During his long consulting career, he served as engineer for approximately 20 New Jersey municipalities. The firm served a variety of private clients in property surveying, site planning and residential development, water supply and sewerage.
He authored a number of published professional articles and lectured at Rutgers University extension courses in surveying business-related topics. In 1996, he wrote and published his autobiography, “So Now My Hair is White, and also has researched and written extensively about the genealogy of his extended family.
Bob has served as secretary and Florida vice president of the Princeton Class of 1940, was a former president and was currently emeritus on the Board of Directors of the Princeton Club of Southwest Florida. For 23 years, he was on the Board of Trustees of the Hunterdon Medical Center, NJ. A lifetime devoted golfer, he was former member of Copper Hill Country Club, Beaver Brook Country Club, Harkers Hollow Golf Club in Phillipsburg and Royal Palm Country Club in Naples.
He was a member of the Western Pennsylvania Historical Society, the Naples-Marco Chapter of the Reserve Officers Association, the National ROA, the Marine Night Fighter Association and the Moorings Presbyterian Church and formerly was a member, elder, member of the session and a trustee of the Clinton Presbyterian Church and a longtime member of the North Hunterdon Rotary Club.
On June 28, 1941, Bob married Mary Kinter of Braddock, Pa., who died in 2008. They had two children, a daughter, Alice McEldowney Jones, who died in 1983, and a son, H. Clay McEldowney of Pittstown. He is also survived by his daughter-in-law, Kathryn Scanlon McEldowney; four grandchildren, E. Ashby Jones IV, Blaine Kinter Jones, Erin McEldowney Cosgrave and Ryan Kinter McEldowney. His sisters, Helen McEldowney Patterson of Sewickley, Pa. died July 4 this year, and Ann McEldowney Elgin died in 1977.
Services: Celebrations of Bob’s life Saturday, Oct. 22, 2 p.m. at Moorings Presbyterian Church, followed with interment at the Moorings Presbyterian Church Memorial Garden, and Saturday, Nov. 19, 3 p.m. at the Clinton Presbyterian Church, 91 Center St. Arrangements by the Fuller Funeral Home, phone 239-592-1611.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Princeton Club of Southwest Florida Scholarship Fund or the Moorings Presbyterian Church Building Fund, 791 Harbour Drive, Naples, FL 34103.
Below are the documents from the recent NJSPE Leadership conference held on May 9th, 2008.
These documents will assist existing Chapters re-organize and help new interest groups form anywhere within the state.
A. Templates for Operating Leadership (DOC)
B. OP 101- Performance Guidlines for Leadership (DOC)
C. OP 102- Conditional Charter for Leadership (DOC)
D. Sample Constitution and By Laws (DOC)
E. Operating Plan Leadership (XLS)
F. Performance Results Leadership (XLS)
G. Sample Budget (XLS)
