News Detail

ACI’s New Honorary Members

1/30/2018

ACI will bestow its highest honor – ACI Honorary Membership – on the following individuals at The Concrete Convention and Exposition in Salt Lake City, UT, USA, March 25-29, 2018:

• Florian Barth
• James Harris
• William Hime
• Frank Kozeliski
• S.K. Manjrekar
• Edward K. Rice

According to ACI’s Bylaws, “An Honorary Member shall be a person of eminence in the field of the Institute's interest or one who has performed extraordinary meritorious service to the Institute.” 

ACI is grateful to all Honorary Members for their extraordinary contributions. Their dedication, leadership, and service to the Institute provide the backbone for continuous advancement within ACI and throughout the greater concrete community.

Florian G. Barth

Florian G. Barth receives Honorary Membership “for outstanding leadership, vision, and guidance of the Institute while serving as President; for outreach and collaborations which led to a unified and holistic positioning of concrete in the sustainability arena; and for pioneering work and technical contributions to ACI 318 and in the field of prestressed concrete.”

Florian G. Barth, FACI, is a retired concrete expert with over 35 years of experience and is the Founder and former CEO of FBA, Inc., Hayward, CA, a structural engineering firm specializing in prestressed concrete structures. Barth was co-owner of RJS Concrete, one of the largest concrete construction companies in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Barth is a Past President of ACI (2009-2010), and past Chair and past Secretary of ACI Committee 224, Cracking. He is a member of the ACI International Partnerships Committee; ACI Committee 130, Sustainability of Concrete; and Joint ACI-ASCE Committee 423, Prestressed Concrete. Barth previously served on ACI Committee 318, Structural Concrete Building Code; the Technical Activities Committee; Responsibility in Concrete Construction Committee; Financial Advisory Committee; Marketing Committee; and the ACI Board of Direction (2000-2008). He is Past President and former Director of the Northern California and Western Nevada Chapter – ACI (1993-1997).

Barth received the 2005 ACI Delmar L. Bloem Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding leadership of ACI Committee 224, and the 2017 ACI Concrete Sustainability Award. He also co-initiated the Concrete Joint Sustainability Initiative (CJSI) in 2008, which was instrumental in unifying the sustainability outlook of the U.S. concrete industry.

An active member and Fellow of the Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI), Barth was inducted as a charter member into the PTI Hall of Fame “Legends of Post-Tensioning.”

His current interests include advancing sustainability, by assuring resilience in the built environment.

Barth received his bachelor’s and master’s degree in structural engineering from Karlsruhe University, Karlsruhe, Germany, and his master’s degree in architecture from California State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

James Robert Harris

James Robert Harris receives Honorary Membership “for visionary leadership in the development of codes and standards for the design of safe and reliable buildings and for dedicated service to the structural engineering profession.”

James Robert (Jim) Harris, FACI, is a Principal at J.R. Harris & Company, a consulting structural engineering firm in Denver, CO, that he founded in 1984. Prior to that he was employed at other engineering firms in Denver and at the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology) in Gaithersburg, MD.

He has served on ACI Committee 318, Structural Concrete Building Code; and ACI Subcommittees 318-C, Safety, Serviceability, and Analysis; 318-H, Seismic Provisions; and 318-G, Precast and Prestressed Concrete, since 1989. Harris has also served on the ACI Board of Direction, the Fellows Nominating Committee, the Financial Advisory Committee, and ACI Committees 132, Responsibility in Concrete Construction, and 133, Disaster Reconnaissance. He participated as an instructor for many ACI training courses, mostly dealing with changes to ACI 318. Harris received the 2015 ACI Alfred E. Lindau award. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), where he has long served on the committee that prepares the standard ASCE/SEI 7, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures.

His professional practice spans design of new structures, design of repairs and rehabilitation of existing structures, investigation of failures, and applied research. His research interests include earthquake engineering, snow loads, foundations on expansive soils, and the structure of standards for engineering.

Harris received his BS in civil engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, in 1968, and his MS and PhD in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, in 1975 and 1980, respectively. He is a licensed professional engineer in Colorado and a licensed structural engineer in California.

William G. Hime

William G. Hime receives Honorary Membership “for contributions to the cement and concrete industries through the development and integration of chemical evaluations and testing procedures to characterize the material properties of concrete and improve the durability and sustainability of concrete structures.”

William G. Hime, FACI, was a nationally recognized expert in the chemistry, properties, and analysis of cement, mortar, and concrete. Prior to his passing in June 2017, he served as Project Manager for hundreds of investigations of distressed concrete caused by alkali-silica reactions, sulfide attack, freezing-and-thawing action, and delayed ettringite formation (DEF). His expertise also extended to corrosion of steel; safety issues, such as chemical burns; and research, troubleshooting, and failure analyses, where he investigated failures of numerous structures made with gypsum, including floors, grouts, plasters, and stuccos.

Hime developed several analytical procedures that are presently used to solve problems in concrete construction, including methods for cement and chloride contents of concrete and for mixer efficiency. Many of these procedures have been adopted by ASTM International.

In 1984, Hime joined Wiss Janney Elstner through the acquisition of Erlin Hime Associates (EHA), now known as the WJE Materials Science and Engineering Group, where he served as a principal of the company.

In 1971, Hime left the Portland Cement Association (PCA) to become a Co-Founder with Bernie Erlin of EHA, specializing in chemical and petrographic analyses of concrete and other materials of construction and serving clients such as owners, architects, engineers, and governmental agencies. Prior to founding EHA, Hime served as a Research Chemist, head of the analytical laboratories, and Manager of Chemical and Petrographic Research for PCA’s Research and Development Laboratories from 1951 to 1971. He took a 1-year leave to serve as a chemistry professor for Louisiana Tech University.

Hime wrote over 60 papers on cement and concrete research, analytical chemistry, corrosion, cement burns, and gypsum systems. He was a member and Fellow of ASTM International, receiving its 1997 Award of Merit. He was also an Honorary Member of ASTM Committees C0l, Cement, and C09, Concrete and Concrete Aggregates, and a member of several subcommittees. He served as Chair of the Chemical Analysis Subcommittee of C0l for 10 years.

Hime served in offices of the American Chemical Society (ACS). He also participated in committee work of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) and was also a member of The Masonry Society (TMS).

He received his BS in chemistry and mathematics from Heidelberg College, Tiffin, OH, in 1948 and in 1951, studied analytical chemistry at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.

Frank A. Kozeliski

Frank A. Kozeliski receives Honorary Membership “for outstanding contributions to ACI and the concrete industry; for lifetime achievements, which include pioneering and innovative work in pervious concrete and numerous improvements of ready-mixed concrete; and for the inspirational celebration of the science and art of concrete.”

Frank A. Kozeliski, FACI, was the Materials Engineer and Owner of Gallup Sand and Gravel Co., Gallup, NM, a family-owned ready mixed concrete company until it was sold in 2007. Currently, he is involved in the promotion of concrete through his seminars on street paving, concrete parking lots, and insulated concrete forms.

Kozeliski presents ACI Troubleshooting Concrete Construction Seminars throughout the United States. Most recently his materials were translated into Spanish and presented in a seminar in Peru and Costa Rica. He does ACI Technician Certification in New Mexico and Honduras. In 1992, Kozeliski was elected an ACI Fellow. He has received numerous awards including the 2005 ACI Chapter Activities Award, 2009 ACI Delmar L. Bloem Distinguished Service Award, and 2011 ACI Henry C. Turner Medal, and has been recognized for lifetime achievement for the promotion of concrete by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA). Kozeliski also was chosen as a delegate by the People to People Ambassador Program to lecture in China, Russia, and South Africa. He became an ACI member in 1968 and will mark 50 years as a member in 2018. He originally became active in ACI because there were few members from the “wild” west.

Kozeliski previously served on the Educational Activities Committee. He is a member of ACI Committees 211, Proportioning Concrete Mixtures; 229, Controlled Low-Strength Materials; 305, Hot Weather Concreting; 308, Curing Concrete; 330, Concrete Parking Lots and Site Paving; 522, Pervious Concrete; 552, Cementitious Grouting; 555, Concrete with Recycled Materials; and S801, Student Activities. He is Past President of the New Mexico Chapter – ACI.

His research and development interests include the use of alternate materials to make concrete, such as crushed glass, shredded rubber, sludge pucky, and paper. He has used a redesigned open graded base using smaller rock and cement to make pervious concrete, creating items such as cups, business cards, coasters, and bowls.

Kozeliski received his BS in civil engineering in 1967 and his master’s degree in 1969 from New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, where he is an Honorary Member of the Academy of Civil Engineering.

He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), ASTM International, NRMCA, and Chi Epsilon, the National Civil Engineering Honor Society. Kozeliski is a licensed professional engineer in New Mexico, Texas, and Alabama.

Surendra Keshav Manjrekar

Surendra Keshav Manjrekar receives Honorary Membership “for energetic efforts to foster ACI and the tireless promotion of certification to practicing engineers in India, and outstanding contributions to ACI international outreach activities.”

Surendra Keshav Manjrekar, FACI, is the Founder and CEO of M/s. Sunanda Speciality Coatings Pvt. Ltd., a recognized leader in the manufacture of construction chemicals in India. The company was organized in 1980.

He joined ACI in 1987 and became a Fellow of the Institute in 2000. Manjrekar conducts and teaches ACI certification field testing courses in India. He was invited by the Malaysia Chapter – ACI to provide an overview of ACI’s new strategic plan for international outreach, also presenting the overview to neighboring countries. Manjrekar has been very active in the India Chapter – ACI where he served as President for several years (1998-2001, 2001-2003, and 2005-2008).

He has published more than 200 papers in various national and international journals and is a guest editor of the Construction and Building Materials Journal, Cement and Concrete Research Journal, and Revista ALCONPAT. He is a member of ASTM International, and the National Corrosion Mission in India, which was formed by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Government of India, and NACE India.

Manjrekar has made more than 100 keynote presentations throughout the United Kingdom, United States, Malaysia, Oman, Dubai, Sharjah, Kuwait, Romania, and Hong Kong on topics including concrete, corrosion prevention, dampproofing, repairs, and nano materials. He also made presentations at the Pittsburgh (2010) and Denver (2015) ACI conventions.

He is Chair of the R.N. Raikar International Conference “Advances in Concrete and Technology” held biennially in India. Manjrekar has participated in numerous conferences and workshops including the two-day workshop on Concrete Repair, September 2017, Monterrey and Toluca, Mexico; SCC – Self Compacting Concrete, May 2013, Chicago, IL; International Conference on Advances in Sustainable Concrete Materials & Civil Engineering Systems, April 2017, UAE; CONSEC 2016, September 2016, Lecco, Italy; International Conference on Concrete Construction, September 2008, UK; and a workshop held by the Fédération internationale du béton (fib) International Federation for Structural Concrete, February 2014, Mumbai. He also participated as a member of the International Advisory Committee for the first International Conference on Cement and Concrete Technology organized by the Institute of Concrete Technology (ICT), UK, held in Oman in November 2017.

Manjrekar was an invited guest at the ISO/TC 71 joint ACI, ANSI, and ISO meeting, March 2008, San Francisco, CA, and the ACI International Summit, July 2012, ACI Headquarters to assist in expanding ACI’s international activities.

He is the signatory to the National Skill Development Corporation, an initiative of the Ministry of Chemicals and Petrochemicals Sector Skills Council (C&PSSC), Government of India. C&PSSC works to develop standards and manpower skills for the chemicals and petrochemicals sector.

In March 2017. Manjrekar received the Industry Doyen award by the Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC) Government of India, the highest recognition of the construction industry in India.

Manjrekar received his PhD from Bombay University, Bombay, Maharashtra, India, in 1977.

Edward K. Rice

Edward K Rice receives Honorary Membership “for outstanding lifelong contributions in the advancement of concrete and cement technology and particularly shrinkage-compensating cements.”

Edward K. Rice, FACI, began his career at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, in 1951, when he joined the Engineering Faculty as a Lecturer in Engineering.

His career has been characterized by passion for construction, creativity, and concrete technology, and an ongoing pursuit of solutions to human problems in a technological society. Rice worked with Alexander Klein in the development of Type K cement. He holds 27 patents in cement and concrete technology. He is the inventor of the single-strand post-tensioning system, which is in worldwide use today. Rice was the developer of the Los Angeles World Trade Center, and a partner in downtown Plaza Associates, developers of eight blocks in downtown Sacramento, CA.

He is a member of ACI Committees 223, Shrinkage-Compensating Concrete, and 524, Plastering. Rice has been an ACI member for more than 65 years and became a Fellow of the Institute in 1997. He is also a Fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

Rice has received many awards including the 1987 UC Berkeley Distinguished Engineering Alumnus, induction to the Post-Tensioning Institute Hall of Fame in 2005, the 2002 UCLA Engineering Service Award, and the 2013 UCLA Lifetime Contribution Award. In 2013, he was named an honorary member to ASTM International Committee CO1, Cement.

He served on the UC Berkeley Engineering Advisory Board from 2003 to 2008 and the UCLA School of Engineering Advisory Board since 1990.

Rice received his BS and MS in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA., in 1949 and 1951, respectively.

View the full list of Honorary Members.

Learn more about ACI’s Honors and Awards.