News Detail

It's Been a Truly Wonderful Year

3/1/1998

I'm genuinely sorry to say that this memo is my last as President of ACI. The year in office has been extraordinary, absolutely jam-packed with rich experiences, countless opportunities to meet so many great people, many demanding responsibilities and challenges, and lots of fun times. My only complaint is that it all went by too quickly. It's been a truly wonderful experience serving as your President in 1997-98 and I thank each and every one of you for providing me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And my wife, Marge, extends her thanks - she also has really enjoyed the year (except for my occasionally referring to her as "The Queen of Concrete").

You may remember the concrete joke and pun contest I announced last fall. A "punster" friend heard about the contest and entered ten puns, confident that with so many entries certainly one would win but, alas, no pun in ten did. I picked the two top jokes. The second place winner, sent in by Dave Robson of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, tells of Gerry Bernard, one of the "old boys" of the concrete consulting industry in Alberta, who always proudly claimed that he had a "concrete mind - all mixed up and thoroughly set." Marge looked at me one day as I was struggling with the usual huge pile of ACI mail and decided that she really liked that joke!

First place goes to Dr. Richard Scott of Durham, England, for this joke: "Stan and Ollie are on their way to a concrete construction job in the Middle East. Their plane has engine problems and crash lands in the Sahara Desert. They survive the crash and, soon after crawling out of the wreckage, Stan looks around at all the sand and says loudly to Ollie: Let's get the hell out of here before the cement arrives!"

On the serious side, I want to share some of the many strong impressions that emerged during the year as I went to meetings, travelled for ACI to the Middle East, Poland, and then to Asia, plus trips to Canada and Mexico. The first is the tremendous enthusiasm for concrete construction I found everywhere I went. Another is the strength and infectious spirit in our many local chapters, whose members are "in the front lines," often very close to the public. Local chapters also take on the huge job of hosting our national conventions twice a year. A third impression gained is the dedication and "ACI pride" of our many international chapters. A fourth is my realization of the true depth of commitment of time and effort given to ACI by so many members, particularly those on national committees. The list could go on and on, but I'll stop by stating that the world of concrete runs on the goodwill, energy, and remarkable friendliness of countless individuals. What a wonderful group of people!

I would need pages to summarize all the good things that happened during the past year, thanks to the efforts of so many individuals. I'll mention only a few here. We stopped the very troubling drop in membership, actually gaining over two percent in total membership in 1997. We made many advances in electronic communications, CD-ROM publications, and web site development. Activities and income from both certification and seminars were exceptionally strong, and our publications continue to lead the industry in both coverage and quality, plus we have substantial new offerings in practical publications. International activities are stronger than ever. We now have a new "Young Member" award program, and also members with 25 years of service are being recognized. The Strategic Development Council, an agency of ConREF, ACI's research and educational foundation, continued to mature, with great potential for improvement of concrete technology through industrial research partnerships. An atmosphere of confidence and optimism permeates the Institute.

George F. Leyh, ACI's Executive Vice President since 1975, is retiring in July after more than 22 years of superb service in this important ACI position. Under George's strong leadership, we've seen a major expansion of ACI's range of activities and roles in the world of concrete. He has been a tireless and patient leader, "breaking in" some 22 ACI Presidents over the years. On behalf of ACI's officers, members, and staff, I extend to George a most sincere "THANKS" for your dedicated efforts. And we wish you and Mary Alice a long retirement, full of fun and good times (sailing, skiing, grandparenting, and continuing to come to ACI conventions).

In closing this memo, I want to express my thanks to those many hundreds (thousands) of people who helped make my year as President so enjoyable as well as productive. Things happened because of these individuals. I only have space to thank groups of people rather than individuals - the Board of Direction; our Past Presidents; the wonderful, talented, and dedicated staff at ACI headquarters; the chairmen of all ACI committees: Board, technical, educational, certification, and ad hoc, as well as chairmen of all subcommittees and task groups; other volunteers; committee members; the general membership of ACI International; and the members of local chapters who were so gracious and helpful during my many visits, including the international seminar trip with Bill Tolley and Dick Stehly. And special thanks to the members of the ACI Executive Committee - to Jim Libby and Jo Coke, our two vice presidents; to Jim Pierce, our immediate past president; and especially to George Leyh. Finally, I thank Cornell University, my employer, for giving me some released time.

I believe that ACI is in a solid position to pursue many exciting opportunities as we approach the 21st Century, and I wish the very best to our incoming President, Jim Libby, as he "takes the reins" at the March convention in Houston.

Richard N. White
President
American Concrete Institute

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