Orange County Branch Newsletter

April 2013

Life Members

New ASCE Life Members - Recognizing a Milestone Status

By Cindy Miller, PE



On March 2nd, the Los Angeles Section of ASCE recognized fifty-seven professional engineers who achieved Life Member status during 2013.  Life Members are those who have made a lifetime commitment to ASCE and the civil engineering profession by remaining members for the full length of their professional career. An ASCE member achieves Life Member status when upon reaching the age of 65, he or she has been a dues-paying ASCE member for at least 30 years, including continuous membership during the most recent 10 years. This is a significant achievement for any ASCE member and hopefully is something to which all members aspire. Of the fifty-seven new Life Members, six of them are affiliated to the Orange County Branch, and are recognized below for attaining this elite status.

New ASCE Los Angeles Section, Orange County Branch, Life Members

Franklin Fong, member since 1972, was born in Oakland, California and he currently resides in Diamond Bar, California. He earned an AA degree in Engineering Technology in 1968, at the Merritt Jr., College in Oakland, California. He continued his education by obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 1971, from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California. In 1972, he received his Master Engineer in Geotechnical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. His fields of specialty include Geotechnical Engineering, Foundation Engineering, Deep Excavations and Shoring, Subsurface Drainage and Dewatering, Ground Stabilization and Improvement, Earth Dams and Levees, Tunneling, Retaining Structures, Distress Investigation, Forensic Studies and Expert Testimonies.

George A. Jurica, member since 1977, was born in Croatia and currently lives in Dana Point, California. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering at University of California, Los Angeles and an MBA in Construction Management at the University of Denver. His field of specialty is civil engineering. Mr. Jurica has worked at PENCO Engineering Inc. since 1988 and is currently the President and Owner of this very reputable civil engineering firm. He considers the establishment of his firm as his most significant career and life achievements. The most gratifying position he held at PENCO was the opportunity to mentor the engineers and managers.

Byron Konstantinidis, member since 1975, was born in Istanbul, Turkey and currently resides in Huntington Beach, California. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering at Robert College in 1971 and his Masters degree in Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Major) at the University of New Mexico in 1972. His field of specialty is geotechnical engineering for a wide range of projects. Mr. Konstantinidis is a founding Principal of Geotechnical Professionals Inc. (GPI), a firm offering full geotechnical services for commercial developments and public works projects. Prior to co-founding GPI in 1989, he served in technical management positions for Geofon and Fugro/Ertec.

Steven R. Marvin, member since 1979, was born in Highland Park, Michigan and currently lives in Murrieta, California. He earned an AA degree from Orange Coast College and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at California State University, Long Beach. His field of specialty is Pavement Engineering. Mr. Marvin is currently President at LaBelle Marvin, Inc. His past employers include Contra Costa County, Testing Engineers, Inc., Smith-Emery, Inc., and LaBelle Consultants, Inc. He considers the Evaluation and Rehabilitation Design of over 20,000 Lane Miles of Roadway in the Western United States as his most significant career achievement.

Philip H. Reed, Jr., member since 1970, was born in Rochester, New York and currently resides in Mission Viejo, California. He graduated from Clarkson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering Currently retired, Mr. Reed worked with the City of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works from 1970 until his retirement in 2004. He found that his most gratifying position was when he was the Director at the Bureau of Street Lighting, Department of Public Work. He considers his most significant career achievement to be the institution of an in house construction of Street Lighting Projects by the Bureau of Street Lighting for the City of Los Angeles.

Salahuddin “Sal” M. Sheikh, member since 1972, was born in Karachi, Pakistan and currently resides in Diamond Bar, California. He earned his Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering (Structures) from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan and an MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Karachi, Pakistan. His fields of specialty include Civil Engineering, Project Management/Design, Water, Wastewater, Treatment Facilities, Bridges, and Inspections. Mr. Sheikh is currently employed as the Sr. Associate, Sr. Project Manager at RBF Consulting, a company of Michael Baker Corporation, which he finds to be the most gratifying position for the last 25 years.

Mehdi Sobhani, member since 1983, currently resides in Irvine, California. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Shiraz University. He received a Master of Science in Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Southern California. Mr. Sobhani is currently the Manager of the Flood Control Programs for the County of Orange, responsible for managing the Flood Control Capital Improvement Program and the County’s floodplains and supporting developers and other agencies through Orange County.

The ASCE Orange County Branch would like to express our appreciation for your continued support of ASCE and for your contribution to the improvement of the profession. We also congratulate you for your significant contribution to Civil Engineering projects that have benefited humanity.

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