Montana Society of Engineers seeks nominations for engineering hall of fame

BOZEMAN — The Montana Society of Engineers is once again inviting nominations for the Montana Professional Engineers Hall of Fame, which celebrates outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and to the public welfare of Montana.

Recipients are honored with a commemorative plaque residing at Montana State University in Roberts Hall, the original home of the MSU's Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering. Active, retired or deceased engineers are eligible for the award, which is traditionally given annually at the Joint Engineers Banquet in November. Nominations will be accepted through March 31.

According to Dan McCauley, who was inducted in 2017 and is a Montana Society of Engineers volunteer who coordinates the selection process, there are many Montana engineers who are worthy of the award, and the Montana Society of Engineers needs help finding them.

Last year's recipient was Robert Peccia, who earned his bachelor’s in civil engineering from MSU in 1965 and went on to design an innovative municipal drinking water treatment system for the town of Fort Benton, among other projects. In 2020 the honoree was William Wenzel, who led an accomplished civil engineering career based in Great Falls. The prior year, the inductees were Albert Kersich, a Red Lodge native who helped design MSU's Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, and John Morrison Jr., a Helena native who led one of Montana's largest civil engineering firms as it took on major projects overseas. McCauley, who earned his bachelor's in civil engineering at MSU in 1980, was honored for contributing to projects such as wastewater treatment plants and bridges in dozens of Montana communities.

Since the award was first given in 2002, about half the recipients have had a connection to MSU, McCauley noted. But the only requirements are that nominees have been professionally licensed in Montana and have had a direct impact on the state.

The Montana Professional Engineers Hall of Fame, which currently includes 24 honorees, was created by the late Doug Brekke to celebrate engineers who have dedicated their knowledge and skill to bettering society. Brekke, a Montana native who lived in Big Timber when he died in 2017, earned a bachelor's in electrical engineering from MSU in 1987 and founded an electronics business called Black Box Design.

The nomination form and additional information can be found at mtengineers.org/montana-pe-hall-of-fame.