ASCE Houston Branch History

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Formation of the ASCE Houston Branch

At a meeting-on March 23, 1943-seventeen members of The American Society of Civil Engineers assembled, at the call of Mr. W. W. McClendon, to organize the Houston Branch of the Texas Section.

At that meeting a form of constitution was adopted, the territory to be served by the Houston Branch was designated to be Harris county and the seven adjacent counties, and the following officers were nominated: 

President - W. W. McClendon

Vice-President - J. P. Turney

Secretary - N. P. Turner 

The directors of the Texas Section, at their spring meeting in April of 1943, approved the formation of the branch and the first official meeting of the Houston Branch of the Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers was held on May 4, 1943 at the offices of Haile & McClendon, Engineers, 2801 San Jacinto Street, Houston, Texas, with the following twenty-four members present:

J.P. Turney                  E. E. Pittman

N.P. Turner                 G. A. Bracher

H.R. Cogan                Wm. E. White

Paul Hall                    J. C. McVea

E.P. Sellner                Frank Baldwin

W.A. McCracken         R. A. Rait

L.D. Snow                 W. M. Eliot

George H. Lacey        Theo. A. Polansky

W.M. White               R. S. Patterson

Peter Heidma            Chas. R. Haile

A.P. McBrady             Mason G. Lockwood

W.W. Washburn         Frank Mumford

Regular monthly meetings were held and the Houston Engineers Club was selected as the regular meeting place.  Organization progressed and the following standing committees were announced:  Program, Public Relations, Publicity, Membership, and Attendance.

During this first year the Branch held ten meetings, two of which were business meetings, two were social and six were technical meetings.  The programs were presented by members and, due to the world situation, dealt principally with post-war planning and collective bargaining.  The Branch went on record to the Texas Section as being opposed to the formation of a union for Engineers but favored the formation of a Committee to study the welfare of the younger members of the profession.

Seventeen members of the Houston Branch attended the fall meeting of the Texas Section in Austin.  At the annual meeting on March 7, 1944 the Secretary reported that a total of 216 had attended the ten meetings during the year.

Transportation of War Supplies Destined for Russia, by Enos “Bill” Cape; Construction Problems on the Katy Gasoline Plan, by H. N. Stamper, Water Resources in Texas by Paul Weaver; Industrial Hygiene by Otto Paganinne; a Report on the International Soils Conference in Holland by Raymond Dawson; and The Research Foundation at Texas A&M College, by Dr. A. A. Jakulla.

Houston Resiliency 

To see the list of Houston Branch Presidents who went on to become Texas Section or National ASCE Presidents, please click here.

"The Houston and Texas Central Railroad in the Development of Houston and Dallas"

The cities of Houston and Dallas began growing rapidly after railroads began building lines from and through the cities, bringing many new residents.  The Houston and Texas Central Railroad, beginning its name in 1856 to 1934, was the longest early railroad in Texas connecting Houston and Dallas around 1872.  This presentation notes the rapid population growth, primarily due to railways, in Dallas and Houston from 1870 to 1890.  Railroad stations in Dallas and Houston (SP Grand Central Station and Union Station) will be reviewed, as well as founders and early civil engineers of the H & TC.  The presentation closes with the new Texas Central Railway, a new high-speed passenger rail system that will connect Dallas and Ft. Worth with Houston. 

The Houston and Texas Central Railway of Dallas and Houston  presented by Jerry R. Rogers, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, Distinguished M.ASCE  

The Outstanding Civil Engineering Career of Robert J. Cummins, P.E. No. 15, 1953 Houston Engineer of the Year  presented by Jerry R. Rogers, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, Distinguished M.ASCE  

ASCE Houston Branch 65th Anniversary Proclamation from the City of Houston

Houston Astrodome - 1965 

Joseph Milton Howe in 1913 co-founded ASCE Texas and became the organization's fourth president in 1916. He was an Outstanding Houston civil engineer, being elected ASCE Director (1924-1926) and ASCE National V.P. (1930-1931). J. Milton Howe was Harris County Engineer from 1911 to 1936; he supervised $20,000,000 in the design and construction of many Harris County/Houston roads and bridges.