Leading Transportation Official to Be Honored

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - A ribbon-cutting ceremony will officially open the Dan Flowers Education and Training Facility at 10:40 a.m. Friday, Oct. 29, at the Engineering Research Center.

The facility, a state-of-the-art classroom featuring complete multi-media capabilities and a video-conferencing system, honors Dan Flowers, director of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department. The facility is a part of the Center for Training Transportation Professionals, which is the education and training arm of the Mack-Blackwell Rural Transportation Center, a national research center focusing on rural transportation sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

"If I were to name one person who is most responsible for the success of Mack-Blackwell Center it would be Dan Flowers," said Melissa Tooley, director of the Mack-Blackwell Center. "His strong support for our programs is why the state highway department has been our largest outside source of matching funds. His vocal support and advocacy for Mack-Blackwell Center has created opportunities that have greatly enhanced our ability to serve Arkansas and rural America."

The new classroom is an integral part of the new 2,200-square-foot professional training facility, which provides technical training and certifications for contractors and state highway personnel from Arkansas as well as other states. In fact, highway personnel and employees of private contractors must be instructed and certified by the center to work on state-funded highway projects.

"It's really put everyone on the same page in terms of how to sample and test materials used in highway construction," said Kevin Hall, director of the training center. "One of the goals was to improve the quality of construction of federally funded highways and that goal has been accomplished."

Dan Flowers was named director of Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department in 1994. He has been active in many national, state, regional and local organizations. He recently received the Thomas H. MacDonald Award from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) for his service to the transportation industry, which is the most prestigious award given by the association.

"The AASHTO committee that selected Dan for the MacDonald Award wrote that his 'professionalism and dedication to his state and to transportation in general have made him a respected advocate and leader for transportation issues,'" said Tooley. "His vision and leadership have also resulted in better roads for the citizens of Arkansas, we are proud to honor him by dedicating this education and training facility in his name."