Buffington

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Two members of the University of Arkansas civil engineering faculty will receive a national award from the country’s oldest engineering society at its annual meeting this fall. Dr. E. Walter LeFevre, university professor emeritus, and Jack E. Buffington, research professor and associate director of the UA Mack-Blackwell National Rural Transportation Study Center (MBTC), have been elected to the grade of Honorary Members in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The society’s highest honor, honorary membership is awarded to members who have attained acknowledged eminence in the engineering profession.

LeFevre joined the UA civil engineering faculty in 1966. He has continued to teach one course and assist the department in research procurement since his retirement in 1998. During his tenure with the college he has served as head of the civil engineering department, interim Dean of Engineering and founding director of the MBTC.

LeFevre

LeFevre has held leadership roles with a number of national engineering organizations. He has served as president of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), the Arkansas State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, and the Arkansas Society of Professional Engineers. As a member of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), LeFevre has traveled to a number of engineering schools around the globe to conduct education evaluations. He is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow in the Institution of Engineers of Ireland and holds the Fellow title in the NSPE, ASCE and the American Society for Engineering Education.

Buffington joined the civil engineering faculty in 1996 after retiring as a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy. During his 34-year Naval career, Buffington worked in more than 20 foreign countries; served as engineer in charge of naval bases; managed disaster relief; and oversaw hospital construction projects. He served as Commander of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command and head of the U.S. Navy Seabees where he oversaw a $7 million budget and more than 30,000 civilian and military employees.

A member of the NSPE and ASCE, Buffington is also active in a number of national organizations. He has served as national president of the 27,000-member Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) and chairman of the Federal Facilities Council. He has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Construction, and was selected the 2003 Engineer of the Year by the Arkansas Society of Professional Engineers. Buffington serves on the board of the National Institute of Building Sciences and on the executive committee of the Transportation Research Board.