Eight civil engineers with ties to Missouri University of Science and Technology were inducted into the Missouri S&T Academy of Civil Engineers during the academy’s induction ceremony held April 17.

The academy honors civil engineers for their contributions to the profession, leadership and involvement with Missouri S&T. The academy also serves as an advisory group to the Missouri S&T civil, architectural and environmental engineering department.
New members are:

• Mark Botkin of Rochester, Mich., group leader of computer aided engineering for General Motors R&D. Botkin earned a bachelor of science, master of science and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1968, 1970 and 1973, respectively. After graduation, he worked for Ford Motor Co. and Black & Veatch. In 1978, he joined General Motors R&D Center. He is a former member of the Automotive Composites Consortium board of directors, associate editor of the International Journal of Engineering with Computers and associate editor of the International Journal of Mechanics Based Design of Structures and Machines. He is active in St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.
• Richard T. Bradley of St. Louis, assistant airport director for planning and engineering for Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. Bradley earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1988. After graduation, he joined the city of St. Louis, becoming chief engineer at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport prior to accepting his current position. He is a member of the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Association of Airport Executives and the Engineer’s Club of St. Louis. He is also active with the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church and Boy Scouts.
• Tom Christy of Salina, Kan., vice president and co-founder of Geoprobe Systems. Christy earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1980. After graduation, he joined Wilson Laboratories, where he performed groundwater contaminant investigations for industrial clients. He co-founded Geoprobe Systems in 1987. He also provides technical support to the Wasolo region in the Congo, where he and his wife, Lee Ann, have spent two years helping to install a water well, distribution system and basic sanitation facilities.
• Gary Forsee of Columbia, Mo., president of the University of Missouri System. Forsee earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1972 and began his telecommunications career with Southwestern Bell in Kansas City that same year. He moved from Southwestern Bell to its parent company, AT&T, in 1981. Forsee joined Sprint in 1989 in Washington, D.C., as general manager and vice president of the government systems division. Rising through the ranks, he became president and chief operating officer of Sprint’s long-distance division. Next, Forsee became president and CEO of Global One, a joint venture of Sprint, Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom. He later joined the BellSouth Corp., where he was responsible for all domestic operations. He also chaired the board for Cingular Wireless, a BellSouth-Southwestern Bell joint venture. He returned to the Kansas City area in 2003 in the dual role of chair and CEO of Sprint. Forsee then became chair and CEO of Sprint Nextel in 2005. He became president of the University of Missouri System in February 2008.
• Paul Hartwig of St. Louis, senior vice president of operations for McCarthy Building Companies Inc. Hartwig earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1980. Following graduation he joined McCarthy, where he is now responsible for the company’s performance and supervises all preconstruction services. He is a member of the company’s executive committee, St. John’s Mercy Medical Center Foundation corporate partners board, the American Heart Association board, the St. Louis Associated General Contractors (AGC) board and AGC’s labor policy committee.
• Dan Israel of DeSoto, Kan., executive vice president and operations manager of the Rocky Mountain Operating Group for Terracon Consultants Inc. Israel earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1983. After graduate studies at the University of Colorado, he worked for Sverdrup Corp. before joining Terracon in 1989. A member of Terracon’s Executive Management Committee and its company’s board of directors, he now leads the company’s national transportation and infrastructure and energy sectors. Israel is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Council of Engineering Companies, and has served in leadership roles in both organizations. He retired in June 2007 as a part time deputy sheriff of Jefferson County, Colo. He was also a deputy sheriff in Canadian County, Okla., and in 1995 was one of the first engineers to respond to the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
• Richard Ross of Byrnes Mill, Mo., founder and retired president of R.G. Ross Construction Co. in St. Louis. Ross earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1959. After graduation, he worked for Booker & Associates, Nelson Construction Co., Inland Steel Products Co. and Kozeny-Wagner Inc. In 1975, he founded his construction company. Ross sold the business to his employees and retired in 1998. He is board member of Innovative Energy Inc. and Comtrea Inc. A former alderman for Byrnes Mill, he is a volunteer for the Missouri Foundation for Health, Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, the Jefferson County Department of Mental Health and St. Mary’s High School. In addition, he helped raise funds for the Missouri S&T Newman Center.
• Larry Schall of Kansas City, Mo., executive vice president for Shafer, Kline & Warren in Lenexa, Kan. Schall earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1971. After a few years in public works engineering, he joined Shafer, Kline & Warren in 1984. He has held various positions with the company, including director of civil engineering and vice president of marketing. He is a certified peer reviewer for the American Consulting Engineers Council, a past president of the Kansas City area American Public Works Association, and the Engineers Club of Kansas City. He served on the Missouri One Call System’s board of directors for five years. He also provides engineering advice on building and site expansion to the Kansas City Union Mission Homeless Shelter.