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> MSU News
Two inducted into Professional Engineers Hall of Fame
November 08, 2002 -- Carol Schmidt
John H. Morrison of Helena and Ben F. Hurlbut of Billings will be the inaugural inductees into the Montana Professional Engineers Hall of Fame at the 2002 Joint Engineers Conference to be held in Helena on Nov. 14 and 15. Plaques honoring the inductees will be hosted at the Montana State University College of Engineering in Bozeman.
The Montana Professional Engineers Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Montana Society of Engineers to honor Montana engineers who made significant contributions to the development of Montana and the engineering profession.
Morrison graduated from Montana State College (now MSU in Bozeman) in 1927 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. He was the chief bridge designer for the Montana Department of Transportation (1939-1945) and founded Morrison-Maierle, Inc. in 1945. Morrison worked on many of Montana's early water and wastewater treatment systems, including projects in Hamilton, Cut Bank, Columbia Falls, Billings, Bozeman and Kalispell. Other projects included the design of the Koocanusa Bridge near Libby (1972), seismic renovation of the Montana Capitol (1963), and the Wolf Creek Canyon section of Interstate Highway 15 north of Helena (1965).
Morrison worked for legislation that created the Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors in 1947 and served as the board's first chairman. He holds Montana Professional Engineer license No. 1ES. He has further promoted engineering professionalism through active membership in several professional societies. Morrison recently celebrated his 100th birthday with family and friends in Helena.
Also a professional engineer, Hurlbut graduated from MSC in 1949 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. He founded HKM, Inc. in 1970. Hurlbut was the structural engineer for private and public buildings throughout Montana, including Billings West High School, Bozeman Senior High School, C.M Russell High School in Great Falls and schools in Livingston, Glendive, Miles City, Broadus, Red Lodge, Polson, and Missoula. He was the structural engineer for Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at MSU-Bozeman. At the time of its construction in 1956, the fieldhouse was the largest clear-span, timber-frame dome in the world.
Hurlbut was a national director and co-founder of the Montana chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies. He served on the Technical Review Board for the American Institute of Timber Construction and has been an active member of several other professional societies.
The Joint Engineers Conference is an annual gathering of engineers from all disciplines and is sponsored by six professional engineering societies. The 2002 conference will include sessions on alternative energy, roadway design, water quality, structural design, fire sprinkler design, professional ethics and construction contract administration. Contact MSU Extended Studies at (406) 994-6683 for more information.
Contact: Linda Wyckoff (406) 994-2223
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