Tom Reading Award

2011 Winner:  Congratulations to Michael Willman!

Who is Tom Reading?

Thomas J. Reading was honored at the 1991 awards banquet for his contributions to the American Concrete Institute and to the Nebraska Chapter of ACI. The following are some of the accomplishments and contributions of this truly remarkable man.

Tom was born on July 15, 1915. He attended Ohio State University where he earned a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering in 1936. He went on to MIT to acquire a Masters degree in 1939, the year he first joined ACI National. He worked for the Army Corps of Engineers and was elected to the Board of Directors at ACI in 1965 for a three year term. He was a member of seven committees from 1965 to 1977. They included; Chapter Activities, Information Storage and Retrieval, Membership, Nominating, Awards for Papers, Technical Activities and Conventions.

Tom also served on 7 technical committees and served as chair of three of them. The Tech Committees were; 201-Durability, 302-Construction of Floors, 303- Architectural, 304- Measuring and Mixing, 309-Consolidation, 506-Shotcreteing and 531-Concrete Masonry.

In 1970, Tom Reading received the Delmar L. Bloem Award, in 1973 he became a Fellow of the Institute, in 1976 he received the Henry L. Kennedy Award and in 1986 he became an Honorary Life-Time member of the American Concrete Institute. In 1988 Tom Reading served on the Formation Committee of the Nebraska Chapter and from 1989 to 1991 he served on the first Board of Direction of the Chapter. He was the first Chapter Librarian in 1990.

Each year, ACI Nebraska Chapter awards one deserving individual with the Tom Reading Achievement Award. Evaluation criteria includes:

1. Significance and impact of service
   indicators:
   a) Increased awareness of modern uses of concrete.
   b) Innovations in the acceptance and uses of concrete.
   c) Enhanced cost effectiveness in the use of concrete.
2.  Contributions to the profession
   indicators:
   a) Active participation in professional organizations.
   b) Leadership in both local and national organizations.
   c) Active participation on various committees.
3. Advancement of Technology
   indicators:
   a) Development of innovative uses and handling of concrete.
   b) Improvements in the quality of concrete.
   c) Innovation in the design and/or handling of concrete.
4. Technology Transfer
   indicators:
   a) Teaching and training in the field of concrete.
   b) Development of training courses and workshops.
   c) Active participation in organizing conferences and seminars
   with local and national organizations.
5.  Duration of service
   indicators:
   a) Length of time in the field.
   b) Consistency in contributions.