The American Concrete Institute has memorialized University of Illinois Prof. Clyde E. Kesler by renaming an annual award given to outstanding educators in the field of concrete materials and structures. The ACI Clyde E Kesler Education Award is a renaming of the ACI Joe W. Kelly Award that had been given annually since 1975 to a long list of ACI members.
Professor Emeritus Kesler (BS 43, MS 46) served on the faculty of the departments of both Civil Engineering and Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the late 1940s until his retirement in 1982. Nationally recognized as “The father of the concrete canoe”, Kesler started the phenomenon of concrete canoe racing in the 1970s with a class project. In 1977, Kesler was a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the highest honor that available to an engineer. In 1967 he was president of the American Concrete Institute, the youngest individual to hold that post up to that time. He died December 30, 2011.
The ACI Clyde E Kesler Education Award was established by the initiative and financial support of University of Illinois Professors David A. Lange, Neil Hawkins, and Frances Young who fondly recall Clyde’s friendship, leadership, and impact on the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
You can find more information regarding the ACI Awards Program at concrete.org.
About ACI
The American Concrete Institute is a leading global authority for the development, dissemination, and also adoption of its consensus-based standards. It also serves as a technical resource and offers educational, training and certification programs. The association began in 1904. Additionally, it has its headquarters in Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA. It also has a regional office in Dubai, UAE. Additionally, the ACI has a resource center in Southern California. For further information, visit www.concrete.org
