One of Kentucky

I've finally decided that I wasn't going to complete everything before posting it, so have at last undertaken to provide the info we have now. Let's just say this (like the site itself) is a work in progress. :-)

If you scroll down you will find copies of the Section Constitution, Bylaws, and a very brief history of the Kentucky Section. I would like to hear from anyone with better or more up-to-date information about any of these items. I will be expanding the History portion as time goes by.

To the Branches and Student Chapters: send me any info you wish to have posted here. If you're like me, you're always looking for a good repository for stuff you really don't want to lose, but don't need access to every minute either.

TO:	ASCE Board of Direction Institute Boards of Governors
FROM:	Patrick J. Natale, P.E., F.ASCE
DATE:	August 31, 2005
SUBJECT:	ASCE Response to Hurricane Katrina

President-elect Elect (2005-2006)

    W.F. Marcuson III, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE

Vice Presidents-Elect (2005-2007)

    Zone I                                 Anni H. Autio, P.E., M.ASCE

    Zone III                               G. Nicholas Textor, P.E., F.ASCE

Directors-Elect (2005-2008)

    District 1                             Andrew W. Herrmann, P.E., F.ASCE

    District 2                             Paul D. Moyer, P.E., M.ASCE

    District 7                             Mark H. Stemmer, P.E., M.ASCE

    District 9                             Michael H. Wenning, P.E., M.ASCE

    District 10                            Kathy J. Caldwell, P.E., M.ASCE

    District 13                            Karl E. Longley, ScD, P.E., DEE, M.ASCE

    District 15                            Allen M. Beene, P.E., M.ASCE

    Technical Region:                Stan R. Caldwell, P.E., F.ASCE

ARTICLE I. NAME AND OBJECTIVE
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Kentucky Section, American Society of Civil Engineers.

Section 2. The objective of the Kentucky Section shall be the advancement of the science and profession of engineering in a manner consistent with the objectives of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. All members of the American Society of Civil Engineers of all grades, subscribing to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Kentucky Section, as evidenced by the payment of current dues of the Section, shall be Subscribing Members of the Section. All other members of the American Society of Civil Engineers of all grades, whose addresses of record are within the boundaries of the Section, as defined by the Society, shall be Assigned Members of the Section.

Section 2. Only Subscribing Members shall have the right to vote, to hold office, to serve on committees, or to represent the Section officially.

Section 3. Any member of the Section, who at any time or for any reason ceases to be a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, shall at the same time cease to be a member of the Section.

Section 2. Annual dues shall be established by the Bylaws of the Section. Life and Honorary Members, who are exempt from payment of Society dues, shall be exempt from Section dues.

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS
Section 1. The officers shall be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a Newsletter Editor who, with the latest active resident Past-President, the current Branch Presidents, and the current Chairperson of each Technical Group, shall constitute a Board of Directors in which the government of the Section shall be vested. Chairpersons of the Technical Groups serving on the Board of Directors shall not have voting rights.

Section 2. Officers shall be elected at the Annual Meeting for terms of one year. Terms shall begin on October 1 and continue until respective successors are elected.

Section 3. The Vice President shall fill a vacancy in the office of President. The Board of Directors shall fill other vacancies for unexpired terms.

ARTICLE V. MEETING
Section 1. The Annual Meeting shall be held on such date and at such place as the Board of Directors shall designate. In the event the Board fails to act, the President shall designate the time and place for the Annual Meeting.

Section 2. Additional meetings shall be called at the discretion of the Board of Directors, or by the President upon the written request of at least twenty-five (25) Subscribing Members.

ARTICLE VI. BRANCHES
Section 1. Branches of the Section shall be created in accordance with the following requirements:
(a) Those proposing a new branch shall demonstrate in writing the advantages of such a Branch to the Section and to members in the area to be represented.
(b) The proposal shall be in the form of a petition containing a minimum of 15 signatures of Society members residing in the area and shall be submitted through the Section to the Board of Directors of the Society.
(c) A proposed branch area shall contain a minimum potential of thirty (30) members of the Society.
(d) A proposed branch must have distinct geographic boundaries described in the petition.
(e) Upon Section Board of Director’s approval, the proposal shall be submitted to the ASCE Council of Vice Presidents for review and final approval.

Section 2. Each branch shall submit an annual report of activities to the Section.

Section 3. Each branch shall submit an annual budget and financial statement to the Section for approval.

ARTICLE VII. AMENDMENTS
Section 1. This Constitution may be amended only by the following procedure:
(a) A proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be submitted to the Section Secretary in a written petition signed by not less than fifteen (15) Section Subscribing Members. Counterparts of petitions may be signed and presented with the same effect as if all the signatures were on one petition.
(b) The proposed amendment shall be reviewed and approved by the ASCE Council or Vice Presidents before being voted upon.
(c) Section Members shall be given written notice of proposed amendments at least thirty (30) days in advance of voting. Only Section Subscribing Members may vote on proposed amendments.
(d) For the adoption of any amendment to the Constitution, two-thirds (2/3) of the valid ballots cast shall be in the affirmative. An amendment that has been adopted shall become effective at the conclusion of canvassing the ballots, or date specified, providing that no elected officer of the Section or a Branch at the time an amendment is adopted shall be required to vacate office before the end of the term for which elected.

ARTICLE VIII. BYLAWS
Section 1. The Section may adopt Bylaws consistent with this Constitution for the guidance of officers and members.

Section 2. Amendments to Section Bylaws require the review and approval of the Section Board of Directors and the ASCE Council of Vice Presidents before being voted upon by the Section’s Subscribing Members.

Section 3. Branches may adopt Bylaws consistent with the Kentucky Section Constitution.
(a) Branch Bylaws require approval by the Section Board of Directors to become effective.
(b) Amendments to Branch Bylaws require approval by the Section Board of Directors to become effective.
(c) Amendments to Branch Bylaws that change the Branch boundaries require the approval of the ASCE Council of Vice Presidents before being voted upon by the Subscribing Members of the Branch.

ARTICLE IX. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Section 1. No part of the net earnings of the Section shall inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual and no substantial part of the activities of the Section shall be carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Section shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.

Section 2. Upon dissolution of the Section the assets remaining after the payment of the debts of the Section shall be distributed to such corporation, community chest, fund, or foundation organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary or educational purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, which would then qualify under the provisions of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as they now exist or as they may hereafter be amended, as the Board of Directors shall have designated, and in the absence of such designation, they shall be conveyed to the American Society of Civil Engineers.

ARTICLE I. DUES
Section 1. The annual dues for members of the Kentucky Section shall be payable in advance on October 1st and shall be according to the following schedule:

Honorary Member None
Life Member None
Fellow Member $20.00
Member $20.00
Affiliate $20.00
Associate Member $20.00
Student Member $ 4.00

ARTICLE II. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Section 1. The Section's Board of Directors shall select a Nominating Committee of not less than three members at a regular meeting preceding the Annual Meeting. In the event the Board fails to act, the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee.

Section 2. The Nominating Committee shall choose one or more candidates for election to each of the offices prescribed by the Constitution and obtain the consent of the nominees to serve if elected.

Section 3. In addition, candidates may be nominated by written petition containing five signatures of Subscribing Members.

Section 4. The Section's Board of Directors shall choose, at least four months prior to the Annual Meeting, to decide the election of officers by mail ballot or by vote of those Subscribing Members present at the Annual Meeting.

Section 5. If it is chosen to decide the election by mail ballot:
(a)The Secretary shall send a letter ballot, containing the list of
official nominees and a space for a write-in vote for another candidate for each office, to each Subscribing Member of the Section at least twenty (20) days prior to the Annual Meeting.
(b) Ballots returned to the Secretary up to the time of counting shall be opened and counted at the Annual Meeting by three tellers appointed by the President. For each office, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes cast shall be declared elected.

Section 6. If it is chosen to decide the election by vote of those Subscribing Members present at the Annual Meeting, a majority vote of those Subscribing Members present shall constitute election.

ARTICLE III. QUORUM
Section 1. A quorum at any business meeting shall be ten (10) Subscribing Members. All Section members shall be notified by mail of a business meeting at least seven (7) days in advance of such meeting.

Section 2. A quorum at any Board of Directors meeting shall be a majority of the voting board members. Board members shall be notified at least seven (7) days in advance of such meeting.

ARTICLE IV. COMMITTEES
Section 1. The President shall appoint committees deemed necessary from time to time.

Section 2. The President shall appoint the following standing committees annually: program, membership, legislative, Section awards, public relations, scholarship and professional development.

ARTICLE V. MEETINGS
Section 1. At least one meeting shall be held each year, typically the Annual Meeting.

Section 2. Notice of each meeting of the Section shall be sent to each Subscribing Member of the Section.

Section 3. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Section in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky or with the Section’s adopted Constitution and Bylaws.

ARTICLE VI. AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Bylaws may be adopted or amended only by the following procedure:
(a) A proposed amendment to these Bylaws shall be submitted to the Section Secretary in written petitions signed by not less than ten (10) Section Subscribing Members. Counterparts of petitions may be signed and presented with the same effect as if all the signatures were on one petition.
(b) Section Members shall be given written notice of proposed amendments at least thirty (30) days in advance of voting. Only Section Subscribing Members may vote on proposed amendments.
(c) For the adoption of any amendment to the Bylaws, a majority of the Section Subscribing Members in attendance at the next Section business meeting after it has been proposed shall cast ballots and a majority of the valid ballots cast shall be in the affirmative. An amendment which has been adopted shall become effective at the conclusion of canvassing the ballots, or date specified, providing that no elected officer of the Section or a Branch at the time an amendment is adopted shall be required to vacate office before the end of the term for which that officer was elected.
(d) The procedure for amendment of the Bylaws shall be subject to any applicable provisions set forth in the Society’s Bylaws.

The first organized activity of the American Society of Civil Engineers in Kentucky was the formation of a Student Chapter at the University of Kentucky in 1921. Daniel V. Terrell was at the time a Professor of Civil Engineering and was the principal petitioner for the Chapter. He served as the faculty advisor for many years.

The Charter for the Kentucky Section was issued in 1936. Efforts to obtain a copy of the Charter and the names of members petitioning have not been fruitful. A review of the Section membership list received from the New York Society headquarters office shows that two current members have an original date of society membership before the 1936 Charter. A check has been made, where possible, to determine if the members were in the Kentucky Section area in 1936. The two current members are Andrew M. Bell (1925) and W. R. McIntosh (1929).

The University of Louisville Student Chapter was chartered in 1938. Professor W. R. McIntosh is believed to have been the petitioner and first faculty advisor.

Beginning in 1937 with the UK Student Chapter and in 1938 with the UL Student Chapter, the Kentucky Section awarded a Junior Membership and badge to the outstanding senior of each school. A friendly competition, in the form of a technical paper presentation, between the Chapters was begun in 1939. This competition provided the program for a spring meeting of the Section.

The Louisville Engineering and Scientific Societies Council was founded in 1944 with the Kentucky Section ASCE as a Charter Member. The Council was active primarily in the field of vocational guidance. It rendered various services to the junior and senior high school students until it was disbanded in 1979.

During the early years of the Section's existence, a bond was established with the Indiana Section. Joint meetings were held in the fall of the year at a state park. Through these meetings, it was decided that a District Council involving all District sections would be desirable. The District 9 Council was formed and chartered in 1948 and was the first such council in the Society. Daniel V. Terrell was serving as the National Director of District 9 and was the person most responsible for the formation of the Council. The Council in 1952 voted to make an annual award to the winner of a speaking contest on a selected subject for junior members in District 9. The award was named in honor of D. V. Terrell, the first chairman and founder of the Council.

D. V. Terrell, Director, District Nine, 1947-49

Vice President, Zone II, 1951-52

President, 1954

R. E. Shaver, Director, District Nine, 1954-56

C. P. Hazelet, Director, District Nine, 1958-60

J. E. Humphrey, Director, District Nine, 1979-81

K. W. Dawson, Director, District Nine, 1992-94

Mr. Craig P. Hazelet was elected to Honorary membership in the American Society of Civil Engineers. It is believed that he was the only resident member of the Kentucky Section so honored.

During the late 1970's, efforts began to establish local Branches within the Section. It was felt that meetings at the local level would have better attendance because travel distance to meetings would be greatly reduced plus local issues could be addressed. The Louisville Branch was chartered in 1978 followed by the Bluegrass Branch in 1979, the Frankfort Branch in 1980, and the Owensboro Branch in 1986. Efforts to establish other branches in Western Kentucky and in Eastern Kentucky have not yet been successful.

In 1996, the Kentucky Section membership reached a total of 837. The breakdown of membership by grades was as follows:

Fellows 40; Associate Members 155; Members 446; Affiliate Members 53; and Student Members 143. There were 95 life members among those listed.