Iowa State University’s Department of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering posthumously inducted Frank B. Francois (seen above) – a former executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials who passed away in February – into its “Hall of Fame” in July.
[Above photo by M. D. Francois.]
Iowa State recently highlighted the 2021 inductees into the CEEE Hall of Fame – 26 in all – during a celebration of the CCEE department’s 150th anniversary in early September.
An Iowa native, Francois – who served as AASHTO’s executive director from 1980 to 1999 – graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Iowa State University in 1956, followed by a law degree from George Washington University. He then became a resident of Prince George’s County in Maryland and a member of the state bar, working on the development and implementation of public policy for two decades prior to his appointment as AASHTO’s executive director in 1980.
When he retired from AASHTO, the organization established the Francis B. Francois award in his honor – an award bestowed annually to state departments of transportation that have developed innovative projects.
Inducted along with Francois is the late Thomas H. MacDonald. He worked for the present-day Iowa Department of Transportation from 1905 to 1919 and then served as head of the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads – the forerunner of the Federal Highway Administration – between 1919 and 1953.
MacDonald was also directly active with American Association of State Highway Officials or AASHO – which changed its name to AASHTO in 1973 –and served as a longtime member of AASHO’s executive committee.
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