Resource Guide

NCSEA Past-President Bob Paullus Passes Away

The structural engineering profession lost a colleague and friend on November 26, 2015 with the passing of Robert Paullus, Jr. Bob, as most know him, had an amazing career. He touched the lives of many, contributed tirelessly to our profession, and became the well-respected Structural Engineer that we all enjoyed conversing with and working alongside. He did so exemplifying the qualities of humility, generosity, hard-work, and humor that only Bob could bring together so well. Bob began his career in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Christian Brothers University, followed 20 years later with an MSCE from the University of Memphis. His project experience included work in the plate fabricating industry, design of water and wastewater treatment facilities, design of refineries, chemical processing plants, commercial buildings, schools, churches, military facilities, and seismic rehabilitation of existing structures. In the 1990s, Bob came to realize the impact of structural engineering and what could be achieved by working together for the common good of our profession and safety of the public. He held this belief through the remainder of his career, and wrote in the TNSEA 2015 State Convention welcome letter, “The heavy work for the betterment of our profession is directly on the local organizations. As the foot soldiers, we are the ones that quickly see the benefits and the shortcomings in our industry. Each of us must step up and do the necessary work. We cannot pass this off to others. Our state and regional chapters are dedicated to this mission.” Three milestone events occurring in the late 1990s resulted in Bob’s significant contributions to our profession: The introduction of the International Building Code, formation of the West Tennessee Structural Engineers Association (WTNSEA), and his attendance as a delegate to the NCSEA annual meeting and conference in 1999 and 2000. The International Building Code (IBC) had an impact on all practicing structural engineers and the public during its early adoption. Bob quickly became known to many as the go-to guy for code questions and interpretations…the “Code Master”. He realized the impact that the code would have on seismic design in Memphis and the surrounding area. NCSEA past-President Ron Hamburger writes, “He was one of the few engineers in the mid-south that came to realize that there really is great earthquake risk in the region, and that pretending it was not an issue was not appropriate.” He worked for the adoption of the IBC, including the seismic provisions. Bob attended meetings and provided public testimony, emphasizing the need for municipalities to adopt the seismic provisions in the IBC. As a founder of WTNSEA, Bob strived to bring together the efforts of all engineers in the State of Tennessee to form what would become the Tennessee Structural Engineers Association (TNSEA). On November 13, 2015, Bob was made a Distinguished Member of the Tennessee Structural Engineers Association for his contributions. It was during Bob’s first two NCSEA Conferences, 1999 and 2000 that he realized that, if structural engineers worked together, we would be a much stronger profession. Bob was recognized for his dedication to the profession in 2001, when he was asked to join multiple committees, including the Code Advisory Committee Seismic Subcommittee and the Structural Engineering Certification Board interest committee. It was through his work with NCSEA, serving on the NCSEA Board and holding the office of President in 20082009, that he developed a nationwide network of colleagues and friends. Bob would go on to serve as a board member of the Applied Technology Council (ATC) and a member of the ASCE 7 Seismic and Wind Committees. Bob’s contributions to our profession never ceased. In his last days, and with the help of his family, he assisted in preparing for the TNSEA 2015 State convention, attended the NCSEA Structural Engineering Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, and attended the ATC Board meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. He didn’t just talk the talk, but he walked the walk and set expectations high for all structural engineers and our profession. Bob would not be satisfied with this article without the mention of his children, Ben, Kelly, Sarah-Beth, and Caleb. We are appreciative to them for allowing Bob to share his life with us. Most know that Bob enjoyed sharing family stories of what was happening in their lives, and we enjoyed hearing those stories. Bob was a humble man, with a humor that resulted in smiles and laughs every time you saw him. This often disguised a man of great principle and reason. He enjoyed teaching and educating others, not just engineers – but everyone, about structural engineering. His dedication to the profession and his children is an example for all of us. He put himself last, and others first, and was a cheerful giver of all that he had. Barry Arnold, past-president of NCSEA, shared this story. “I called him recently and what should have been a two-minute conversation turned into a chat that lasted a few hours. Even though he admitted his situation was dire, he wasted none of our time discussing his plight. Rather, he wanted to know how I was and what I was doing. And, in typical Bob fashion, even though he was in a situation of little hope, he concluded our conversation with, ‘Well, let me know if you need anything. I’d be happy to help you out.’ What an amazing attitude. What an amazing man.” Jeanne Vogelzang, Executive Director of NCSEA, said: “Bob Paullus, always selfeffacing, forever genteel, a family man like none I’ve ever met. Bob will be missed.” This was Bob Paullus, the man who gave so much of his time and succumbed to cancer on Thanksgiving Day at 2:15 in the morning.▪

Many thanks to the NCSEA Past-Presidents, NCSEA staff, ATC Board Members, Julie Furr and Mike Sheridan of the TNSEA, and other friends of Bob for contributing their sentiments and expressions of respect concerning Bob while preparing this article.