AIKEN, S.C. - The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) honored a Savannah River Site (SRS) contractor who has worked in engineering for more than 50 years.
Wade Faires received the South Carolina LeTellier Cup Award for lifetime achievement in civil engineering in June.
The structural mechanics manager employed by Savannah River Remediation (SRR), the SRS liquid waste contractor, began his career after graduating from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering in 1967.
Faires entered the nuclear industry as an engineer at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Virginia. He helped design and analyze conventional and nuclear aircraft carriers and submarines, and conventional service ships.
“Back in 1967, analytical software did not exist," Faires said. “We evaluated our designs with manual calculations using slide rule to simulate normal operating loads and shock and blast conditions."
In 1972, Faires became a senior engineer at Offshore Power Systems, working on design and analysis of floating nuclear power plants for water, seismic, wind, and tornado events. During this tenure, Faires commuted over 160 miles two times a week for three years to the University of Florida to pursue his Masters of Engineering degree in structural engineering.
After receiving his graduate degree, Faires held positions at Westinghouse Electric Corporation and Westinghouse Savannah River Company before working at SRR. Faires has been at SRS for almost 30 years and has been a member of ASCE for 25 years. ASCE promotes continuing education by conducting seminars and developing codes, standards, and regulations to protect the public.
“As a fellow member, I have had the opportunity to serve in ASCE positions at branch, state, and national levels ranging from treasurer to president to governor," Faires said. “Being a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers has fulfilled me in many ways throughout the years, and I am humbled and proud to have been recognized by my colleagues for my service."
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
