Walter D. Linzing

CEEAA Distinguished Alumni Award, 2010

For dedication to developing increased public awareness about the contributions engineers make to our standard of living, public health and safety; for service to the engineering profession through practice; and for assuming leadership roles in major professional engineering organizations.

Biography

After graduating with his B.S. from the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1949, Walter D. Linzing worked for the State of Illinois making hydrologic and flood routing investigations throughout the state.  He served as a consulting engineer on water supply and water management projects for many years, including service with Harza Engineering Company (now part of MWH) and HDR Engineering Company.  He served as the Chief Hydraulic Engineer on the Karadj hydroelectric project in Iran and lived in Tehran for two months, heading up planning studies which led to the establishment of the 600-foot-high Karadj Dam and Hydro project as part of the then highest double curvature arch dam in the world.  His role in project planning studies and engineering reports and designs involved extensive traveling to more than 30 counties.

Linzing’s extensive involvement and leadership in professional engineering societies have included serving for the last 17 years as Executive Director of the Illinois Engineering Council.  He has been State President of the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers and a National Director of the National Society of Professional Engineers.  He has also been an active member of the American Public Works Association, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), American Water Works Association, and the Western Society of Engineers.  He was the winner of the Daniel W. Meed ASCE prize paper and has served on a number of ASCE committees.  He was chairman of the Younger; Viewpoint column feature appearing monthly for many years in Civil Engineering.

Linzing has been very involved in National Engineers Week activities over a 30-year span, including active membership on the Engineers Week Committee.  He has encouraged young people to seek careers in engineering and given many talks over the years to emphasize the role that engineers have in promoting and protecting the public health, welfare and safety.

He lives in Park Ridge, Ill., with his wife, Joann.  They raised six children and have seven grandchildren.