Twenty Years at the Top: Black Engineers of the Year

Chapter 12 Lt. General Joe N. Ballard (Ret.) 1998 Black Engineer of the Year THE FOLLOWING ARE EXCERPTS FROM THE 1998 BLACK ENGINEER OF THE YEAR AWARDS CEREMONY SPEECHES HONORING GENERAL JOE BALLARD. THE THEME OF THE CONFERENCE THAT YEAR WAS “REFLECTIONS: ON THE PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS.” General Dennis Reimer, United States Army (Ret.): He came from a small southern town, but his work affects every part of the country and our Army throughout the world.

Peter Teets, Undersecretary of the Air Force: His decisions can affect every American’s life.

Gen. Reimer: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which he commands, is the world’s largest public engineering, design, and construction management agency. It has a budget of more than $11 billion.

Mr. Teets: The Corps of Engineers maintains 300 deep-draft harbors, 275 locks, and 12,000 miles of navigable waterway. It is charged with keeping the inland waterways dredged and navigable for the passage of the nation’s waterborne commerce. And anyone wishing to mount construction in the nation’s wetlands must first get permission from the corps.

Gen. Reimer: He manages 383 flood-control lakes and reservoirs and 8,500 miles of levees to help protect people from the ravaging damage of floods.

Mr. Teets: And when the floods do come, like the disastrous Red River floods of the Midwest or the mighty Mississippi floods of last year, his corps mobilizes to manage the river’s flow and reduce and repair the damage.

Gen. Reimer: Most people aren’t aware that a full quarter of the nation’s hydroelectric power comes from 75 facilities run by the corps.

65