Hoover Dam is rightly regarded as one of the greatest civil engineering achievements in history. While Hoover Dam is mired in some controversy for safety and labor practices, built during the Great Depression, it must be regarded as not only a triumph of engineering, but also a triumph of the human spirit. Large concrete dam construction was in its infancy in the early twentieth century. Hoover Dam’s successful construction and enduring ability to harness the Colorado River are the result of the convergence of extraordinary men, machines, and methods.
In the decades preceding Hoover Dam’s construction, tremendous advancements were realized in every discipline of engineering. In the realm of heavy civil construction, these collective engineering advancements provided the construction technology that made Hoover Dam possible. This presentation highlights how the right men, machines, and methods all came together in the spring of 1931 to build a dam of unprecedented scope and challenges.
Upon attending this seminar, you will be able to understand why Hoover Dam is still considered one of the greatest dam-building stories. Attendees will also understand the challenges of building Hoover Dam, the importance of Hoover Dam to harnessing the Colorado River, and how General Superintendent Frank Crowe successfully leveraged men and machines to build this record-breaking structure.
Raymond “Paul” Giroux, Dist.M.ASCE, NAC received his BS in Construction Engineering from Iowa State University in 1979. Paul worked for Kiewit for 45 years on a wide variety of heavy civil engineering mega projects throughout the United States. Paul played a key role in notable projects such as the Fort McHenry Tunnel in Baltimore, several projects on the Big Dig in Boston — including the new Zakim/Bunker Hill Bridge, the new San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span. Currently, Paul is a professor of engineering practice at Purdue University Lyles School of Civil Engineering.
Raymond “Paul” Giroux,
Purdue University
Paul has served on numerous industry advisory board and has been an active member of several national committees for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
During the past two decades, Paul had leadership and speaking roles at numerous anniversary events including the Brooklyn Bridge 125th, the Hoover Dam 75th, the Golden Gate Bridge 75th, the Panama Canal 100th, the Grand Coulee Dam 75th, the Transcontinental Railroad 150th, as well as lectures on the Eads Bridge, and the Mackinac Bridge.
Paul is the author of several bridge design and civil engineering history papers. He is also an active public speaker having presented over 350 lectures and seminars at over 90 engineering schools. Additionally, he has presented over 150 other speeches at professional and public venues. Paul has also been a contributor on the Fox Business News show ‘American Built.’ Renowned for his ability to bring the past alive with inspirational storytelling and dynamic animations, he has shared his lectures to a wide variety of audiences around the world.
Paul was the recipient of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Civil Engineering History and Heritage Award for 2013. In 2015, Paul received ASCE’s G. Brooks Earnest Technical Lecture Award. In 2016, Paul was awarded the American Society of Engineering Societies’ Norm Augustine Award. In 2016, Paul was elected as a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. In 2017, Paul was awarded the ASCE Construction Institute’s Roebling Award. In 2018, Paul was inducted into the Iowa State University Construction Engineering Hall of Fame. And, in 2022, Paul was inducted into the National Academy of Construction.