A message from ASCE Texas Section President Patrick M. Beecher PE
July 2022
I wish to extend my invitation to you to join me at CECON 2022 on September 14 through 16, 2002, in Frisco, Texas. This year’s theme is A Unified Community. In this article, I will briefly share my thoughts on the theme as well as urge you to be a part of CECON 2022.
We are unified, not uniform. Although these words are very similar to each other, there is an important distinction to highlight. Uniform, the adjective, is defined as remaining the same in all cases and at all times; unchanging in form or character. Therefore, a uniform community denotes that we are all the same and stay the same regardless of the situation. We are far from uniform in our backgrounds, experience, and civil engineering disciplines. We each have a unique set of skills and perspectives that we draw upon when problem-solving. If you ever have had a debate about an issue with multiple civil engineers from the same discipline, you will quickly realize that each civil engineer has a slightly different twist on the solution. Coupled with evolving infrastructure issues, we civil engineers find ourselves constantly changing and adapting to develop new and creative solutions. It is an exciting field to be in!
As a unified community, we unite ourselves around the ASCE Texas Section’s Vision and Mission statements, along with ASCE’s Code of Ethics to “advance the health, safety, and welfare of the public through the practice of Civil Engineering.” It is in this shared focus where our differences are brought to bear for the betterment of our projects, clients, and the communities we serve. CECON is our opportunity to celebrate what makes each of us unique and share our differences with the larger civil engineering community.
CECON has always felt more like a reunion to me. The tours and technical sessions are always informative and thought-provoking. The panel discussions with industry leaders are impressive and provide a deeper dive into important topics. But, that sense of knowing I am part of something bigger and the chance to catch up with friends is the biggest draw for me. The great thing about CECON is that whether you agree with my perspective or not, there is something for everyone at CECON. If you are interested in contributing to CECON as a speaker, presenter, vendor, and/or sponsor, please reach out to our CECON Planning Committee Co-Chairs, Andrew J. Domke, PE (2nd year) and John N. Mudd, PE (1st year). Andrew, John, and their team of volunteers have been working hard in developing CECON 2022 into a first-class event. Please join me as we bring our diverse perspective and unique abilities together to build relationships, learn how to strengthen our community, and build a better quality of life across the street and around the world!
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you as your President this year!
Patrick M. Beecher PE, M.ASCE
ASCE Texas Section President 2021-2022
