The ACSM wrapup lets you read up on awards received, surveying related olympic events, and new officers and directors elected to ACSM.

Diana Brown, Publisher of POB magazine, proudly awarded Thomas W. Morgan the NSPS 2001 Surveying Excellence Award.

Awards Banquet Honors Best in Industry

POBmagazine proudly sponsored the NSPS 2001 Surveying Excellence Award at the ACSM awards ceremony. Our congratulations go to Thomas W. Morgan, PLS, of Supply, N.C., this year’s recipient. The Excellence Award is presented to a surveyor who has performed outstanding service in the surveying profession. Candidates must be nominated for the award by an ACSM affiliate section or two NSPS members. The award included an engraved plaque and a $500 honorarium from POBmagazine.

ACSM officers (left to right): Lyn DiBiase, Gary Kent, G.S. Best, K. Anderson, Joseph Dolan, Timothy Trainor, Keith Clarke, Gary Thompson and Alan Dragoo.
The awards ceremony also installed new officers and directors of ACSM. Dr. James Reilly stepped down as president, and was superseded by Gary R. Kent, director of surveying and mapping, Schneider Engineering Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind.

The following is a list of ACSM’s new staff:

  • Gary R. Kent, ACSM president

  • G.S. Sam Best, ACSM president-elect

  • K. Eric Anderson, ACSM vice president

  • Joseph M. Dolan, ACSM director from NSPS

  • Timothy Trainor, ACSM director from CaGIS

  • Keith C. Clarke, president, CaGIS

  • Lyn DiBiase, president, GLIS

  • Alan Dragoo, president, AAGS

  • Gary W. Thompson, president, NSPS


As we know, there are many individuals in the industry who make the industry shine. Each year, ACSM and NSPS are proud to give those individuals acknowledgment of their accomplishments, hard work and integrity. Plaques are presented as honorary rewards and nice words fill the room with each presentation. Oh, and the money given away is always appreciated, too.

Honorable Mentions: Students of Ferris State University of Big Rapids, Mich., took away five awards this year, the most of any school.

Schonstedt Instruments donated the traditional plaque and monies, but added another reward for the first time: the choice of one or two locators for the recipient. The company believes the locator will help the student recipient continue his or her experience.

Jerry McGray guessed the angle.

Surveyor Olympics

NSPS held the fourth annual NSPS surveying sports competition on Tuesday, March 20 in the ACSM exhibition hall. The events included a pacing event, guess the angle, guess the elevation difference, guess the bearing, guess the distance, angle turning skill event, and survey chain throwing.

Jerry McGray participated in the chain throwing event.
POB's Jerry McGray held his own in the pacing, guess the angle and chain throwing events. Jerry was an especially close contender in the pacing event, sponsored by SurveyorCentral. In the pacing event, contestants paced a predetermined distance and guessed the correct distance. The line, of course, wasn't straight, providing the challenge of the event. In the chain throwing event, the contestant who threw a 100 ft chain the quickest won. Prizes for each event winner were awarded, donated by sponsoring exhibitors.