[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 57 (Tuesday, May 6, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4036-S4037]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          JAMES R. THOMAS, JR.

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, it gives me great pleasure to 
recognize James R. Thomas Jr., a civil engineer from Salisbury, MD, 
which I am proud to say is my hometown. Jim, who commands universal 
respect as a leader in both his profession and his community, will be 
installed on May 14 as president of the American Consulting Engineers 
Council.
  As managing partner of the Salisbury engineering and architectural 
firm, George, Miles & Buhr, Jim's reputation as a dynamic and capable, 
yet modest, leader precedes him as he assumes the helm of the Nation's 
largest professional association focusing on the business interests of 
consulting engineers.
  ACEC is comprised of 52 State and regional member organizations and 
represents 5,500 independent firms, which employ almost 200,000 
professionals nationwide.
  No stranger to ACEC, Jim served as a national director, then vice 
president, prior to his selection last year as president-elect. He has 
advanced steadily through the ranks of the organization, first with the 
Consulting Engineers Council of Maryland [CEC/MD], where he served in 
all the leadership posts, from secretary to president. His strong 
commitment to these professional organizations is clearly evident.
  Jim has spent the last 28 years at George, Miles & Buhr, the largest 
civil

[[Page S4037]]

engineering firm on the Delmarva Peninsula. The firm, which employs 
about 50 people, specializes in water and wastewater treatment systems 
and devotes 80 percent of its time to engineering projects. In 1993, 
George, Miles & Buhr received Engineering Excellence Awards from both 
ACEC and CEC/MD for its design of a biological nutrient removal 
demonstration plant at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant in 
Baltimore.
  In addition to his professional achievements, Jim is a most dedicated 
and effective public servant.
  His pro bono work on a crisis center for battered spouses earned him 
the honor of Rotarian of the Year in 1995. He is currently a director 
of the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Jim has served 
as president of the board at Trinity United Methodist Church and as a 
member of the boards of the Peninsula Regional Medical Center, the 
United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore, and the Salisbury-Wicomico 
Economic Development Corp. He has also been a long-time supporter of 
the Holly Center Foundation for the severely retarded.
  As a parent and strong supporter of the public school system, Jim has 
served as president of the PTA's of both Fruitland Elementary and 
Bennett Middle Schools, where he and his wife, Kaye, sent their three 
children Andy, Tricia, and Betsy. For his efforts, the Maryland PTA 
gave Jim the Gold Seal Award.
  Jim also has been honored by the Governor's Salute to Excellence. 
Both the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore and the Holly Center 
Foundation have named him Volunteer of the Year. These honors are only 
a sampling of the many he has received in a lifetime of stellar 
community service.
  A native of Cambridge, MD, and a graduate of the University of 
Maryland, College Park, where he earned his B.S. in civil engineering, 
the Salisbury community is truly fortunate to have claimed Jim Thomas 
for its own.
  As ACEC's next president, Jim follows in the footsteps of another 
Marylander, Andrew J. Parker Jr., who was ACEC president from 1990-91. 
Likening the ACEC position to that of CEO of a large corporation--
without the pay--Parker praised the leadership abilities of his 
Salisbury colleague last week.
  Mr. President, in a newspaper interview, Jim Thomas said that his 
activism in ACEC is rooted in a desire ``to give something back'' to 
the profession. Clearly, he has already done so and, now, as president 
of the ACEC, he will have a further opportunity to make a contribution. 
It is gratifying to see him accorded this national recognition. I wish 
him continued success in this, and all of his future endeavors.

                          ____________________