Joe Ellam, former Director of DEP’s Bureau of Dams and Waterway Management, passed away this week. He was 69.

A Registered Professional Engineer, Joe retired from the Department of Environmental Protection after nearly 40 years of public service and even after retirement provided his expertise on projects all over Pennsylvania and throughout the United States.

He was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the U.S. Society of Dams and was the first president of the Association of State Dame Safety Officials. He also served on the Peer review Teams for the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state of Alaska.

He was also founder and recipient of the Man of the Year Award from the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Harrisburg.

“Joe was the epitome of what it means to be a public servant and a true professional,” said David E. Hess, former Secretary of DEP. “His knowledge of engineering for dams and flood control were unequaled and he had an encyclopedic memory of dams and flood control structures all over the state. His expertise and quiet confidence will be missed.”

Links: Joseph J. Ellam, Add Your Remembrances

9/8/2006