UPDATED: 2024-02-10
The Masonry Society has named Dr. Richard M. Bennett as an Honorary Member for his numerous contributions related to masonry education, codes, and standards. Dr. Richard Bennett is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Tennessee. Within TMS, Dr. Bennett’s contributions have been significant, He has been very active in the TMS 402/602 Code Committee. He was vice-chair for the 2013 code, chair for the 2016 code, and served as 2nd vice-chair for the 2022 code and is serving in this same role for the 2028 code. He was instrumental in producing the 2016 code which had fewer pages than the previous edition. He was also instrumental in going to a six-year code cycle. He was the editor of the 2022 Masonry Designers’ Guide and co-authored a new Strength Design of Masonry.
The nominator expressed the views of all who know Dr. Bennett noting: “Dick’s tireless dedication to the advancement of the masonry industry and TMS is evident through his lifetime of volunteering and educating many on masonry topics”. During the consideration of the nomination by the Board of Director’s of The Masonry Society, Board members unanimously approved the nomination, and offered dozens of comments in support of the nomination including “I can think of no one more deserving of this honor. He is an inspiration, generous with his time, and the best true teacher, I’ve ever had the honor of working with!” Another Board Member noted: “Dick has been a mentor to me, as well as to many students and professionals. He has always been an encouragement to me in my TMS work. I cannot think of anyone that represents the masonry community better than Dick Bennett.” Coincidentally, during the consideration of this nomination, TMS received another nomination for Dr. Bennett for Honorary Membership consideration from another group of individuals highlighting the respect he has earned from the entire masonry technical community. The initial nominator concluded their nomination with “His approachable, self-deprecating style makes learning from him easy and enjoyable. It is hard to fully capture the impact he has had on the masonry industry and so many individuals, but I cannot think of anyone more deserving of the title Honorary Member of TMS.”
Dr. Bennett has received nearly every TMS Award for his work and contributions including North American Masonry Conference Paper Award (2011), TMS Journal Paper Award (4 papers), TMS Service Award (2011), the John B. Scalzi Research Award (2014), President’s Award (2016) and TMS’s second highest honorary, being named a Fellow of the Society (2012). Dr. Bennett is now just the 18th Honorary Member of the Society, so that he carries the distinctions of MTMS (Member of TMS), FTMS (Fellow of TMS), and now HTMS (Honorary Member of TMS)
The Masonry Society will formally recognize Dr. Bennett at its 2024 Annual Meeting in Portland, Maine on October 17, 2024. We hope you will be able to be there to honor him.
Honorary Membership is the highest honor that TMS can bestow on a Member, and the individual must receive unanimous approval by the Board of Directors. The designation of Honorary Membership recognizes individuals who have attained acknowledged eminence related to masonry research, design, or construction. As noted, Dr. Bennett is only the 18th Honorary Member of The Masonry Society.
