The Masonry Society’s Board of Directors approved bestowing Honorary Membership status on David T. Biggs, of Ryan-Biggs Associates, for his significant and continued contributions to both the Society and to the masonry industry as a whole.
Biggs is one of the foremost experts on masonry, and his list of accomplishments is impressive and inspiring, encompassing both development of new masonry technologies and evaluation and preservation of existing masonry. In recent years, Biggs may be most well known for his evaluation of masonry affected by the World Trade Center disaster, which he performed with the Building Performance Assessment Team as a representative of TMS. His informative report on his findings, and his moving testimonies of his experience on-site, furthered Biggs’ reputation as one of the most well known and respected experts on masonry. But Biggs has been making major contributions to masonry design, evaluation, and repairs throughout his impressive career. He has been an advocate for masonry, and has developed and furthered a variety of masonry systems and products. A strong proponent of prestressed masonry, Biggs has chaired the Masonry Standards Joint Committee’s Prestressed Masonry Subcommittee for over 10 years, and has helped others learn about the system by authoring numerous papers and guides, including authoring the prestressed masonry sections of the Masonry Designers’ Guide.
He also has extensive background related to the evaluation, repair and restoration of masonry, and because of his knowledge and expertise, he currently serves as a preservation consultant to the Republic of Egypt for the conservation and restoration of their masonry monuments and antiquities.
Biggs freely shares the knowledge he has gained about masonry, presenting dozens of presentations yearly and authoring numerous technical papers. He also gives his time generously serving on numerous committees, including accepting another nomination this year to serve again on TMS’s Board of Directors.
TMS will formally recognize David Biggs as their newest Honorary Member at the TMS Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City during the Awards Lunch Ceremony on Saturday, October 18, 2008. Please plan to be there to congratulate him, or send him your best wishes if you can not attend.
