2002 Honorary Members

Vitelmo V. Bertero  

"in recognition of his life long efforts to improve concrete construction in seismic regions around the world through his inspired teaching and research in earthquake engineering"

itelmo V. Bertero is Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering and a Research Engineer at the Earthquake Engineering Research Center (EERC) and the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Center of the University of California at Berkeley, CA, where he has been on the faculty for 44 years. He retired from teaching in 1991.

An ACI member since 1955 and a Fellow since 1975, Bertero received the ACI Structural Research Award in 1987 and the Arthur R. Anderson Award in 1990. Other notable honors include the George W. Housner Award from the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute in 1995; the Nathan M. Newmark Medal in 1991; the First International Gold Medal Eduardo Torroja from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Spain in 1991; the Berkeley Citation, from the University of California in 1991; the 1991 NOVA Award from the Construction Innovation Forum; the Engineering’s News Record’s Construction’s 1990 Man of the Year Award; the Croes Medal in 1989; and ASCE’s Moissief Award in 1987.

Bertero is a Fellow of ASCE, as well as a member of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering, the Academy of Sciences of Argentina, the Academy of Engineering of Argentina, and the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. He is also an Honorary Member of the Structural Engineering Association of California, the Instituto de Ciencias de la Construcción Eduardo Torroja, and the Structural Engineering Association of Argentina. He serves as Honorary President of the Ibero-Americana Society of Seismic Engineering, and is a life member of the Indian Society of Earthquake Technology. He is an Honorary Professor of eight Latin American universities, where he has received the title of “Doctorado Honoris Causa en Ingenieria” from two of them.

His primary research interest is in earthquake engineering, with an emphasis on non-linear behavior of reinforced concrete and steel structures, and seismic design. He has received more than 70 awards and honors for his teaching and publications on the seismic-resistant design of structures, and has authored more than 360 papers and reports on this subject.

A native of Argentina, Bertero received his degree in civil engineering from the Facultad de Ciencias Matemáticas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Rosario, Argentina, where he served on the faculty before moving to the U.S. He received an MS and a PhD in science in 1955 and 1957, respectively, from MIT, Cambridge, MA.

George C. Hoff  

"in recognition of his unsurpassed leadership and dedication to the Institute, and for his unstinting gifts of time, talent, and expertise"

eorge C. Hoff is President of Hoff Consulting, LLC, Clinton, MS. He has over 40 years’ experience working with concrete materials and structures.

An ACI member since 1962, Hoff became a Fellow in 1976 and has received the Henry L. Kennedy Award, 1983; the Wason Medal for Materials Research, 1984; the Chapter Activities Award, 1987; the Wason Medal for Most Meritorious Paper, 1994; and the Cedric Willson Award, 1995.

Hoff is the founder, first president, and a current member of ACI’s Mid-South Chapter and Managing Director of the Concrete Innovations Appraisal Service (CIAS) of the Strategic Development Council (SDC) of ConREF. Currently, he is a member of ACI Committees 223, Shrinkage-Compensating Concrete; 335, Composite and Hybrid Structures; 357, Offshore and Marine Concrete Structures; 523, Cellular Concrete; 544, Fiber Reinforced Concrete; and 548, Polymers in Concrete. Other memberships include the Reinforced Concrete Research Council (RCRC); the Technical Activities Committee’s High-Performance Concrete Committee, the International Conference Steering Committee, and the ISO TC-71 Advisory Committee. He is a Past President of ACI (1993-1994) and a past member of the Board of Direction.

Hoff received a BS degree in civil engineering in 1961, an MS degree in theoretical and applied mechanics in 1968 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a PhD in civil engineering in 1981 from Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. He has been a registered professional engineer in the State of Mississippi since 1965.

George F. Leyh  

“in recognition of his many years of leadership as Executive Vice President during which he stabilized the financial foundation of the Institute and promoted new directions for the membership”

eorge F. Leyh, ACI’s former Executive Vice President, retired in 1998 after nearly 23 years in the position. Some highlights of Leyh’s tenure at ACI include the implementation of Long-Range Planning (now Strategic Planning); expansion of technical and educational activities; and the initiation of a series of ACI certification programs aimed at improving construction quality. He also supervised the launch of Concrete International in 1979 and the pioneering of two separate ACI JournalsBthe ACI Structural Journal and the ACI Materials Journal. After a successful fundraising effort, a new ACI headquarters building was constructed in Farmington Hills, MI, and dedicated in 1996.

Under Leyh’s direction, ACI increased its focus on international activities, with the Institute assuming the secretariat position of ISO Committee TC-71 on concrete. Leyh served as Chairman of this committee until his retirement. The Concrete Research and Development Council (ConREF) was also established to further the Institute’s efforts in research and education, and Leyh was instrumental in the formation of the Strategic Development Council (SDC) under ConREF to encourage practical research within the concrete industry.

As the Institute’s chief staff officer, Leyh was an Ex-Officio Member of both the Board of Direction and the Executive Committee. He also served as President of ConREF and ACI’s for-profit subsidiary, Association Concepts Ltd., which was created to provide management services to other organizations. Until recently, he served on the Board of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society for Concrete Construction (ASCC).

Prior to becoming an ACI staff member, Leyh served as member and Chairman to various ACI technical committees, including Committee 318, Structural Concrete Building Code. An ACI Fellow, Leyh received the Delmar L. Bloem Distinguished Service Award in 1972 for his contributions on Committee 318 and other ACI committees, and the Henry C. Turner Medal in 2000 “for his leadership in administration and technical activities of ACI over many years.”

A native of upstate New York, he received his BCE and MS in structural engineering from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. His career history prior to joining ACI includes work with engineering firms in Syracuse, NY, and Chicago, IL; the Portland Cement Association; and the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute.

Bertold E. Weinberg  

“for his long and dedicated service to the Institute and with special recognition of his outstanding efforts supporting and expanding the scholarship program”

ertold E. Weinberg, retired, has 44 years’ experience as a structural and construction engineer. He has worked for engineering firms, contractors, developers, and government agencies in Albany and Delmar, NY; Pittsburgh, PA;and Chicago, IL. He was involved in the design and construction of numerous facilities, including Marina City (1959-1963), which were the world’s tallest concrete buildings at that time (588 ft.). For the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, he was responsible for the rehabilitation of dormitories on 29 state university campuses.In addition, he formulated and implemented agency-wide policies that impacted the design and construction of all of the agency’s various structures.

After fleeing Nazi Germany, Weinberg came to the U.S. in 1940.He served in the military in World War II and retired as a Colonel from the Army Reserve, Corps of Engineers, in 1981.

He is currently Chairman of the Scholarship Council and ACI Committee C 630, Construction Inspector Certification.He is also a member and former Chairman of ACI Committees 311, Inspection of Concrete; 362, Parking Structures; C 620, Laboratory Technician Certification; C 630-T, Concrete Transportation Construction Inspector Certification; the Responsibility in Concrete Construction Committee; and is a Trustee of the Concrete Research and Education Foundation (ConREF). He has served on the ACI Board of Direction, the Financial Advisory Committee (FAC), and the Certification Programs Committee, and is a past member and Chairman of Committee 348, Structural Safety, and Past President of ACI’s Eastern New York Chapter. In 1977, he was awarded the Henry L. Kennedy Award.

Weinberg received his BCE from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, and his Master of Public Administration from the State University of New York in Albany.