H.T. Person Lecture 2001

Engineering Behind the 2002 Winter Olympics Bobsled/Luge Track

Our Homecoming guests are in for treat! H.T. Person Lecturer J. Howard Van Boerum will discuss how Salt Lake City, Utah secured the 2002 Winter Olympics with emphasis on the design and construction of the Utah Olympic Park and the Bobsled/Luge Track.

Mr. Van Boerum is president and CEO of Van Boerum & Frank Associates, Inc. (VBFA), designers of the Bobsled/Luge Track. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, with branch offices in American Fork and St. George, VBFA is a 49-person consulting firm with 30 years experience in mechanical, civil and geotechnical engineering. The Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce named VBFA Small Business of the Year in 2000. The firm also received the 2000 Giant Step Award for Small Business of the Year.

A Utah native, Van Boerum was born in Ogden , attended Weber State College on a music scholarship, and graduated from the University of Utah in 1962 with a BS in mechanical engineering

His career has focused on technically challenging projects with the majority of his time spent designing hospitals and research facilities such as the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Other design projects have included the Bobsled/Luge Track at the Utah Winter Sports Park, the Oquirrh Park Speed Skating Oval, the Salt Palace Convention Center, the McKay Dee Hospital, and the Scott M. Matheson Courts Complex.

In 1993, Van Boerum was elected Fellow of the American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC) for his contributes to the consulting engineering professional. The same year, Utah Engineers Council honored him with the prestigious Engineer of the Year Award. Other honors include the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineer's (ASHRAE) Engineer of the Year in 1986 and 1993, Consulting Engineers Council of Utah's (CECU Engineer of the Year in 1988, and CECU's Engineering Excellence Award in 1991

Recently, Van Boerum was the recipient of first place honors on both the regional and national levels for the Utah Winter Park Sports Park Bobsled/Luge Track and Ammonia Refrigeration Plant.

It is our pleasure to welcome J.Howard Van Boerum as this year's H.T. Person Distinguished Lecturer.