Elsie Eaves (born May 5, 1898 in Idaho Springs, Colorado) is the first female associate member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and a founding member of the American Association of Cost Engineers. May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Idaho Springs is a city located in Clear Creek County, Colorado. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is a professional body, founded in 1852, to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. ...

Life

In 1920, Elsie Eavese earned her civil engineering degree at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The CU Boulder campus. ...

In 1926 she started working for McGraw-Hill in New York City in the Engineering News-Record Department and, in 1927, she was the first woman admitted to full membership to the American Society of Civil Engineers. In 1945, she became the manager of Business News. The McGraw-Hill Companies logo. ...

She was the fist woman to be admitted to the American Association of Cost Engineers in 1957.

She retired in 1963, but continued practicing as an adviser to the National Commission on Urban Affairs on the subject of housing costs. She also advised the International Executive Service Corps about construction costs in Iran.

In 1974, she received the George Norlin Silver Medal, the highest alumni award given by the University of Colorado and, in 1979, she was the first woman to receive an honorary lifetime membership to the American Association of Cost Engineers. Elsie Eaves died March 27, 1983 in Roslyn, New York.

Firsts include:

Made first national inventory of municipal and industrial sewage disposal facilities in the USA in 1929, updated and improved it in >35, >39, >45, >53 for Engineering News-Record (then the U S Health Service started its inventory using practically the same format and made continuation of the ENR surveys unnecessary.

Started and expanded the Construction Cost Issues of Engineering News-Record ... the international construction materials prices, wages and cost index reporting in ENR ... the Where the Building Dollar Goes series in ENR ... the ENR Building Cost Index

Defined the territory to be covered and developed the pilot issues of McGraw-Hill's Construction Daily Newsletter. Managed this nation-wide service

Organized and directed the measurement by Engineering :News-Record of Post War Planning by the Construction Industry ... This was used by the Committee for Economic Development and the American Society of Civil Engineers as the official progress report of the Construction Industry on work that could go ahead promptly at the close of WWII

Converted these "Post War Planning" statistics to develop the first continuous inventory of construction in the planning stage. This involved measuring the flow in of new projects on which planning was starting, the "reservoir" of projects on which planning and design were proceeding and the flow out into active construction. This became ENR's Backlog of Proposed Construction with more than 126 billion worth of projects in the "reservoir" in the 60s

In 1933-35 organized and directed for ENR the identification and listing of construction projects that could go ahead if $3.5 billion in financing were provided. This project-by-project evidence throughout the USA helped to pass the Federal Loan-Grant legislation to re-energize construction activity and help to break the 1932-35 depression. This first "inventory" of needed construction laid the groundwork for ENR's $126 billion Backlog of Proposed Construction

First Woman: to be elected Associate Member, Member, Fellow, Life Member, of the American Society of Civil Engineers ... first woman and first civil engineer to be elected as Member, American Association of Cost Engineers (originally only chemical engineers eligible) ... first woman elected as Chapter Honor Member, Chi Epsilon Fraternity ... first woman to receive the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award from the College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado ... to receive the Honorary Life Membership Award from the American Association of Cost Engineers ... to receive the International Executive Service Corps "Service to Country" Award ... to receive the Award of Merit from the American Association of Cost Engineers

February 1979

Professional Records

1963- CONSULTANT, including:

1977-80 Member, international advisory Editorial Board, "Engineering and Process Economics", Elsevier Scientific Publishing Compaq, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

1974 Consultant to Plan and Budget Organization, Tehran, Iran, on construction cost indexes and escalation systems as Executive Volunteer for International Executive Service Corps, New York

1968-69 Civilian Advisor on housing costs to National Commission on Urban Problems, Paul Douglas, Chairman, Washington, D. C.

1966 Ghost writer for college course on construction cost indexes

1964-65 Consultant on research, staffing and establishment of National Building News Service, Harrisville, N. H.

1961- Trustee responsible for investments under will providing income to heir for life, then capital to fund scholarships at the University of Denver

1914-63 EMPLOYMENT, including:

1932-63 Manager, Business News (now Construction Economics) Department, Engineering News-Record, Construction Methods & Equipment and Construction Daily, McGraw-Hill Company, Inc. (Retired) Was in charge of 125 construction project field reporters, 20 price reporters and an office staff of 25. Besides cost index, cost, price and wage reporting, was responsible for compiling and reporting engineering construction activity volume statistics and analyzing and forecasting trends

1926-32 Director of Market Surveys, Engineering News-Record and Construction Methods & Equipment. Editor of "Construction Markets" monthly newsletter. Responsibilities included field research and market reports on construction materials, equipment and services

1922-25 Office Engineer for Col. Herbert S. Crocker, Consulting Engineer and for Crocker & Fisher, Contractors, Denver, Colorado. Work included cost estimating and control, specification writing, some engineering design, purchasing for construction camps in Colorado and Wyoming, hiring and shipping laborers to them, some visits to field projects to smooth out personnel problems

1921 Aug.-Dec. Draftsman, Colorado State Highway Department Jan.-June Instructor, engineering mathematics, College of Engineering, University of Colorado

1918-20 Secretary to Dean and Office Manager, College of Engineering,

1920 June Graduated BS(CE) University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado

1918 Summer Draftsman, Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, Valuation Department

1917 Summer Draftsman, U. S. Bureau of Public Roads, Denver, Colorado Computed cut and fill on Durango-Silverton highway

1914 Computer for Walter Funk, Mining Engineer, Idaho Springs, Colorado on mining surveys for patenting mining claims

Professional & Civic Honors & Activities

1975 Certificate of Recognition for pioneering in Civil and Cost Engineering --- Society of Women Engineers

1974 George Norlin Silver Medal, University of Colorado (highest Alumni Award) "Service to Country's Award (silver tray) b-- International Executive Service Corps

1973 Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado Honorary Life Member --- American Association of Cost Engineers

1970 Tau Beta Pi, Colorado Beta 1967 Award of Merit --- American Association of Cost Engineers 1958 Chapter Honor Member, Chi Epsilon Fraternity, University of Colorado

American Society of Civil Engineers, Fellow ... Member, National Applications Review Committee; Chairman, Local Qualifications Committee No. 3, Dist. 1, 1968-73; ASCE representative on American Standards Committee Y 1, Technical Abbreviations, 1956-_; Secretary, National Committee on Estimating and Cost Control, Construction Division, 1960-69, Chairman Sub-Committee on Organization of Estimating Department. (report published in ENR and ASCE Journal of Construction Division)

American Association of Cost Engineers ... Chairman, International Cost Index Committee, 1965-69; Chairman, Coordinating Committee, 1961-65; RACE representative on Engineers Joint Council Technical Planning Committee, 1963-67

Society of Women Engineers, Life Member ... Member, Board of Trustees, Secretary-Treasurer of Board, 1959-74; Public Relations Chairman, First International Conference of Women Engineers & Scientists, New York, 1964; SWE Delegate to Technical Societies Council of New York, Member of Board of Directors, TSCNY, Chairman, Sub-Committee on Public Relations for TSCNY Science & Engineering Career Conference, 1956, for all junior and senior high school students in Greater New York

Women's Engineering Society of Great Britain, London, England, Member New York State Society of Professional Engineers, Life Member, Queens Chapter Colorado Society of Engineers, Denver, Life Member

North Shore Science Museum, Leeds Pond Preserve, Plandome Manor, N. Y. Member Board of Administrators, Administrative Vice President, 1970-72, Secretary, 1973-75, Member Board of Trustees, 1975-_

Member: Women's Council, New York Public Library ... Pi Beta Phi Sorority Altrusa International) Altrusa Club of New York, President 1940-42, Honorary, 1972-_

1955 Committee on Retirement Policy, Governor Harriman's Conference on Problems of the Aging, New York State... Delegate, Conference on Utilization of Woman Power, Women's Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor, Washington

1943-46 Regional Speaker's Vice-chairman and Member National Marketing Committee of the Committee for Economic Development, New York

Biographical Listings

• Who's Who in America, 1978-79, 1980-81
• Who's Who of American Women, 1975 - 1979-80
• Who's Who in Engineering, 1976 EJC
• Engineers of Distinction, Engineers Joint Council
• The Two Thousand Women of Achievement, 1970,
• Kay, Sons & Daughters, Ltd., Dartmouth, Devon, England
• The World Who'WHWho of Women, 1973-79, Cambridge, England
• International Who's Who in Community Service, 1974, Cambridge, England
• Dictionary on International Biography, 1973-1979-80, Cambridge, England. Community Leaders and Noteworthy Americans, American Biographical Institute, 1975-1979-80
• Personalities of America, 1978 ... The Library of Congress, Washington, D. C., 1976
• video-taped biographical interview, Port Washington, N. Y. Public Library, 1971

External links

• Elsie Eaves bio at distinguishedwomen.com