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1936-2018
Joseph A. Ahearn
Joseph A. (Bud) Ahearn passed away on July 11, 2018, in Greenwood Village, Colorado. He was 81 years old.
At the National Academy of Construction, he was a Platinum Life Member and served as president of the Academy in 2013-14. At his induction to NAC in 2005, Bud was noted for his extraordinary leadership in major air, space, and public transportation programs throughout the world.
Bud was born in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1936 and grew up in St. Louis. He had the ability at an early age to make everyone he met feel good about themselves. His acts of kindness and his humble nature were learned from his family and his Jesuit education, and he lived to serve others. As a kid in South St. Louis, he was the best baseball player on his street, meaning he got to choose first for his team. To the consternation of the other players, Bud always picked as his first choice an uncoordinated boy who wanted desperately to be part of the group. This led to a meaningful event in Bud’s life. One day the father of the boy always chosen first asked Bud if he was good at math and science and if he liked bridges. Saying he did, Bud was then invited to this man’s office to see what the man did for a living, which was serving as chief engineer for a top U.S. bridge designer. Intrigued and astonished, young Bud thus realized then that he wanted to pursue a career devoted to engineering. He earned a civil engineering degree at Notre Dame while also playing varsity baseball, and then served in the U.S. Air Force for 34 years, retiring as a major general.
Bud loved the Air Force for its sense of excitement and shared purpose. During his career, he led and managed major global base construction and operations and helped create the USAF’s first environmental compliance programs. He also studied what he termed “the art and science of leadership.” He rose to become the top civil engineer in the Air Force and led the service’s construction programs worldwide.
His Air Force career included assignments for mission launch complexes, and he served as construction program manager for the Titan, Atlas, and Minuteman missile launch facilities. While in the Air Force, he earned a master’s degree in public policy and engineering management at Syracuse University, and then drew assignments that took him to Germany to work in intelligence in NATO as well as to Vietnam to command a combat engineering squadron. Later during a stint at the National Defense University where he earned a degree in military strategy, he was assigned to the Pentagon. Shortly thereafter, he assumed duties as the top civil engineer for the USAF European Headquarters in West Germany. His work there in nuclear weapons integration for NATO had a direct diplomatic impact that forced the disarmament of the former Soviet Union.
Among his many military awards and decorations are the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with "V" device, Federal Republic of Germany Army Cross of Honor in Gold, and Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal.
After a distinguished 34-year career in the Air Force, Bud joined CH2M in 1992 and enjoyed a 20-year career with the firm. He rose to become vice chairman of the board with responsibilities for strategic planning, governmental affairs, communications, and leadership development. He also served on two major transportation corridor projects in California and a multi-billion-dollar military base in South Korea. In addition, he contributed to the firm’s work on the Panama Canal and its numerous venues for the London Olympics. He retired from CH2M in 2012.
Bud did not slow down, however. He was a founding sponsor and governing board director of Engineers Without Borders USA., a 19,000-member force committed to strengthening the engineering profession. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineers, was a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), a member of ASCE’s Industry Leaders Council, and the past national president of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME). In 2013, Notre Dame University appointed him to its College of Engineering Advisory Council.
In addition to numerous military awards, the Air Force’s Noncommissioned Officer Corps of the USAF bestowed its highest honor, the Air Force Order of the Sword, to Bud for exceptional caring, commitment, and service to the enlisted force.
Other recognition includes the Notre Dame College of Engineering Honor Award for professional achievement and the Newman Medal from SAME for outstanding military engineering achievement in Europe. He was named an Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects, elected as a member of Tau Beta Pi, the honorary fraternity for engineering achievement, and the Archdioceses for the Military Services of the United States made him a Centurion. He also received the SAME Golden Eagle award for lifetime achievement, the 2010 ASCE OPAL Award for lifetime achievement, the Carroll H. Dunn Award of Excellence from the Construction Industry Institute. In 2017, he received the National Academy of Construction’s singular honor, the Ted C. Kennedy Award.
Bud was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Nona; his parents, Mary Ethel and Joseph Aloysius Ahearn; and his brother-in-law, Vincent Zucchero. He is survived by his children, Stacia Ahearn Andrews and grandsons, Robert and August Ahearn Andrews, all of Washington, D.C.; Gianna and Dave Zeh and grandsons, Nick and Cole Zeh, all of San Antonio, Texas; Trienel and Jim Hickman and grandchildren, Lawson and James Hickman, all of Macon, Georgia; Fallon and Abbey Ahearn and grandchildren, Nora and Oliver Ahearn, all of Dallas, Texas; and by his sisters, Marcia and her husband George Gemmingen of Ventura, California, and Mary Janice Zucchero of St. Louis, Missouri.
― Gene Lupia, 2018
At the National Academy of Construction, he was a Platinum Life Member and served as president of the Academy in 2013-14. At his induction to NAC in 2005, Bud was noted for his extraordinary leadership in major air, space, and public transportation programs throughout the world.
Bud was born in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1936 and grew up in St. Louis. He had the ability at an early age to make everyone he met feel good about themselves. His acts of kindness and his humble nature were learned from his family and his Jesuit education, and he lived to serve others. As a kid in South St. Louis, he was the best baseball player on his street, meaning he got to choose first for his team. To the consternation of the other players, Bud always picked as his first choice an uncoordinated boy who wanted desperately to be part of the group. This led to a meaningful event in Bud’s life. One day the father of the boy always chosen first asked Bud if he was good at math and science and if he liked bridges. Saying he did, Bud was then invited to this man’s office to see what the man did for a living, which was serving as chief engineer for a top U.S. bridge designer. Intrigued and astonished, young Bud thus realized then that he wanted to pursue a career devoted to engineering. He earned a civil engineering degree at Notre Dame while also playing varsity baseball, and then served in the U.S. Air Force for 34 years, retiring as a major general.
Bud loved the Air Force for its sense of excitement and shared purpose. During his career, he led and managed major global base construction and operations and helped create the USAF’s first environmental compliance programs. He also studied what he termed “the art and science of leadership.” He rose to become the top civil engineer in the Air Force and led the service’s construction programs worldwide.
His Air Force career included assignments for mission launch complexes, and he served as construction program manager for the Titan, Atlas, and Minuteman missile launch facilities. While in the Air Force, he earned a master’s degree in public policy and engineering management at Syracuse University, and then drew assignments that took him to Germany to work in intelligence in NATO as well as to Vietnam to command a combat engineering squadron. Later during a stint at the National Defense University where he earned a degree in military strategy, he was assigned to the Pentagon. Shortly thereafter, he assumed duties as the top civil engineer for the USAF European Headquarters in West Germany. His work there in nuclear weapons integration for NATO had a direct diplomatic impact that forced the disarmament of the former Soviet Union.
Among his many military awards and decorations are the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with "V" device, Federal Republic of Germany Army Cross of Honor in Gold, and Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal.
After a distinguished 34-year career in the Air Force, Bud joined CH2M in 1992 and enjoyed a 20-year career with the firm. He rose to become vice chairman of the board with responsibilities for strategic planning, governmental affairs, communications, and leadership development. He also served on two major transportation corridor projects in California and a multi-billion-dollar military base in South Korea. In addition, he contributed to the firm’s work on the Panama Canal and its numerous venues for the London Olympics. He retired from CH2M in 2012.
Bud did not slow down, however. He was a founding sponsor and governing board director of Engineers Without Borders USA., a 19,000-member force committed to strengthening the engineering profession. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineers, was a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), a member of ASCE’s Industry Leaders Council, and the past national president of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME). In 2013, Notre Dame University appointed him to its College of Engineering Advisory Council.
In addition to numerous military awards, the Air Force’s Noncommissioned Officer Corps of the USAF bestowed its highest honor, the Air Force Order of the Sword, to Bud for exceptional caring, commitment, and service to the enlisted force.
Other recognition includes the Notre Dame College of Engineering Honor Award for professional achievement and the Newman Medal from SAME for outstanding military engineering achievement in Europe. He was named an Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects, elected as a member of Tau Beta Pi, the honorary fraternity for engineering achievement, and the Archdioceses for the Military Services of the United States made him a Centurion. He also received the SAME Golden Eagle award for lifetime achievement, the 2010 ASCE OPAL Award for lifetime achievement, the Carroll H. Dunn Award of Excellence from the Construction Industry Institute. In 2017, he received the National Academy of Construction’s singular honor, the Ted C. Kennedy Award.
Bud was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Nona; his parents, Mary Ethel and Joseph Aloysius Ahearn; and his brother-in-law, Vincent Zucchero. He is survived by his children, Stacia Ahearn Andrews and grandsons, Robert and August Ahearn Andrews, all of Washington, D.C.; Gianna and Dave Zeh and grandsons, Nick and Cole Zeh, all of San Antonio, Texas; Trienel and Jim Hickman and grandchildren, Lawson and James Hickman, all of Macon, Georgia; Fallon and Abbey Ahearn and grandchildren, Nora and Oliver Ahearn, all of Dallas, Texas; and by his sisters, Marcia and her husband George Gemmingen of Ventura, California, and Mary Janice Zucchero of St. Louis, Missouri.
― Gene Lupia, 2018
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