Elsie Eaves

Elsie Eaves (May 5, 1898 – March 27, 1983) was the first female associate member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and a founding member of the American Association of Cost Engineers (now AACE International; the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering).

Life

The Idaho Springs, Colorado-born Eaves earned her civil engineering degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1920. Eaves began her engineering experience before she received her university degree. She was a draftsman for the United States Bureau of Public Roads in Denver, Colorado, and then the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company. In 1926 she started working for McGraw-Hill in New York City for the Engineering News-Record Department.Also Eaves was publication and sales manager of the McGraw-Hill Construction Daily. 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. She was the first 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 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, aged 84.

Achievements

• 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.
• First woman to receive the Honorary Life Membership Award from the American Association of Cost Engineers.
• First woman to receive the International Executive Service Corps "Service to Country" Award.
• First woman to receive the Award of Merit from the American Association of Cost Engineers.

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
• Kay, Sons & Daughters, Ltd., Dartmouth, Devon, England
• 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

• Portrait of Elsie Eaves, reuther.wayne.edu

Bibliography

• Elsie Eaves (2009). "Civil Engineering". In Layne, Margaret E.,Editor. (ed.). Women In Engineering: Professional Life. Reston, Virginia: American Society of Civil Engineers Press. ISBN 9780784409916. {{cite book}}: |editor1-first= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)

Further reading

• Layne, Margaret (2009). Women in engineering: Pioneers and trailblazers. Reston, VA: ASCE Press. ISBN 9780784472354.