Black Engineer

For the fifth consecutive year, Career Communications Group Inc. is using Baltimore as the setting for its Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference and Television Special.The title is misleading, since the three-day conference is as much a media happening and public relations tool as an awards ceremony.The concept is the brainchild of Tyrone Taborn, president and publisher of Career Communications -- a city-based firm that publishes three magazines geared toward minority engineers.Mr.

An Army engineer was honored Feb. 9 as the Black Engineer of the Year, Most Promising Engineer - Government category at the BEYA STEM Conference in Washington, D.C. Moses K. Mingle, a supervisory electronics engineer for the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command's communications-electronics center, or CERDEC, was named most promising engineer for his contributions in the field electronic warfare countermeasures. Mingle serves as branch chief for the Electronic Warfare Systems, Ground Branch in CERDEC's Intelligence & Information Warfare Directorate, or I2WD.

His parents knew he was good in math, but when Mark E. Dean brought home his first algebra book, even they were a little skeptical. It's not that they doubted their son was bright -- but he was only in the first grade. Now, Dean, 42, holds more than 30 patents or pending patents and is an IBM fellow, the company's highest technical ranking. In 1997, he was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame for his work on the early personal computers. This evening, he will be honored as the 2000 Black Engineer of the Year.

For more than two decades, thousands of engineers, scientists and mathematicians have come to Baltimore for the Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference - an annual economic infusion for the city's hotels and restaurants. It was an event the city's tourism industry could count on year after year, in its peak bringing in as many as 9,000 people and nearly $10 million in spending during the slow winter season. But conference organizers, lured by perks and incentives, plan to move the conference in February 2011 to Washington, when it will celebrate its 25th anniversary.

Tyrone Taborn was reminded how difficult it is to keep young students interested in math and science when his 11-year-old daughter announced one day that she no longer liked math. Courtney has since regained her interest, but Taborn worries that too many other youngsters, particularly African-Americans, aren't taking the science and math classes that can prepare them for careers in engineering and technology. "It's our responsibility to make sure we're stakeholders in the well-being of the next generation," Taborn said.

This is Melissa Young's resume:The Western High School graduate entered Morgan State University at age 16. She graduated at age 20 with an electrical engineering degree. By age 22, Ms. Young had her master's degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University. Now all of 23, Ms. Young lives in Los Angeles, where she works as an engineer at Hughes Space and Communications Co.She also won the 1994 Black Engineer of the Year award for "Most Promising Engineer." The award is sponsored by the Council of Engineering Deans of the historically black colleges and universities, US Black Engineer magazine and others.

Fifth-grader Brianna Hollimon thinks she'd make a good lawyer when she grows up because she's effective at defending her friends when they get picked on. She's also thinking about becoming a doctor because she likes to help people. But she also might go into nursing. "Just in case I don't make it to doctor, that's my backup plan," said Brianna, who goes to Cross Country Elementary School in Northwest Baltimore. On her days off, she'll act. "That's what I'll do in my spare time when I'm not in surgery," she said.

Paul L. Caldwell Jr.'s technological achievements have resulted in two patents and corporate posts on four continents. Today, he is being honored as the 1999 Black Engineer of the Year.Caldwell, chairman and managing director of Mobil Producing Nigeria Inc., an affiliate of Mobil Corp., is to receive the top honor this evening as the 13th annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference ends its three-day run at the Baltimore Convention Center.Dean's Award: William J. Neal, Ph.D., MITRE Corp.

Arthur E. Johnson isn't a surprising recipient of the prestigious Black Engineer of the Year award for 1997.As president of Lockheed Martin Federal Systems, he's in charge of 8,000 employees who develop, sell and deliver information solutions to the Defense Department, civilian federal agencies and other customers.Johnson, 49, has 27 years of experience in military and government technology as exotic as mine-hunting submarine sonars and as commonplace as mechanical mail sorters.But his selection for the national award, given Saturday in Baltimore, was hardly a no-brainer.

Lydia W. Thomas learned early in life about meeting high expectations. As the only child of the principal and the head guidance counselor at her all-black high school in Portsmouth, Va., Thomas was constantly in the spotlight. "It's like being a preacher's kid in a small town," she said. "You're everybody's kid and eyes are on you at all times." She disliked all the attention as a teen-ager, but now this year's recipient of the annual Black Engineer of the Year Award attributes growing up in a tight-knit community with much of her success.

Art Powell, a retired Black & Decker engineer, died of brain cancer Friday at the Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. The Baldwin resident was 76. Born Arthur W. Powell in Chester, Pa., he earned a mechanical engineering degree at Drexel University, where he was in Army ROTC and the marching band. He served in the Army in Huntsville, Ala. While at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency Space Program at the Redstone Arsenal, he worked with German-born rocket scientist Oscar Holderer. Mr. Powell returned to the arsenal in 1983 and found that the wind tunnel he designed and constructed was still in use, family members said.

It was the kind of day sailors don't exactly appreciate. Hot, and nary a breeze. Which meant very slow going for participants in the 18th annual Sail for Sight Regatta, staged every year by the Magothy River Sailing Association and Baltimore City Yacht Association to benefit the Foundation Fighting Blindness. The big fight on this particular afternoon, however, was just trying to stay in the race. Good thing there were coolers of iced beer and trays of hot dogs and hamburgers waiting for the frazzled sailors as they slowly made their way to the regatta party at the Baltimore Inner Harbor Marine Center.

These events are scheduled at the Baltimore Convention Center, Howard and Pratt streets. Feb. 6 Baltimore Bridal Show. Estimated attendance: 2,000+. Feb. 6 Black Heritage Art Expo. Estimated attendance: 1,000. Feb. 7-15 Auto Show. Estimated attendance: 30,000+. Feb. 12 Maryland Association for Health Care Recruitment meeting. Estimated attendance: 100+. Contact number: 847-769- 8063. Feb. 17-19 Black Engineer of the Year Award. Estimated attendance: 5,000. Contact number: 410-244-7101.

At 16, Anthony R. James almost dropped out of school. His father had lost an arm in a car accident, and James wanted to work in the mines to help support his family. But his mother told him to stay in school - the family "would make it." Years later, James became the second black engineer to graduate from the University of South Florida in Tampa. He went on to break barriers. He became the first black plant manager for Southern Co., an electricity firm that services the Southeast. And nearly three years ago, he became the first black CEO of a major organization in Savannah, Ga., when he was named head of Savannah Electric and Power Co. This weekend, James will be honored as the 2004 Black Engineer of the Year at an annual conference in Baltimore.

Maryland celebrates Black Business Week with a number of events in the Baltimore region. The 18th Annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference, to be held from Thursday through Saturday at the Baltimore Convention Center, is expected to have a large economic impact on the city. More than 7,000 participants, including at least 3,500 corporate executives from out of town, are expected to attend, according to Tyrone D. Taborn, chairman and CEO of Baltimore-based Career Communications Group Inc. He also is the event's founder.

Lydia W. Thomas learned early in life about meeting high expectations. As the only child of the principal and the head guidance counselor at her all-black high school in Portsmouth, Va., Thomas was constantly in the spotlight. "It's like being a preacher's kid in a small town," she said. "You're everybody's kid and eyes are on you at all times." She disliked all the attention as a teen-ager, but now this year's recipient of the annual Black Engineer of the Year Award attributes growing up in a tight-knit community with much of her success.

Army Lt. Gen. Joe N. Ballard, the 1998 national "Black Engineer of the Year," has been called an "engineer's engineer."Ballard heads the prestigious Army Corps of Engineers, which coordinates environmental and disaster relief activities and has major responsibilities for water projects and other civilian works.The general received the top honor Saturday night as the 12th annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference ended its three-day run at the Baltimore Convention Center.The conference provided career seminars and networking for black engineering students and professionals.

Fifth-grader Brianna Hollimon thinks she'd make a good lawyer when she grows up because she's effective at defending her friends when they get picked on. She's also thinking about becoming a doctor because she likes to help people. But she also might go into nursing. "Just in case I don't make it to doctor, that's my backup plan," said Brianna, who goes to Cross Country Elementary School in Northwest Baltimore. On her days off, she'll act. "That's what I'll do in my spare time when I'm not in surgery," she said.

Rodney O'Neal owes his career to a pesky high school guidance counselor. With no money to go to college and study computer technology as he wanted, O'Neal was struggling in his senior year. The counselor, despite O'Neal's repeated resistance, pestered him to apply to General Motors Corp.'s management training school. She eventually stuck an application into his locker. "I filled it out so she would leave me alone," he said. O'Neal not only got into the program, but also went on to build a career with the automotive company.