SWE - Spring 2008 - (Page 67) IN MEMORY Betty Lou Bailey, P.E. SWE Fellow and Pioneer, 1929-2007 SWE Fellow, life member, and pioneer Betty Lou Bailey, P.E., died suddenly Nov. 13, 2007. An outdoor enthusiast, Bailey fell ill while riding her bicycle. Bailey joined SWE in 1951. She spent 44 years as an engineer for General Electric in Schenectady, N.Y., retiring as a senior environmental engineer in 1994. She combined her passion for engineering with her love of nature and commitment to protect the environment. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois, where she was the only woman in the class and was honored for being in the top 3 percent of graduating engineers. Bailey received her master’s degree in engineering science from Penn State University and while still in her 20s received a joint patent for developing an exhaust nozzle for a jet engine. A licensed professional engineer in Ohio and New York, Bailey also belonged to Tau Beta Pi and Phi Kappa Phi engineering fraternities. As an active SWE member, Bailey was committed to outreach and professional development activities. She served as an officer in the SWE Philadelphia Section and later on the executive committee, forerunner of today’s board of directors. Bailey attended the recent SWE national conference in Nashville in October 2007. She was a frequent attendee, and was interviewed as part of the Society’s oral history project at the Anaheim conference in 2005. She attended ICWES I, the International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists, in New York in 1964, as well as ICWES 12 in Ottawa, Canada, in 2002. On her own time, Bailey used her engineering expertise to make the case for river preservation. She often attended hearings for river dam relicensing and pointed out when engineers representing the dam owners made mistakes in their calculations. She wanted to ensure that sufficient water would be released downstream to support wildlife and water recreation, and was well known in the region for teaching the techniques of whitewater canoeing and leading hikes and paddles. In addition to SWE, Bailey belonged to the Adirondack Mountain Club, serving on its conservation committee for many years and as a board member of the Schenectady Chapter. In 2004, she received the organization’s highest honor, the David L. Newhouse Conservation Award, for her work monitoring hydropower applications to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. She also belonged to the Mohawk Hudson Cycling Club. A memorial service was held in Schenectady at the First United Methodist Church. — Anne Perusek Sources SWE archives; U.S. Woman Engineer, September/October 1985; Daily Gazette, Nov. 16, 2007, issue; and Adirondack Mountain Club Statement. SWE SPRING 2008 67 http://www.terex.com/careers/ http://www.terex.com/careers/
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