Dr. Graham and Dr. Hilger Retire
Dr. Johnny Graham and Dr. Helene Hilger had similar paths in their Civil Engineering careers. They both were some of the first UNC Charlotte students to earn their doctoral degrees through an inter-institutional program with North Carolina State. They both went to work for The William States Lee College of Engineering. They both were highly recognized for their teaching and research work. And in spring 2012, they both retired.
Below are brief histories of Dr. Graham’s and Dr. Hilger’s careers.
Dr. Johnny Graham
Dr. Johnny Graham’s career at UNC Charlotte reads like a Hollywood script about the Vietnam vet who after the experience of war returns to the States wanting to make the world a better place. But that is exactly the career and life of Dr. Graham. In 1969, as a 21-year-old private, Dr. Graham went out on patrol with 10 men from his squad. He was one of four to return. He was wounded that day and still walks with the help of a cane more than 40 years later.
Dr. Graham took what the world gave him in that difficult time and he triumphed. Back in the United States, he began to make something truly remarkable of himself. He started engineering studies here at UNC Charlotte, with a class that was made up largely of Vietnam veterans. They were an older, eager group who were instructed by faculty member who were about their same age. These students appreciated the opportunities now before them, and devoured their studies. They formed the first UNC Charlotte student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, with Dr. Graham as their president, and in their first competition won what for engineers is the most prestigious event, the concrete canoe race. Don’t be misled into thinking they were a perfect group, though, as there is still the case of the missing ping pong table that was stolen from the architecture department and somehow ended up in the engineering lab where this group did most of their projects and studying.
Dr. Graham took his studies to the highest level, earning the first Master’s of Civil Engineering from UNC Charlotte and then being the first person to graduate with a Ph.D. from an inter-institutional program between UNC Charlotte and NC State. Dr. Graham was the first Ph.D. recipient to walk at a UNC Charlotte commencement.
As a professor of Civil Engineering, Dr. Graham excelled in the classroom and in his research. Teaching the practical application of engineering through projects and teams, he taught students the importance of leadership and responsibility, as well as the fundamentals of engineering. Dr. Graham’s teaching style was considered very innovative and somewhat revolutionary during its early days, but is now accepted nationwide as the norm in engineering education. His teaching skills have been greatly appreciated by his students, who have nominated him for numerous teaching awards that he has won at all levels.
Dr. Graham’s research has been in the field of transportation studies. For many years he has been an active member of the Transportation Research Board, serving on numerous committees in Washington D.C. He created and built the Transportation Graduate program that is now part of the Master’s of Civil Engineering degree program at UNC Charlotte. He also led the Institute of Transportation Engineers student chapter for many years.
Another amazing accomplishment of Dr. Graham’s has been his string of victories in a traditional American Society of Civil Engineers campus event, the chili cook-off. At the annual fundraiser, Dr. Graham’s recipe (which rumor has it is based on a secret ingredient that is actually just left-over spaghetti sauce) has won the event in 14 of the last 25 years. Perhaps now that he is retiring, he will finally divulge his recipe.
Dr. Helene Hilger
Dr. Helene Hilger is an inspiration on so many levels that it’s hard to do justice to her many accomplishments in this short space of time. She is one of the most decorated educators at UNC Charlotte. She is a top researcher who has advanced the study of sustainability and environmental stewardship. She is program builder and leader, having created and grown the Infrastructure, Design, Environment and Sustainability Center. And she is, as a woman in the male-dominated field of engineering, an inspiration, advocate and mentor to an entire generation of female and other under-represented minority civil engineers at UNC Charlotte.
Dr. Helene Hilger is a “home-grown” faculty member. She already had a bachelor’s degree in biology when she came to UNC Charlotte, but she wanted to achieve more in the field of environmental science and engineering. She began undergraduate studies in what was then Urban and Environmental Engineering, and is now Civil and Environmental Engineering. She continued on to get her master’s, and then earned her Ph.D. through an inter-institutional programs between UNC Charlotte and NC State.
There was nothing easy about this part of Helene’s life. While doing her doctoral studies between Charlotte and Raleigh, she was also working 20 hours a week as a lecturer and raising a young family. It was a challenge most of her colleagues could not comprehend. Even when she had completed her studies and joined the faculty as a tenure-track assistant professor, she was still the only woman and felt she had more to prove than her peers.
Perhaps it is through this extra drive that Dr. Hilger has achieved so much. Her teaching style is one of total engagement, where students are immersed in their subject through projects, labs and problem-solving, as well as traditional lectures. She believes that people all learn in different ways, so she attacks her subjects from every angle, and her students love it. She has won numerous teaching awards, including UNC Charlotte’s highest teaching honor – the Bank of America Teaching Award.
In the environmental arena, Dr. Hilger has developed the environmental aspects of the Master’s of Civil Engineering program, and the Infrastructure and Environmental Systems Ph.D. program. She has created and run IDEAS, the Infrastructure, Design, Environment and Sustainability research center.
Encompassed within all of her many activities has been the passion for encouraging minorities to succeed. She is the reason the INES Ph.D. program has such a strong representation of women. Her charisma and passion extends across all lines. She is a master at getting people engaged with her work, and making them want to work with her.
Dr. Hilger has come a long way and says herself she can hardly recognize the young mother and student who had so much to prove. She credits the support and mentoring of her colleagues, especially department chairs Ellis King and David Young. There is no doubt that her teaching, research and commitment to the environment have made UNC Charlotte and the world a better place.