History
Prior to 1972, the membership of the Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE) consisted primarily of City Traffic Engineering employees. There also were members in state agencies, consulting firms and industry concerns. As the ITE became the Institute of Transportation Engineers in 1976, the membership in Alabama also grew.
Before 1972, three city traffic engineers and the only ITE member in the Alabama Highway Department regularly attended the joint meeting of the Southern Safety Conference and the Southern Section of the ITE. Several southern states formed sections of the ITE in their own states as the profession of traffic engineering grew. Alabama was handicapped by having very few members of the ITE.
During the spring meeting of the Southern Section in 1972 held in Memphis, Tennessee, several Alabama members met to discuss this issue. Lewis P. Bradford, Jack W. Chambliss, Ben F. Robinson, and Charles E. Alexander met informally and discussed the possibility of creating an ITE Division in Alabama. The next step was to call together all of the ITE members in Alabama for further discussions.
A meeting was held in Montgomery on June 29, 1972 at the Sahara Restaurant after all members were notified and their attendance requested. It was imperative that all members be present and/or be voting to request a charter as a Division of the Southern Section of the ITE. At the time there were eleven members of the ITE living in Alabama. Eight of the eleven were in attendance and the remaining three submitted proxy votes.
In Attendance:
- Charles E. Alexander
- Lewis P. Bradford
- Jack W. Chambliss
- John A. Garrett
- Darrell B. Skipper
- Richard A. Wall
- Robert L. Wolfe
- James L. Zimmerman
Submitted Proxy Votes:
- David T. Dabney
- David B. Martin
- Ben F. Robinson
The meeting was also attended by Harold M. Raynor, President of the Southern Section.
The meeting resulted in the adoption of the Alabama Division ITE Bylaws, as required by the Southern Section. In addition, the following officers were elected:
- President - Charles E. Alexander
- Vice President - Darrell B. Skipper
- Secretary/Treasurer - John A. Garrett
The charter officially recognizing the Alabama Division ITE was issued by the Institute of Traffic Engineers on January 1, 1973.
As time passed the ITE became the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Southern Section became the Southern District. Similar changes took place in Alabama and the charter for the Alabama Section of the ITE was issued on January 1, 1989. At that time the Alabama Section changed the terms of its officers to a calendar year. The transition required David Griffin to serve as President for eighteen months.
The membership of the Alabama Section has also grown with time. From its inception with eleven members, the section has grown to over 200 members.
A complete listing of ALSITE Past Presidents can be found here.
