On May 20-22, 2010 the Intermountain Section of ITE hosted its 50th Annual Meeting in Jackson, Wyoming. With attendance exceeding 180, the Section was extremely pleased with this record turnout especially considering the tough economic climate. A strong technical program provided the foundation for the meeting and covered varying topics including roundabout design, safety, planning, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, high speed rail, and design and operational analysis. In addition, 19 vendors attended the meeting and added a strong marketplace component to the meeting
Notably, students from all seven student chapters within the section, as well as the University of Wyoming student chapter, attended the meeting, bringing the total student attendance to 45. The University of Wyoming student chapter was specifically invited because Wyoming was once part of the Intermountain Section. Joey Markuson (the Section’s Professional Liaison to the student chapters) organized and held the second annual student social following the Thursday technical sessions on roundabouts. Free pizza and beverages were provided and students were encouraged to mingle through a matching game.
Joseph Tate III, the Intermountain Section President, officially opened the meeting Friday morning by presenting Jim Pline, a founding member of the section, with a special award for his devoted service over the past 50 years. It is practically unbelievable but Jim has made it to each and every one of the annual meetings over the past 50 years. Jim was awarded a special plaque and was given back the money for his registration for this year’s meeting. This Award is now called the “Jim Pline Registration Special” and free registration is now offered to anyone who meets the following condition: Buy 49 section meeting registrations, get the 50th free.
Over $1,500 in scholarship funds were donated from the state chapters, and an additional $2,000 was raised through raffling off gift baskets donated by each of the state chapters. The Section plans to add over $6,000 to the scholarship fund as a result of the donations, raffles, and dues collection.
As part of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary, the technical session on Saturday morning ended with presentations by the Student Chapters on the History of Transportation in each state. Presentations were given by the University of Idaho; Montana State University; the University of Nevada, Reno; and the University of Wyoming.
Prior to heading to the golf course for the Annual Golf Tournament sponsored by the Montana State University student chapter, conference attendees converged for the Annual Luncheon and Awards Ceremony. In lieu of a guest speaker this year, a documentary of the past 50 years of the Intermountain Section was shown to celebrate the 50th Anniversary. This special documentary of our section was created through the leadership of Alyssa Reynolds (Western District Secretary/Treasurer and Intermountain Section Past President) with the help of the Intermountain Section Board Members. The hour-long documentary included excerpts of interviews with key members of all of the chapters of the Intermountain Section. The documentary thoroughly told the story of the past 50 years of the Intermountain Section and it was obvious everyone really enjoyed it from the laughter that filled the room throughout the showing. The luncheon then ended with the presentation of the Awards.
This meeting celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Intermountain Section was a huge success and we are already excited about next year’s meeting. For those who have never been able to attend an Intermountain Section meeting, the event provides an excellent technical program, magnificent scenery and recreation opportunities, networking opportunities with some of the founders and leaders of our industry, and a laid-back, western attitude. Next year will be another fantastic event that you will not want to miss. Leave your ties at home and join us as we start off on our next 50 years of adventure. For additional photos of our event please visit http://picasaweb.google.com/zakiladot/Jackson2010#
