In May, The Masonry Society’s Board of Directors balloted to name Dr. Russell H. Brown an Honorary Member of the Society. Honorary Membership is the highest award that TMS can bestow on a member, as it recognizes a lifetime commitment to the Society. TMS will officially recognize Dr. Brown as an Honorary Member of the Society at its Annual Meeting Luncheon on Saturday, October 14, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Vern Petersen, ICC National Manager of Special Inspector Certification Programs noted: “This agreement is a natural extension of the informal working agreement we have had for years with TMS. It recognizes TMS’s assistance with the maintenance of the exam, provides TMS increased exposure, and helps ICC ensure the examination is both pertinent to the needs to the masonry industry and accurate.”

Because of the examination, TMS will now have a formal seat on the SMSI Exam Development Committee, and while ICC will remain the certifying organization, TMS will be shown as a co-sponsor on the certificate of successful completion and on other correspondence related to the examination. TMS will help to promote the examination, and the use of certified inspectors passing the examination, to try to provide a well trained, knowledgeable workforce of masonry inspectors.

Information on the ICC SMSI examination is available by clicking on the following links:

• ICC Certification Information
• Basic Exam Content Information
• Recommended Resources to Prepare for the Exam
• List of Certified Structural Masonry Special Inspectors: 

For more information about this agreement between TMS and ICC, or for additional information on preparing for the exam, contact TMS at 202-939-9700 at ICC at 1-888-ICCSAFE (888-422-7233), ext. 33806.

TMS, with financial support from a number of organizations hosted an International Workshop on Structural Design of Masonry in the Americas on May 7 through May 9 in San Diego, California. The workshop marked another important milestone in continuing efforts throughout our hemisphere to use masonry more effectively in meeting needs for flexible, cost-effective and sustainable building inventory. A report on the Workshop by Dr. Richard E. Klingner, who served as facilitator for the workshop, is available by clicking here.
 

The Masonry Society’s Board of Directors approved the creation of a new annual TMS Service Award, based on a recommendation from the Awards Committee. The Service Award, which will be presented to up to 3 volunteers at each TMS Annual Meeting, is to recognize individuals volunteering in special, and typically unseen, ways to assist the Society. Raymond Miller, chair of the Awards Committee notes “This award is intended to recognize those volunteers who are continually helping the Society, but are often not publicly recognized for their support. We just wanted to say thank you as a Society to such volunteers, much as we do for the support provided by Committee Chairs, members of the Board of Directors, and other more recognized volunteers”.

The first TMS Service Award could be presented this fall at TMS's Annual Meeting. Nominations are due on June 30, 2006 for consideration for this year's award. For more information on the award, or to nominate someone, click here.