Eugene Figg
Encyclopedia
Eugene C. Figg, was an American
structural engineer
who made numerous contributions to the field of structural engineering
, especially in the design of the cable-stayed bridge
and the use of the segmental concrete
construction method. Born in Charleston, South Carolina
, Figg’s passion for designing structures began during childhood when he often entertained himself by building scale model
s. Figg received his initial training as a structural engineer at The Citadel (military college)
, located in his hometown of Charleston. During his career, he brought the use of the segmental method for spanning large gaps to the United States with the assistance of his Paris
-based partner, Jean M. Muller
. He formed his own engineering firm, the Figg Engineering Group, the only national engineering firm that works on just bridges (Pittman 2001), that became North America’s foremost designer of the segmental concrete bridge. One of Figg’s major achievements was founding the American Segmental Bridge Institute in 1989, and also serving four years as a trustee at the National Building Museum
. In 2000, Figg was honored with the John A. Roebling Medal for his outstanding lifetime achievement in structural engineering
. Throughout his career, Figg worked diligently to combine function and form in his creation of some of the most aesthetically pleasing bridges ever designed.
, and the construction of the interstate highway system
was underway. By the time Figg had graduated and completed his bridge design training, the IDHS was into its fifth year of constructing the 42,500 mile interstate system, and was still expanding throughout the country (Garber 2002). The addition of so many roads created a large demand for bridges, many of which needed to span distances that hadn’t been attempted before.
Figg started his engineering career in a time when computers were just taking off. The first commercial computer wasn’t available until Figg was 21 years old (Keitz 2007). These first computers were very expensive and were used mainly for storage and provided little assistance in calculations. When Figg was in his thirties, computers began to cost less and provide more. The 1960s, and 1970’s, hosted a majority of the pioneering work in technology for structural methods that are used today in concrete bridges. Before the late 1960s, bridges were constructed using deck hinges. This let the structure deform without applying high forces to the girders. However, over time the bridge itself would change shape because of the constant deformations. This would cause problems such as uneven road surfaces and early cracking in the pavement of the roads. Due to improvements in technology, however, this problem was solved using closure joints that made the bridge span continuous (Murillo 2004). This continuity method was made possible largely due to the creation of computer programs that could create detailed material-behavior-prediction models. Using these programs, engineers could run simulations that would help them predict whether or not these new techniques would work. These programs were not available until the early 1970s, because the computer itself still needed improvement.
The 1960s, and 1970s, also brought the development of the concrete cable-stayed girder bridge, which is another type of bridge that made Figg famous. The method of constructing this type of bridge not only increased the maximum span of concrete bridges, but also made concrete bridges much more competitive with steel truss and arch bridges because this method was much more cost-effective (Keitz 2007). This was due largely to the high compressive strength of concrete. Other new bridge construction methods that were developed at the time include the span-by-span method, the progressive placement method, and the incremental launching method. All of these methods were developed around the same time period because of the advancements in computer software design.
By the time Figg had graduated, a majority of construction materials were not only available but had already been used in building and bridge construction. However, a major material that became available as Figg’s career took off was prestressed concrete. Prestressed concrete
is crucial to concrete bridge design because it overcomes concrete’s natural weakness in tension. Figg was introduced to this material by Bill Dean, the “father of prestressed concrete”, and his mentor during his bridge design training at the Florida Department of Transportation. Prestressed concrete was introduced to the United States in 1949, and today is the most used composite material for bridges (Murillo 2004). This construction material became vital to many of the bridges Figg would later design.
Gene Figg’s engineering began at a time where computers were quickly being integrated into common engineering practices and were an everyday necessity by the time his career was over.
generation as well as a move into the suburbs. With a growing number of children, more schools had to be built (U-S-History.com), as well the transportation systems of the suburb communities and routes to larger cities.
Foreseeing these events, Franklin D. Roosevelt
in 1944 created the "National System of Interstate Highways” which authorized a network of rural and urban express highways to be built. The act lacked proper funding and never lived up to expectations until Dwight D. Eisenhower
signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. It was to be the largest public works project in history. (About Inc.) Figg graduated as a civil engineer two years later and the act helped to provide the funding for his early career.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. economy continued to grow, but the effects of the Cold War were imminent. Many families built bomb shelters in their yards, and children had learned to “duck and cover” under their desks as an emergency drill to a nuclear blast (U-S-History.com). This state of cold war was fought through Vietnam
with America supporting the anti-communist South Vietnam
and the Soviet Union
supporting the pro-communist North Vietnam
(What was the Cold War, 2000). The U.S.’s economy showed a short prosperous growth, which faltered when Lyndon Johnson failed to raise taxes to cover war expenses (Carr and Conte). The war dragged on until 1975 and the economy stagnated. During this time period though, the U.S. had established the Department of Transportation
in 1966 and the Federal Highway Administration
in 1967 (About Inc.). These agencies were responsible for building our nation’s transportations systems of roads and bridges and provided the funding for engineers like Figg.
This spending continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s as the Nation’s government working with the individual states to build roughly 43,000 miles of Interstate. They are now called the Dwight D. Eisenhower
National System of Interstate and Defense Highways (About Inc.). By the mid-1980s, the Nation’s economy had rebounded from a recession, the Cold War had ended and inflation was kept under five percent which held throughout the 1990s.
Figg had started his own business, named Figg Engineering Group, around the early 1980s (Figg Engineering Group, 2004). During that time, Reagan’s presidency gave way to George H. W. Bush
and the communist regime of the Soviet Union
faltered. The personal computer was on the rise and the world began to turn into a digital age. With computers being more prevalent, certain forms of work and processes could be done much faster and enabled firms like Figg Engineering Group to achieve success.
Throughout his lifetime, Eugene Figg saw the U.S. economy sway up and down. He took part in the rise of the U.S. infrastructure and used that as an economic stepping-stone to build his company and provide massive and aesthetically pleasing bridges. He also revolutionized bridge construction by using new technology, materials and techniques to build bridges larger, faster and cheaper. Computer models, larger and more efficient equipment, and precast concrete were all incorporated in construction as Figg repeatedly finished projects on time and under budget.
Figg then began his professional career, which consisted of working with a couple of different engineering firms. However, his affiliation with leading French engineer Jean Muller, at Figg and Muller Engineers, allowed him to gain valuable insight into the application of pre-cast segmental bridge construction methods to the domestic market. Mueller helped Figg present the idea of segmental construction as an economically viable option to many available projects at the time. When they coupled this construction method with cable-stayed supports, Mueller and Figg effectively increased the use of concrete in longer span bridge proposals. By applying what they had learned to a few bridge designs in Florida, Figg helped to change the way bridges were built in the United States and Canada
. Figg played such an instrumental part in the use and development of segmental pre-cast concrete bridge construction that he founded the American Segmental Bridge Institute in 1989 (Marsh 2002). The Institute’s purpose was to help endorse concrete segmental construction by bringing together owners, suppliers, contractors, and designers.
Throughout his career, Figg learned many important lessons from each of his many different projects. These lessons allowed Figg to become highly skilled at delivering designs to communities that would evoke a sense of civic pride in the structure, and being environmentally suitable for the surrounding conditions. Also, as Figg’s own firm, Figg Engineering Group, gained popularity, it presented him opportunities to apply other bridge designs that he had developed over his career, such as the cable-stayed bridge. This highlights the fact that as Figg’s career continued, he furthered his education by learning from each experience that he had encountered.
His early life was in South Carolina
where one might say he began his career as a designer. Figg was quite fond of building models of all kinds, focusing mainly on ships and airplanes (Wilson 2000). Of course, the young Figg was only allowed to work on his models on rainy days, as his mother apparently had a rule that required him to be outside whenever the weather was nice (Vogel 2006). Figg also was an avid sports fan, and became a high school football star in his native Charleston (Ensley 2002).
During his senior year of high school, Figg made one of the most important decisions of his career when he decided to follow his father’s footsteps, and enter the field of civil engineering. Gene Figg, Sr. received his degree in civil engineering at The Citadel, and later advanced into a career with the U.S. Navy. Taking the same path through college, Gene Figg, Jr. graduated from The Citadel with his degree in civil engineering in 1958. Following graduation, however, the younger Figg’s career path diverged from his father’s, when he attended a three-year bridge design training program with the Florida Department of Transportation
. It was at this training program where Figg found a mentor in Bill Dean, who was considered by many to be the “father of pre-stressed concrete in America” (Wilson 2000).
After six years, Figg left the Florida Department of Transportation for the private sector. He joined an established architectural/engineering firm, Barrett, Daffin and Bishop, in Tallahassee, that later became Barrett, Daffin, and Figg, where he learned client relations and the business side of engineering. Eventually Figg broke out on his own, and formed Figg Engineering Group, where he was finally able to focus on his true passion, bridges (Wilson 2000). “’Gene was very creative,’ said Jack Mowell, a longtime friend and member of the board of directors for Figg Engineering Group. ‘He felt bridges should be works of art, not just rivets and steel.’” (Ensley 2002) A man of great drive and ambition, Figg dabbled at golf and was an avid Florida State University
sports fan. Often working 14–16 hours a day, even on weekends, he left little time for anything else. One thing Figg did find time for, however, was another one of his passions, his family. Together with his wife Ann Ruth, the dedicated family man raised four daughters. Their oldest, Linda, followed in her father’s footsteps and also became a structural engineer (Brassfield 2002). When asked why she had chosen to pursue a career in engineering, Figg’s daughter, Linda stated:
"I decided to pursue a career in engineering because I always had a fascination with bridges, and throughout my education math and science were some of my favorite subjects. My father, Gene Figg, was an engineer who started the company while I was in engineering school at Auburn. When I completed my education at Auburn I joined the firm and worked with my father for 20 years before taking over as President/CEO five years ago. My father was a great inspiration to me and helped me see the value of a career in engineering. It is rewarding to see the greater good that engineers bring to society in improving the quality of life for communities." (Auburn Alumni Association 2007)
One of the biggest reasons for the success of his company is the extraordinary efforts taken to involve the public throughout many stages of a bridge’s development. “One of the important activities to us is dealing with the public and designing bridges that the public wants,” said Figg. “We’re convinced that the bridge tells you what the public thinks of itself.” (Zehyer 2002) Often considered an advocate for public involvement in bridge design, Figg conducted public meetings during both the design and construction stages of major bridge projects. During these meetings, Figg worked with the communities to help them arrive at decisions about the appearance of the bridge, while ensuring they stay within budget (ASCE 2002). These ideals which were passed down to his daughter, Linda, should serve as lessons for anyone entering the engineering field.
Figg once said, “I don’t go to work, I come to have fun.” (Wilson 2000) These are words any aspiring engineer should take to heart. If you truly enjoy what you are doing, it will show in your work. Figg has received over 130 design awards for his work over the years, highlighting his passion for bridges. Following his death in 2002, “The Eugene C. Figg, Jr. Medal for Signature Bridges” was created to commemorate Figg’s spirit and vision. The award will recognize outstanding achievement in bridge engineering that provides an icon to the community for which it was designed (Bridge Design & Engineering 2002). Over all the Figg Engineering Group has designed more segmental concrete bridges in America than all other firms combined, and has won more than 140 design awards (ASCE 2002). Despite all of his success and accomplishments, Figg remained well grounded throughout his career, a characteristic that every engineer, young and old, should strive to attain.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
structural engineer
Structural engineer
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants...
who made numerous contributions to the field of structural engineering
Structural engineering
Structural engineering is a field of engineering dealing with the analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads. Structural engineering is usually considered a specialty within civil engineering, but it can also be studied in its own right....
, especially in the design of the cable-stayed bridge
Cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....
and the use of the segmental concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
construction method. Born in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, Figg’s passion for designing structures began during childhood when he often entertained himself by building scale model
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
s. Figg received his initial training as a structural engineer at The Citadel (military college)
The Citadel (military college)
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, also known simply as The Citadel, is a state-supported, comprehensive college located in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. It is one of the six senior military colleges in the United States...
, located in his hometown of Charleston. During his career, he brought the use of the segmental method for spanning large gaps to the United States with the assistance of his Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
-based partner, Jean M. Muller
Jean M. Muller
Jean Muller was a French bridge engineer who focused on design and construction of concrete bridges.-Early career:...
. He formed his own engineering firm, the Figg Engineering Group, the only national engineering firm that works on just bridges (Pittman 2001), that became North America’s foremost designer of the segmental concrete bridge. One of Figg’s major achievements was founding the American Segmental Bridge Institute in 1989, and also serving four years as a trustee at the National Building Museum
National Building Museum
The National Builders Museum, in Washington, D.C., United States, is a museum of "architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning"...
. In 2000, Figg was honored with the John A. Roebling Medal for his outstanding lifetime achievement in structural engineering
Structural engineering
Structural engineering is a field of engineering dealing with the analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads. Structural engineering is usually considered a specialty within civil engineering, but it can also be studied in its own right....
. Throughout his career, Figg worked diligently to combine function and form in his creation of some of the most aesthetically pleasing bridges ever designed.
Historical perspective
The Interstate and Defense Highway System (IDHS) started up about a decade after the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and the construction of the interstate highway system
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
was underway. By the time Figg had graduated and completed his bridge design training, the IDHS was into its fifth year of constructing the 42,500 mile interstate system, and was still expanding throughout the country (Garber 2002). The addition of so many roads created a large demand for bridges, many of which needed to span distances that hadn’t been attempted before.
Figg started his engineering career in a time when computers were just taking off. The first commercial computer wasn’t available until Figg was 21 years old (Keitz 2007). These first computers were very expensive and were used mainly for storage and provided little assistance in calculations. When Figg was in his thirties, computers began to cost less and provide more. The 1960s, and 1970’s, hosted a majority of the pioneering work in technology for structural methods that are used today in concrete bridges. Before the late 1960s, bridges were constructed using deck hinges. This let the structure deform without applying high forces to the girders. However, over time the bridge itself would change shape because of the constant deformations. This would cause problems such as uneven road surfaces and early cracking in the pavement of the roads. Due to improvements in technology, however, this problem was solved using closure joints that made the bridge span continuous (Murillo 2004). This continuity method was made possible largely due to the creation of computer programs that could create detailed material-behavior-prediction models. Using these programs, engineers could run simulations that would help them predict whether or not these new techniques would work. These programs were not available until the early 1970s, because the computer itself still needed improvement.
The 1960s, and 1970s, also brought the development of the concrete cable-stayed girder bridge, which is another type of bridge that made Figg famous. The method of constructing this type of bridge not only increased the maximum span of concrete bridges, but also made concrete bridges much more competitive with steel truss and arch bridges because this method was much more cost-effective (Keitz 2007). This was due largely to the high compressive strength of concrete. Other new bridge construction methods that were developed at the time include the span-by-span method, the progressive placement method, and the incremental launching method. All of these methods were developed around the same time period because of the advancements in computer software design.
By the time Figg had graduated, a majority of construction materials were not only available but had already been used in building and bridge construction. However, a major material that became available as Figg’s career took off was prestressed concrete. Prestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete is a method for overcoming concrete's natural weakness in tension. It can be used to produce beams, floors or bridges with a longer span than is practical with ordinary reinforced concrete...
is crucial to concrete bridge design because it overcomes concrete’s natural weakness in tension. Figg was introduced to this material by Bill Dean, the “father of prestressed concrete”, and his mentor during his bridge design training at the Florida Department of Transportation. Prestressed concrete was introduced to the United States in 1949, and today is the most used composite material for bridges (Murillo 2004). This construction material became vital to many of the bridges Figg would later design.
Gene Figg’s engineering began at a time where computers were quickly being integrated into common engineering practices and were an everyday necessity by the time his career was over.
Socio-economic and political environments
Eugene Figg’s lifetime was wrought with war, economic fluctuation, and infrastructure renovation. Born just two years after “…Hitler claimed credit and consolidated his position as a dictator…” (Meier, 2000) in 1934, Figg’s early years were spent in the United State’s economic depression, The Great Depression. After the U.S.’s involvements with World War II in 1945, the economy was ready to turn its attention to the returning troops. “To integrate millions of young veterans into the American economy, the 78th Congress passed the GI Bill of Rights on June 22, 1944.” (U-S-History.com) The GI Bill provided veterans low-interest rates and they were able to purchase homes and seek higher education, which sparked a movement into the Baby BoomBaby boom
A baby boom is any period marked by a greatly increased birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds and when the number of annual births exceeds 2 per 100 women...
generation as well as a move into the suburbs. With a growing number of children, more schools had to be built (U-S-History.com), as well the transportation systems of the suburb communities and routes to larger cities.
Foreseeing these events, Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
in 1944 created the "National System of Interstate Highways” which authorized a network of rural and urban express highways to be built. The act lacked proper funding and never lived up to expectations until Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. It was to be the largest public works project in history. (About Inc.) Figg graduated as a civil engineer two years later and the act helped to provide the funding for his early career.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. economy continued to grow, but the effects of the Cold War were imminent. Many families built bomb shelters in their yards, and children had learned to “duck and cover” under their desks as an emergency drill to a nuclear blast (U-S-History.com). This state of cold war was fought through Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
with America supporting the anti-communist South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
supporting the pro-communist North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
(What was the Cold War, 2000). The U.S.’s economy showed a short prosperous growth, which faltered when Lyndon Johnson failed to raise taxes to cover war expenses (Carr and Conte). The war dragged on until 1975 and the economy stagnated. During this time period though, the U.S. had established the Department of Transportation
Department of Transportation
The Department of Transportation is the most common name for a government agency in North America devoted to transportation. The largest is the United States Department of Transportation, which oversees interstate travel. All U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and many local agencies also have...
in 1966 and the Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
in 1967 (About Inc.). These agencies were responsible for building our nation’s transportations systems of roads and bridges and provided the funding for engineers like Figg.
This spending continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s as the Nation’s government working with the individual states to build roughly 43,000 miles of Interstate. They are now called the Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
National System of Interstate and Defense Highways (About Inc.). By the mid-1980s, the Nation’s economy had rebounded from a recession, the Cold War had ended and inflation was kept under five percent which held throughout the 1990s.
Figg had started his own business, named Figg Engineering Group, around the early 1980s (Figg Engineering Group, 2004). During that time, Reagan’s presidency gave way to George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
and the communist regime of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
faltered. The personal computer was on the rise and the world began to turn into a digital age. With computers being more prevalent, certain forms of work and processes could be done much faster and enabled firms like Figg Engineering Group to achieve success.
Throughout his lifetime, Eugene Figg saw the U.S. economy sway up and down. He took part in the rise of the U.S. infrastructure and used that as an economic stepping-stone to build his company and provide massive and aesthetically pleasing bridges. He also revolutionized bridge construction by using new technology, materials and techniques to build bridges larger, faster and cheaper. Computer models, larger and more efficient equipment, and precast concrete were all incorporated in construction as Figg repeatedly finished projects on time and under budget.
Education and training
Gene Figg’s career started out a lot like any other engineer’s. His interest in bridges began in high school as he developed a hobby of building models. This interest soon developed into the foundation of his life’s work; building low-cost, low maintenance, and aesthetically pleasing bridges. Figg furthered his education like many other aspiring engineers, by obtaining a civil engineering degree at his hometown institution, The Citadel, in 1958 (Marsh 2002). Up until this point, Figg’s career path seems very similar to that of any other college engineering student, as many students choose to attend local engineering institutions.Figg then began his professional career, which consisted of working with a couple of different engineering firms. However, his affiliation with leading French engineer Jean Muller, at Figg and Muller Engineers, allowed him to gain valuable insight into the application of pre-cast segmental bridge construction methods to the domestic market. Mueller helped Figg present the idea of segmental construction as an economically viable option to many available projects at the time. When they coupled this construction method with cable-stayed supports, Mueller and Figg effectively increased the use of concrete in longer span bridge proposals. By applying what they had learned to a few bridge designs in Florida, Figg helped to change the way bridges were built in the United States and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Figg played such an instrumental part in the use and development of segmental pre-cast concrete bridge construction that he founded the American Segmental Bridge Institute in 1989 (Marsh 2002). The Institute’s purpose was to help endorse concrete segmental construction by bringing together owners, suppliers, contractors, and designers.
Throughout his career, Figg learned many important lessons from each of his many different projects. These lessons allowed Figg to become highly skilled at delivering designs to communities that would evoke a sense of civic pride in the structure, and being environmentally suitable for the surrounding conditions. Also, as Figg’s own firm, Figg Engineering Group, gained popularity, it presented him opportunities to apply other bridge designs that he had developed over his career, such as the cable-stayed bridge. This highlights the fact that as Figg’s career continued, he furthered his education by learning from each experience that he had encountered.
Personal characteristics
From Eugene Figg's childhood in Charleston, South Carolina to his later years in Tallahassee, Florida, he was a man of great imagination and thought. When he decided to go for something, he pursued it with everything he had. It was these traits that propelled him so successfully throughout his life and career.His early life was in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
where one might say he began his career as a designer. Figg was quite fond of building models of all kinds, focusing mainly on ships and airplanes (Wilson 2000). Of course, the young Figg was only allowed to work on his models on rainy days, as his mother apparently had a rule that required him to be outside whenever the weather was nice (Vogel 2006). Figg also was an avid sports fan, and became a high school football star in his native Charleston (Ensley 2002).
During his senior year of high school, Figg made one of the most important decisions of his career when he decided to follow his father’s footsteps, and enter the field of civil engineering. Gene Figg, Sr. received his degree in civil engineering at The Citadel, and later advanced into a career with the U.S. Navy. Taking the same path through college, Gene Figg, Jr. graduated from The Citadel with his degree in civil engineering in 1958. Following graduation, however, the younger Figg’s career path diverged from his father’s, when he attended a three-year bridge design training program with the Florida Department of Transportation
Florida Department of Transportation
The Florida Department of Transportation is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the Florida State Road Department...
. It was at this training program where Figg found a mentor in Bill Dean, who was considered by many to be the “father of pre-stressed concrete in America” (Wilson 2000).
After six years, Figg left the Florida Department of Transportation for the private sector. He joined an established architectural/engineering firm, Barrett, Daffin and Bishop, in Tallahassee, that later became Barrett, Daffin, and Figg, where he learned client relations and the business side of engineering. Eventually Figg broke out on his own, and formed Figg Engineering Group, where he was finally able to focus on his true passion, bridges (Wilson 2000). “’Gene was very creative,’ said Jack Mowell, a longtime friend and member of the board of directors for Figg Engineering Group. ‘He felt bridges should be works of art, not just rivets and steel.’” (Ensley 2002) A man of great drive and ambition, Figg dabbled at golf and was an avid Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
sports fan. Often working 14–16 hours a day, even on weekends, he left little time for anything else. One thing Figg did find time for, however, was another one of his passions, his family. Together with his wife Ann Ruth, the dedicated family man raised four daughters. Their oldest, Linda, followed in her father’s footsteps and also became a structural engineer (Brassfield 2002). When asked why she had chosen to pursue a career in engineering, Figg’s daughter, Linda stated:
"I decided to pursue a career in engineering because I always had a fascination with bridges, and throughout my education math and science were some of my favorite subjects. My father, Gene Figg, was an engineer who started the company while I was in engineering school at Auburn. When I completed my education at Auburn I joined the firm and worked with my father for 20 years before taking over as President/CEO five years ago. My father was a great inspiration to me and helped me see the value of a career in engineering. It is rewarding to see the greater good that engineers bring to society in improving the quality of life for communities." (Auburn Alumni Association 2007)
One of the biggest reasons for the success of his company is the extraordinary efforts taken to involve the public throughout many stages of a bridge’s development. “One of the important activities to us is dealing with the public and designing bridges that the public wants,” said Figg. “We’re convinced that the bridge tells you what the public thinks of itself.” (Zehyer 2002) Often considered an advocate for public involvement in bridge design, Figg conducted public meetings during both the design and construction stages of major bridge projects. During these meetings, Figg worked with the communities to help them arrive at decisions about the appearance of the bridge, while ensuring they stay within budget (ASCE 2002). These ideals which were passed down to his daughter, Linda, should serve as lessons for anyone entering the engineering field.
Figg once said, “I don’t go to work, I come to have fun.” (Wilson 2000) These are words any aspiring engineer should take to heart. If you truly enjoy what you are doing, it will show in your work. Figg has received over 130 design awards for his work over the years, highlighting his passion for bridges. Following his death in 2002, “The Eugene C. Figg, Jr. Medal for Signature Bridges” was created to commemorate Figg’s spirit and vision. The award will recognize outstanding achievement in bridge engineering that provides an icon to the community for which it was designed (Bridge Design & Engineering 2002). Over all the Figg Engineering Group has designed more segmental concrete bridges in America than all other firms combined, and has won more than 140 design awards (ASCE 2002). Despite all of his success and accomplishments, Figg remained well grounded throughout his career, a characteristic that every engineer, young and old, should strive to attain.
Famous bridges
- Sunshine Skyway BridgeSunshine Skyway BridgeThe Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a bridge spanning Tampa Bay, Florida, with a cable-stayed main span, and a total length of 21,877 feet . It is part of I-275 and US 19 , connecting St. Petersburg in Pinellas County and Terra Ceia in Manatee County, Florida, passing through Hillsborough...
- Linn Cove ViaductLinn Cove ViaductLinn Cove Viaduct is a 1243-foot concrete segmental bridge which snakes around the slopes of Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina. It was completed in 1983 at a cost of $10 million and was the last section of the Blue Ridge Parkway to be finished...
- Natchez Trace Parkway BridgeNatchez Trace Parkway BridgeThe Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge is a concrete double arch bridge located in Williamson County, Tennessee, from the northern terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway. It is long and carries the two-lane Natchez Trace Parkway over State Route 96 and a heavily wooded valley...