Civil engineering alumnus chosen for honorary doctorate

The Ohio University Board of Trustees has approved a resolution conferring to Raymon B. Fogg Sr., BSCE '53, an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in recognition of his career achievements and humanitarian efforts.

Founder of Cleveland-based Fogg Building Methods and a member of the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology's Board of Visitors, Fogg has a long history of humanitarian service and entrepreneurial successes to his credit.

"In addition to his many professional accomplishments that have supported the civil infrastructure of his native Cleveland, Ray's humanitarian work and community service is renowned both internationally and in his hometown," said Russ College Dean Dennis Irwin.

Fogg, a registered Professional Engineer, led several building missions in Honduras and Guatemala in the 1970s in response to the disaster situations caused by Hurricane Fifi and a major earthquake in Guatemala City, where his volunteer group went on to build 35,000 homes. A licensed pilot, he also transported earthquake victims to medical treatment, delivered construction equipment that improved structural viability, and fundraised for the region's disaster relief efforts upon returning to the U.S.

Fogg also served in Somalia in the following decade, both as a church representative offering his building expertise to support U.N. reconstruction efforts and as a representative of the CARE relief organization delivering food and medicine to famine victims. He later built housing for relief workers in northern Somalia.

In addition to international service, Fogg was a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight, a non-profit service providing free transportation to patients for lifesaving medical treatment, and his company provides ongoing community support for organizations around Cleveland. He also has served on boards of church‐related homes and shelters for abused or emotionally disadvantaged children and skilled‐care and retirement facilities for older adults.

Fogg started his first construction job at age 11 assisting his father, also a civil engineer, and later pioneered single-source design, development and building management services when he founded Fogg Building Methods in 1959. His firm is now the premier commercial builder in northeastern Ohio.

"Ray has been an outstanding ambassador for our department and college," said Gayle Mitchell, director of the Ohio Research Institute for Transportation Engineering and former chair of the Civil Engineering Department. "Through his advice and contact with faculty and students, Ray has built an important bridge between academia and the private sector."

As a member of the advisory board for the Russ College's Department of Civil Engineering, Fogg championed the establishment of the department's Construction Engineering Management certification and advises on developments in the industry that affect civil engineering graduates. He also is an emeritus trustee of the Ohio University Foundation Board.

"Ray's impact on the Russ College, which he has served almost two decades as an advisory board member, is immeasurable," Irwin said. "His contributions as an adviser are critical to our college's efforts to be a leader in developing graduates who create for good – something Ray knows much about."

In addition to his bachelor's degree in civil engineering, Fogg is a trustee of the Ohio University Foundation Board and an advisory board member for the Department of Civil Engineering and the Construction Engineering Management program in the Russ College. He was awarded the Ohio University Alumni Medal of Merit in 1997.

Fogg's degree will be formally conferred at the spring graduate commencement ceremony on Friday, May 2, 2014.