Harold L. Michael

Harold Louis Michael served as the 36th President of the Institute of Transportation Engineers in 1975.  He was born in Columbus, Indiana in July, 1920 and received both his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees at Purdue University, the former in 1950 and the latter in 1951.  His entire professional career has been associated with Purdue University.  During the time he was getting his degrees at Purdue he also was an Engineering Assistant and Instructor in Highway Engineering spending approximately three-fourths time in research and a quarter time in teaching.

He served as a survey director in the early 1950s for the State Highway Department of Indiana an was in charge of the traffic and economics section of the Joint Highway Research Project at Purdue.  In March, 1954 he became Assistant Director of the Joint Highway Research Project at Purdue and also held the academic ranks of Associate Professor and Professor of Highway Engineering at Purdue. 

Prof. Michael's professional activities are many and varied.  For example, he was Chairman of the Transportation Research Board's Department of Traffic and Operation from 1963 to 1970 and served a term on the Executive Committee and was Vice Chairman and Chairman for a year in each capacity.  He was a National Director from Indiana for the NSPE for six years in the late 60s and also served as a National Chairman of NSPE's Professional Engineering Education Section from 1965 to 1967.  He served on the ITE Board of Direction from 1965 to 1966 as Director from District Three and has been a member since 1963 of the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinances.  He has been very active in ARTBA since 1963.  In Indiana he was President of the Indiana Section of NSPE from 1961 to 1962 and President of the Indiana Section of ITE in 1963.  He has served as Vice President and President of "Indiana Highways for Survival".

He is active in the American Railway Engineering Association, American Society of Engineering Education, American Association of University Professors, APWA and ASCE.

His honors are many.  Academically he is a member of Tau Beta Pi, Chi Epsilon, Sigma Xi and received the Chi Epsilon Best Student Award in 1948.  His BSCE Degree was with "highest distinction."  He is also a recipient of the Roy W. Crum Distinguished Service Award.

In ITE his activities included going up the ranks serving as Secretary-Treasurer, Vice President for two years and then President.  He was the Director for ITE District III for two years and Chairman of the ITE Metric Study Committee in 1970.  From 1971 to 1972 he was Chairman of the Institute Delegation to the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinances.

During Prof. Michael's tenure as an officer of ITE he was an able administrator and wrote many of the procedures governing the Board.  He is a recipient of the Marsh and the Matson Award.