In Memoriam - Robert V. Lopez, P.E.

Robert V. Lopez--Bob to his friends--passed away on December 12, 2011 in Bedford, TX at the age of 69.

Bob retired as executive director of the Cement Council of Texas' (CCT) in 2008, a position he held since 1994. Bob was a consummate promoter of cement and concrete in Texas and throughout the United States.  He was instrumental in expanding the concrete paving and residential vertical wall markets in Texas, and also in establishing Texas as the largest consumer of portland cement for soil cement applications in the U.S. He was respected by his friends, allies, and competitors alike, and was mentor to many in the cement and concrete community.  

Bob was born on October 5, 1942 in Sanford, CO.  He served his country in Vietnam and retired from the Army Reserves as a Lt. Colonel with 8 years of active duty. He graduated from California State University - Long Beach with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1972, and earned his Master of Science in Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington in 1975.  He was a registered Professional Engineer in Texas.

After serving active duty in the military in Vietnam and at the Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth office, Bob joined the Portland Cement Association.  There, he served in two PCA regional offices (from 1975 to 1981):  the South Central Region as general field and regional structural engineer, and the Rocky Mountain Region as regional paving engineer. 

Bob then became the Director of Marketing (1981 - 1993) for Texas cement companies Gifford-Hill and Holnam (now Holcim (US) Inc.), working out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  

Bob used his significant engineering and promotional experience to effectively guide the Cement Council of Texas as its executive director.  In this position, Bob was a leader in the national cement industry, establishing himself as the senior regional cement promotion group executive, among the ten independent regional cement promotion associations.  

He was very active with both the local and national American Concrete Institute.  He served on the Northeast Texas Chapter Board and as its President.  He was awarded the Sophus Thompson Outstanding Service Award by the chapter.  He was a member of ACI national committees 230 (Soil Cement), 330 (Concrete Parking Lots), and 325 (Concrete Pavements). Bob was one of the original and principal authors of the ACI 330 "Guide for the Design and Construction of Concrete Parking Lots," which is an industry standard used by many engineers and building professionals throughout the U.S. The ubiquity of concrete roads and parking lots in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex can be, to a great extent, attributed to Bob's zealous promotion of concrete pavement for lowest life cycle cost, and best performance.

Bob is survived by his loving wife of 44 years, Carol; daughter, Karin Lopez; daughter, Monica Crane and husband, Todd; son, Michael Lopez; mother, Rose Lopez; grandchildren, Dallas Lopez, Maddox Crane and Jackson Crane and sisters, Gen Gaunt and Betty Wynn.

Bob is interred at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, TX.  Guests can view and add to an online obituary and guestbook located at Legacy.com.  Donations can be made to the American Cancer Society, or to the Brookwood Community.

The staff and members of the Cement Council of Texas are deeply saddened by this loss of our friend and colleague.