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| Buford Smith
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| Excellence in Traffic Engineering Award
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Buford Smith |
"The Life of a Happy Man"
(A poem from the desk of Buford Smith)
To awaken each morning with a smile brightening my face, to greet the day with reverence, for the opportunities it contains; to approach my work with a clean mind; to hold ever before me, even in the doing of little things, the Ultimate Purpose toward which I am working; to meet men and women with laughter on my lips and love in my heart, to be gentle, kind and courteous through all the hours; to approach the night with weariness that ever woos sleep and the joy that comes from work well done -- this is how I desire to waste wisely my days.
--- Author Unknown |
| Buford Smith served the NCDOT as a Division Traffic Engineer. He was an outstanding employee, a well-respected engineer, a good friend, and a very fine person. On April 10, 1982, Buford Smith and his wife were killed in a tragic head-on collision on NC 24 in Stanly County. To preserve the memory of this special man, each year an employee from traffic engineering or traffic services is recognized for their significant achievements and leadership qualities that parallel Buford's attributes. The tradition of recognizing an employee that exemplifies Buford's professional contributions and service, and the selection of the award recipient by his/her peers from Traffic Services and Traffic Engineering has been faithfully carried out since 1983. |
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| Nomination Guidelines |
- Nominations for this honor are submitted by fellow employees and include a summary of the nominee's accomplishments and service.
- Nominee must work or have worked in a position staffed to the Traffic Engineering and Safety Systems Branch, the Traffic Control Unit, or in a traffic engineering related position in the Division to be eligible for consideration.
- Nominee must have at least five years of dedicated state service.
- All eligible DOT employees will be considered up until the time three years from their last day worked.
- Nominations for DOT employees will be considered from outside DOT.
- Nominations will be considered strictly confidential. Listings of nominees will not be made public each year.
Individuals currently holding elected office and/or individual currently holding an appointed position to a policy board or entity overseeing transportation-related activities, ex NCDOT Secretary or Board Member are ineligible to receive this award. Individuals that have received the Buford Smith Award previously are not eligible to be given the award a second time.
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| Key Qualities |
The employee will be nominated by one or more people using the nomination form. Nominations should explain all qualities of the recipient and should provide specific examples to illustrate the excellent qualities of the nominee, and justify why they should be chosen for the award. The following listing outlines the qualities the nominee's should exhibit with examples of the attribute for guidance:
- Leadership (Leads by example; Skillful in directing others to common goal; Builds trust and unity)
- Safety Champion (Emulates Safety in Everyday Work)
- Innovation (Creative Approach; Applying new technologies)
- Development of Employees (Provides persistent reinforcement and feedback on job performance to develop and motivate employees)
- Technical Knowledge (Recognized authority in field of work; Exhibits interest in continuing education and learning)
- Professionalism (Considers impact on DOT before making decisions; Excellent ethics and morals; Lives by the "Golden Rule")
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| Selection Committee |
The Selection Committee will consist of previous Buford Smith Award Winners representing central office and Divisions. A rotation will be established to allow the senior members to rotate off the committee. |
| Presentation of Award |
The Buford Smith Award recipient will be announced at the Traffic Engineering Conference for Operations and Safety or at a localized work function. Considerations can be given for separate awards program if special issues arise with the recipient. An individual plaque is to be given to the winner of the award. A plaque will be permanently displayed in the Traffic Engineering and Safety Systems Branch Office that will list all recipients of the award. |
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| 1983 |
Floyd Lawrence |
| 1984 |
Troy A. Peoples |
| 1985 |
Woody Warrick, Jr. |
| 1986 |
William Andrew "Andy" Ward |
| 1987 |
Stephen William Haynes - deceased |
| 1988 |
Ray Goff |
| 1989 |
W. E. "Bill" Hamlin |
| 1990 |
W. E. "Pete" Edwards - deceased |
| 1991 |
Glenn H. Johnson |
| 1992 |
A. D. "Tony" Wyatt |
| 1993 |
Terry Moore Hopkins |
| 1994 |
Fred Zeilman - deceased |
| 1995 |
Kenneth J. Putnam |
| 1996 |
J. D. "Pee Wee" Edwards |
| 1997 |
Larry N. Stallings |
| 1998 |
Jim Kellenberger |
| 1999 |
John F. Permar |
| 2000 |
Jimmy Lynch - deceased |
| 2001 |
Gary Faulkner |
| 2002 |
Tom Thrower |
| 2003 |
Steve Johnson |
| 2004 |
Franklin Bullock |
| 2005 |
Roger Hawkins |
| 2006 |
Vance Barham |
| 2007 |
Mark Harrison |
| 2008 |
Meredith M. McDiarmid |
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About Buford Smith:
"Buford was the best practical Traffic Engineer that I ever knew, and it was a pleasure to work with him. As a man he had the character to never point a finger at others or blame others for failures. Whenever something did not go as planned, he was first to step forward to accept or share the blame. When doing so, he would always state that if someone needed to be the "Goat" then he would be the Goat. And when we made a mistake ("rare" as that was--and the mistake was usually mine ), he was quick to say, "Even an Eskimo slips on ice sometimes." The years we spent together were a special experience for me. Buford was a teacher of Traffic Engineering, but more importantly to me he was a teacher of life. He still is sorely missed."
--Landis Satterwhite
Former NCDOT District Engineer and Area Traffic Engineer |
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"I worked closely with Buford in the era when DOT was building Interstate 77 through the downtown Charlotte area and when handling large traffic flows through our construction projects was not as preconceived and designed as we currently do. Buford was always willing to be involved to help solve problems on short notice, at any time of the day or night, and we and his staff spent many hours planning how to get projects built while still protecting the traveling publics interests. Buford would never lose his composure in tense discussions and was always a calming and reassuring influence on all
involved. He was the epitome of a true professional and was a gentleman at all times. He served as a role model to many younger engineers by demonstrating how competing interests could be married together for the common good if all would approach the issue in a calm and professional manner."
--Berry Jenkins, North Carolina Director, Highway-Heavy Division, Carolina's Association of General Contractors and Former NCDOT Director-Preconstruction |
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