Environmental Engineer Fall 2012 - 11

EnvironmEntal EnginEEring’s “Can Do” man
from Harvard University in 1955. That key influence, and subsequent events, would set the stage for Bob’s career with CDM Smith.

A Career Built from the Ground Up

Bob with his mom (6 years old)

As a newlywed to his first wife, Myrna, Bob was completing his graduate work in Sanitary Engineering at Harvard. One of his Harvard professors, Gordon Fair, arranged for Bob’s initial contact with CDM Smith. At that time, the company was still in its infancy and as Bob describes, “I wanted to work for a small firm and they only had a total of 18 people at the time. I joined the firm directly out of graduate school.” Bob began as a Junior Engineer in 1955 and was barely getting his feet wet as world events continued to unfold. The involvement of the United States in the Korean War was calling young men into service, and Bob was no exception. He soon found himself a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, but also

discovered a way to put his knowledge and experience to good use while in service. He was assigned as Post Sanitary Engineer at Fort Lewis, Washington, and advised the Post Surgeon on water supply issues. Bob returned to CDM Smith in 1958 as a Project Engineer and over the next decade continued to build his experience and expertise. He credits some of the founding members of the firm with instilling the drive and love of the work in him. Two such individuals were Thomas Camp and Herman Dresser (Camp, Dresser, and Mckee, as the firm was originally known). According to Bob, “Tom was the scientist, while Herman gave advice, always with the best of manner and compassionate care in the interest of improvement. These men really turned me on to the career development and work ethic.” Another leader at the firm, Joseph Lawler, Jr., would also inspire Bob, as he relates, “Joe got CDM Smith moving; he had a vision for the business and motivated

Bob at the boy scout camp (14 years old)

Myrna (1st wife), Bob, Debra (daughter), and sons Larry and Bob

Deanna Jantzen, Assistant Secretary to the Board of Trustees at Northeastern, describes Bob in the following way: “…Bob Marini has been a constant for the University over the decades. He is living proof that the Northeastern Cooperative Educational Program works. When the University needed someone to step up and run a capital campaign to get people to invest in education, Bob was there for us. Bob believes in the product of the Cooperative Program, and became the pied piper for outreach in investing in education. His Can-Do attitude, along with his ultimate belief in the University, has been one of our greatest assets…”

Fall 2012 | V 48, N 4

Environmental Engineer: News, Current Events & Careers

Environmental Engineer Fall 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Environmental Engineer Fall 2012