Charles Thornton wins 'American Nobel Prize'

Real Estate Weekly, April 23, 2003

The Franklin Institute Committee on Science and the Arts has selected Dr. Charles H. Thornton, P.E., co-chairman of The Thornton-Tomasetti Group, Inc., to receive the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Medal in Civil Engineering.

The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is one of America's oldest and premier centers of science education and development.

Widely regarded as the American Nobel Prizes, The Franklin Institute Awards reflect the spirit of discovery embodied by Benjamin Franklin. The awards have recognized preeminent accomplishment in science and technology on an international level since 1824. A. virtual who's who of scientific achievement, the list of venerable honorees includes Stephen Hawking, Gordon Moore, Alexander Graham Bell, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Marie and Pierre Curie, Jacques Cousteau, and the Wright brothers.

Thornton will receive the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Civil Engineering for his insightful and imaginative use of common structural elements in the design of long span structures and highrise buildings, which includes the world's tallest building; for his leadership role in the investigation of structural failures, coupled with the translation of these failure investigations into lessons for the design of safer structures; and for his tireless work to motivate high school students to pursue careers in structural engineering, architecture and the construction industry.

Thornton will be honored at an awards gala on April 24 at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Paul B. MacCready, the "father of human-powered flight," will receive the Bower Award for Achievement in Science and $250,000 cash prize and Herbert D. Kelleher, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board, Southwest-Airlines Company, will receive the Bower Award for Business Leadership. Other Benjamin Franklin Medal laureates include Bishnu S. Atal, John N. Bahcall, Raymond. Davis, Jr., Jane Goodall, Robin M. Hochstrasser, Masatoshi Koshiba, John McCarthy, Norman A. Phillips and Joseph Smagorinsky.

Thornton's distinguished career in civil engineering has been marked by numerous technical and humanitarian awards, and highlighted by work on some of the world's most recognizable structures. His professional experience includes the design of hundreds of millions of dollars. worth of projects in the U.S. and overseas, ranging from highrise buildings, hospitals and arenas, to airports, transportation facilities and special structures. Representative projects include: the New York Hospital, New York; United Center (Bulls and Blackhawks arena) and Comiskey Park in Chicago; the Nashville Arena in Nashville; the United Airlines Terminal at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago; the 95-story Petronas Twin Towers of Kuala Lumpur City Centre, the world's tallest buildings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the 50-story Americas Tower in New York; the 65-story One Liberty Place in Philadelphia; and the 50-story Chifley Tower in Sydney, Australia.

His 40 years in the industry is marked not only by professional accomplishments, but by a dedication to community service through his work as Chairman and Founder of the ACE, Mentor Program, a non-profit organization that each year offers guidance and training to 1,800 inner city high school students in architecture, construction and engineering in 28 cities across the U.S. including New York; NY; Newark, NJ; Stamford, CT; Chicago, IL; and Washington, DC.