Roswell Mason: Railroad Builder + The Era of the Great Builder

This session will offer two separate presentations.  The first speaker will look at a man, Roswell Mason, who lived in an exciting transition period when transportation was moving from canals to railroads. Starting as a rodman on the Erie Canal, he rose to Chief Engineer of the Illinois Central Railroad and as Mayor of Chicago expertly handling events during and after the Chicago Fire.  The second speaker will take a broader look at an era of great builders who saw a vision for the world and worked to make that vision reality.  Their works remind generations of structural engineers what we can achieve as a profession. Today we face increasing challenges to figure out where we stand in the industry and what our true value is.  Has the era of the great builder officially ended?