Thank you, Walter!
At the annual meeting of the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors (NJSPLS), the Society established a scholarship in honor of Walter G. Robillard, P.L.S., Esq., with the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) Scholarship Foundation.
NJSPLS President, Barry Gleissner, presented a $2,500 check to fund the scholarship to NSPS Executive Director, Curt Sumner, along with a ten year commitment to match that donation for the Walter G. Robillard Scholarship In Surveying.
George Allport, Jr., of Keystone Precision Products, presented NJSPLS with a donation of $2,500 to support the first year of the scholarship. On receiving the check for NSPS, Mr. Sumner questioned, “Is there a surveyor who doesn’t know, or know of, Walt Robillard?”
Mr. Robillard has been a pillar of the land surveying and academic world for over a half century. His survey work, lecturing, and classroom instruction have enhanced the careers of thousands of land surveyors worldwide. The scholarship will be to assist students in the surveying field with their education. The awards selection will be made not based just on academic standing, but on need and potential, based on letters of recommendation.
Commenting on the scholarship, Mr. Robillard noted, “Life is so short. You have to appreciate the scholarship and use it to the benefit of young people. Give the money to a young person to improve his mind.”
Lew Conley, Past President of NJSPLS, took a few moments to recite Mr. Robillard’s qualifications and history, which appear in the paragraphs below. It is not believed that anyone in the surveying community has the depth and breadth of his career. Mr. Sumner summarized Robillard’s career as having made, “immeasurable contributions to surveying.”
Starting from humble beginnings with learning disabilities in northern New York, Mr. Robillard supported himself through the N.Y. State College of Forestry at Syracuse University resulting in a Bachelor of Forestry Degree. This degree was followed by a MA in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma, followed by a JD with honors and a Master of Laws from Atlanta Law School.
Anyone who has known or been associated with Walter knows that he has had the privilege of being with one of the truly legendary people in the field of surveying.
Walter G. Robillard, PLS, ESQ, PSM
Employment History:
International Paper Company, Chief of Parties
Mississippi State University, School of Forestry, Instructor, Faculty Advisor
Michael Baker, Inc., Project Engineer
United States Forest Service, Forester, Regional Property Surveyor
Barbara J. Loudon & Associates, Staff Attorney, Consultant, Continuing Education Provider
Consultant, Lawyer, Expert Witness, Instructor, Continuing Education Provider
Professional Registrations:
Member of the Bar, State of Georgia
Registered Professional Surveyor: Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina
Teaching/Seminar Presentations:
Guest Lecturer
Republic of South Africa, Central Council of Surveyors
Great Britain, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
Great Britain, New Castle University
Great Britain, Keele University
Institute of Surveyors of Australia
Royal Institute of Surveyors of Scotland
Berlin-Potsdam University Faculty of Law
Teaching:
Lockheed-Marietta Corp. of Georgia
Professional Educational Systems, Eau Claire, WI
New Mexico State University
Mercer University
DeKalb Technical College, Decatur, GA
Consulting Foresters Institute
Southern Technical Institute, Marietta, GA
University of Wisconsin
Teaching Videos for the University of Florida
In-House Continuing Education – Santee-Cooper Electric Corp., City of Colorado Springs, Florida DOT, Georgia Power Co., Consolidated Edison of New York
Taught Continuing Education Courses on Forestry, Law, and Surveying in all fifty states and Puerto Rico
Professional Memberships:
Georgia Bar Association
American Congress on Surveying and Mapping
Association Canadienne Des Science Geodesiques
American Right-of-Way Association
Honorary Membership in State Organizations: Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, Michigan, Iowa, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Vermont, Illinois, and Kentucky
Professional Activities:
President ACSM 1983-1984
State of Georgia Member of Committee on Disputed County Boundaries
Washington Technical Institute Advisor on Special Programs
Circumnavigator’s Club, Elected Member
Kingdom of Jordan, USAID, Advisor on Village Surveys
Kingdom of Nepal, USAID, Advisor of Aerial Photogrammetric Survey Contracts
Publications:
Clark on Surveying and Boundaries, Co-Author
Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Co-Author
Boundary Control and Legal Principles, Co-Author
Handbook of Annotated Contract Forms for Surveyors, Co-Author
Contributor to: Engineering Journal of Great Britain, Lands and Minerals Journal (Great Britain), FIG (Brighton, England), International Hydrographic Journal (Monaco)