Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering alumni Raymond Bryan, Hal Thompson, Barry Gardner and John Thompson were recognized for their achievements in engineering by construction industry group Carolinas Associated General Contractors as 2020 Hall of Fame and Hall of Fame Legacy winners. The winners were honored at the 2020 Carolinas AGC Summit July 24 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

“Carolinas AGC celebrated hard work, perseverance and achievement,” said Carolinas AGC in a release. “Each of the men that was honored embodies the skill, integrity and responsibility that Carolinas AGC and the Associated General Contractors stand for.” 

Bryan, who passed away in 2016, earned a bachelor’s in construction from NC State in 1953, according to his obituary. He went on to serve as a U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant in Korea in 1954 and 1955. The Goldsboro native served as president of T.A. Loving and Co., a privately held construction company with a portfolio that includes Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, NC State University’s Wendell H. Murphy Football Center, UNC Chapel Hill’s Loudermilk Center for Excellence and Kenan Blue Zone, and the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. Bryan’s resume also includes stints at Calypso Plywood Co., and Aviation Fuel Terminals, and he served as a Director of Wachovia Bank & Trust in Winston-Salem, a member of the executive committee for the State Capital Life Insurance Co., and directed Carolina Power & Light, Atlantic and East Carolina Railway and the Carolina Motor Club. 

Hal Thompson, who passed away in 2009, joined the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II after studying engineering at NC State, “where his love of mechanical things and building inspired him to become a P-51 Fighter Pilot,” according to his obituary. He joined his father’s company, J.M. Thompson Co., in 1946 and worked at the construction firm for more than 60 years. The Raleigh resident won several awards during his lifetime, including the Carolinas AGC Pinnacle Award for Executive of the Year and Industry Recognition Award from the General Contractors Association of Raleigh, where he was a founding member.

Gardner joined Charlotte based general contractor Shelco as a project manager in 1984. The NC State civil engineering graduate has since climbed the ranks and was named chief operating officer in 2021. Gardner currently serves on the NC State Engineering Advisory Council, AGC’s NC Bar Association/CAGC Joint Committee and the AIA NC/CAGC Joint Committee. He also served as the CAGC Board of Directors Chair in 2007. On a national level, Barry has served on the AGC of America Elected Directors Board, the AGC Board of Governors, and he currently serves as a National AGC Life director. 

John Thompson, PE, graduated from NC State with a degree in civil engineering. He serves as president and CEO of Cary-based general contractor J.M. Thompson Co., where he began working in 1975. He previously served as president of the General Contractor’s Association of Raleigh, chairman of the Carolinas Association of General Contractors (CAGC)/NC Prison Construction Committee, chairman of the CAGC/NC State Construction Committee, chairman of the CAGC Building Division and is a past trustee on the CAGC Board of Directors. He has also served as chairman of the NC State Building Commission, NC Apprenticeship Committee, and the CAGC/NC Legislative Committee, and currently serves on the AIA NC/CAGC joint committee.