Winter 2021

NSPE Today
Howard Blitman, P.E., F.NSPE

December 9, 1926 – January 3, 2021

NSPE PAST PRESIDENT HOWARD BLITMAN SPEAKS AT THE DEDICATION OF AN RPI RESIDENCE HALL NAMED IN HIS HONOR ON MAY 15, 2009.

NSPE Past President Howard Blitman, P.E., F.NSPE, who proudly served the engineering profession and his alma mater Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for over 50 years and ran a successful New York construction business, died on January 3, of COVID-19. He was 94.

Blitman joined NSPE and the New York State Society of Professional Engineers in 1961. He served as president of the New York Chapter of NYSSPE in 1974–75 and was elected president of the New York State Society of Professional Engineers for 1978–79. He served as NSPE president in 2002–03 as well as in numerous other leadership roles in the Society.

Blitman is also a benefactor of NSPE’s Maureen L. & Howard N. Blitman, P.E., Scholarship to Promote Diversity in Engineering. The scholarship awards $5,000 annually to an ethnic minority high school senior who has been accepted to an ABET-accredited engineering program at a college or university.

During his presidency, Blitman stressed the importance of building pride in the profession and public recognition for engineers. An ongoing initiative that continued during his term was a national outreach campaign to build public understanding of engineering and the role engineers play in society.

While working to build greater appreciation for the profession, he also faced trying times. As president-elect, less than a year before he became president, the nation faced the September 11 attacks. Protection of country became a top priority among engineering organizations, and Blitman saw to the formation of NSPE’s Critical Infrastructure-Homeland Security Task Force and its alliance with the Infrastructure Security Partnership.

Seven months into Blitman’s presidential term, the nation faced another tragedy—the space shuttle Columbia disaster on February 1, 2003. The deaths of the seven astronauts, he wrote in NSPE’s Engineering Times, were “all too vivid [of a] lesson on the essence of our chosen profession.” Continuing, he wrote, “Engineering is about human ingenuity and using our knowledge of science and math to solve problems and create things that benefit society. Along with that, we have an enormous responsibility to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. Our goal should be a painstaking thoroughness in our work to prevent harm whenever possible.”

The 1950 graduate of RPI was an officer in the Chemical Corps of the United States Army during World War II, and during active duty in the Korean War, he led the construction of a chemical plant, for which he received Special Commendation from the Chief of the Chemical Corps.

Following his military service, he worked at a steel fabricating firm before joining the construction business founded in 1922 by his father, Charles. He worked in many positions, such as structural design, field superintendent, estimator, expeditor, project manager, and corporate officer, before becoming president in 1970.

In 1981, he formed and led Blitman Building Corporation (later Blitman Development Corporation) in Westchester County, New York. Some of the firm’s top projects were the Customs House of the World Trade Center, the Transportation Center of Journal Square in New Jersey, high-rise luxury condominium apartments and suburban housing developments, and industrial projects.

Throughout his life, Blitman was a strong supporter of RPI. He was a trustee and was honored in 2016 with RPI’s Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.

On May 15, 2009, the university held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Howard N. Blitman, P.E., ’50 Residence Commons. Of prime importance was the PE designation alongside his name on the structure, he explained. “I think it’s a tremendous incentive to all future engineers at RPI and other schools to get their PE and support PEs and how important we are.”

To make a donation to the Maureen L. & Howard N. Blitman, P.E., Scholarship to Promote Diversity in Engineering, send a check to NSPE Education Foundation, 1420 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. Please note the name of the scholarship. You can also donate by phone, by calling 888-285-6773.