ATSSA Signal July/August 2020

American Traffic Safety Services Association 32 The Foundation Two DOT engineers get their first taste of Convention thanks to Marty Weed Marty Weed Engineering Scholarships provide valuable opportunity Engineers Fahad Alhajri and Lance McDonald experienced ATSSA’s Annual Convention&TrafficExpo for thefirst time this year thanks to Marty Weed, a long- time Associationmember who savored the experience throughout his career. Weed passed away in December 2018 after a lengthy battle with cancer. But before his death at age 55, the roadway safety veteran made his desires known and his two children—Keith Weed and Ana Day—made sure they were fulfilled. Alhajri andMcDonaldwere thefirst recipi - entsof theMartyWeedEngineeringSchol- arship, which covers travel costs up to $1,500 so public agency engineers inter- ested in work zone safety or temporary traffic control can attend the Convention. “I was absolutely thrilled and honored to be one of the first recipients of theMarty Weed scholarship,” Alhajri said. “I never met Marty but have heard wonderful things about him and his contribution towork zone safety fromseveral people.” Weedunderstood that government agen- cies haveminimal budgets for travel and professional development and wanted others to enjoy what he had found so meaningful during his 33 years as a state work zone engineer with the Washing- ton State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). He specifically wanted people who were new to the field to take part in an event that brings together roughly 3,700 roadway safety infrastructure professionals from around the nation and world. Weed worked with ATSSA, The ATSS Foundation, friends, and colleagues to establish an endowment fund for the scholarship in 2018. His actions inspired TheFoundation’sPlannedGivingprogram, which enables donors to designate the nonprofit as a beneficiary in their estate plans. Afterhisdeath, his childrenhonored his vision by donating $20,000 to cover 10 years’ worth of scholarships. To qualify for the scholarship, applicants must work for a public agency as an engi- neer or professional engineer specializ- ing in work zone safety and temporary traffic control and have a maximum of seven years of work experience as an engineer. McDonald spent a decade in residential and commercial construction before returning to school to get a degree in civil and environmental engineering, according to his scholarship application. After graduating in 2014, he joined the TennesseeDepartment of Transportation (TDOT) in construction andmaintenance Lance McDonald, left, and Fahad Alhajri, center, visit the Traffic Expo floor with Foundation President Dave Krahulec in January in New Orleans.