Awards and Scholarship Night

SAME Philadelphia Post

Get ready for a night full of celebration and recognition as we honor outstanding membership achievements and scholarship reciepents.

Maggiano's Little Italy, Filbert Street, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Awards and Scholarship NightCome join us for a night of celebration at the Awards and Scholarship Night! This exciting event will take place at Maggiano's Little Italy, located on Filbert Street in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Get ready to applaud and honor the outstanding achievements of our membership and ROTC students.<h2>Awards Information</h2>Sustaining Member Firm of the YearYoung Member AwardNotable Achievement AwardService Award <h2>Scholarship Information</h2>This year, the post has a total of up to $45,000 to be awarded to deserving students enrolled in STEM programs that are positioned to develop into the next generation of military, government, and industry leaders. Nominations for the scholarships are solicited from local colleges and universities that have ROTC programs. <h2>Speaker Information</h2>BG Ralph Locurcio Ralph grew up in an Italian-American family in East Orange, New Jersey. He originally wanted to become an architect, but instead entered the United States Military Academy with the distinguished Class of 1965. He selected Engineer for his branch, and after Airborne and Ranger school, he was stationed in Germany with the 23rd Engineer Battalion in the 3rd Armored Division, where his job consisted of mining the border as a deterrent to the Soviets. In 1968, he deployed to Vietnam as the S3 (Operations Officer) for the 20th Engineer Brigade, later commanding B Company in the 92nd Engineer Battalion. He was in charge of building projects, including bunkers, roads, warehouses, pre-fabricated structures, and a tank range. He had 100 Vietnamese carpenters and builders working for him. Often, his crew built projects during the day, only to have them destroyed at night by the Viet Cong. Returning from Vietnam, he was assigned as an Assistant Professor of Military Science at Notre Dame. After earning an advanced degree at Purdue, he completed a variety of post engineer and Army Corps of Engineer assignments. Three of his most interesting projects included purchasing a dredge while serving as the District Engineer in Philadelphia, leading reconstruction in Charleston after Hurricane Hugo, and commanding the Kuwait Emergency Recovery Office in 1991 after the Gulf War. After retiring from the Army, he became a professor of Civil Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology. In this interview, he talks about his childhood, attending West Point, and the importance of maintaining a sense of humor. He describes various engineering projects around the world, from the Cold War border of Germany to Viet-Cong infested areas of Vietnam. He discusses various projects working for the Army Corps of Engineers, and the challenges of having over a dozen bosses. He explains creative methods of problem-solving in large contracted projects and the recovery process in Kuwait. He makes a case for including contracting classes in civil engineering education and talks about his experiences as a college professor after retiring from the military. Finally, he reflects upon what West Point means to him. Awards Information Supporting Member Firm of the Year: <a href="https://www.schnabel-eng.com/" title="https://www.schnabel-eng.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Schnabel Engineering</a>Schnabel Engineering has been a member of SAME for 32 years and has been a solid and reliable supporter of the Philadelphia Post. Schnabel has been fostering Sharon Krock’s active involvement in the Philadelphia Post for over twenty years and encouraged her to pursue a national leadership position. Schnabel proudly supported Sharon, the Society’s 105th National President, as she traveled throughout the country representing the Society. For at least the last two decades, Schnabel has consistently supported the Philadelphia Post’s Liberty Classic Golf Outing as a Hole Sponsor. Recognizing the importance of our future engineers and scientists, Schnabel Engineering sponsors at least two students at every year’s Awards and Scholarship night so Scholarship recipients can attend the event for free.Young Member Award: Ryan Boonstra, <a href="https://www.pilieromazza.com/" title="https://www.pilieromazza.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">PilieroMazza</a>Mr. Boonstra first began attending SAME events just before the outbreak of COVID in 2020 and became a member of SAME in 2021. Upon joining, he volunteered as a member of the Fundraising Committee and continues to serve on that committee. In 2025, he was elected to the Post Board of Directors and became the Chair of the Fundraising Committee. During his time on the Fundraising Committee, he has put on numerous social events, raising thousands of dollars for the Post. These events include Scotch and Cigar Night, Puttshack, Beat the Bomb, disc golf, a Philadelphia scavenger hunt, and a virtual wine tasting. The Fundraising Committee also established the Liberty Bell Sponsorship program, offering companies an upfront sponsorship purchase that includes tickets to each fundraising event hosted during the year. This program has enabled the Fundraising Committee to continue putting on events with little overhead risk.Notable Achievement Award: James Wood, <a href="https://www.nap.usace.army.mil/" title="https://www.nap.usace.army.mil/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">USACE Philadelphia</a>As the Deputy for the Office of Small Business Programs for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, Mr. Wood’s primary goal is to serve as a bridge between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) mission and the small business community. He has consistently supported the SAME Philadelphia Post by serving as a speaker and panelist for its Small Business Program events. In this capacity, he provides industry partners with direct insight into USACE’s mission, acquisition forecasts, and strategies for navigating federal procurement. He aims to foster transparency and collaboration, thus ensuring that small and diverse businesses have the maximum opportunity to contribute to our nation’s engineering challenges.Service Award: Gordon Araujo, Jr., F.SAME, <a href="https://www.ugi.com/" title="https://www.ugi.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">UGI Utilities</a>Mr. Araujo serves as the Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) Program Manager for UGI Utilities, Inc. and has been an active member of the SAME Philadelphia Post since 2006. Recognized as a Fellow in 2022, Gordon currently serves as the Post Assistant Treasurer, a role following five years as Post Treasurer and three years as Assistant Treasurer. His leadership within the Post has centered on enhancing governance, specifically through modernizing financial transparency and standardizing reporting protocols for Board and corporate compliance. He previously spearheaded the digitization of the Post’s communications, migrating its web presence to the National platform and implementing data-driven social media and email engagement strategies. This dedication to organizational growth began early in his tenure; in 2016, Gordon attended the Emerging Leaders Alliance Workshop, the predecessor to the current SAME Leadership Development Program. His contributions were honored with the Post Young Member Award in 2016 and a Regional Vice President’s Medal in 2025. Gordon also serves on the steering committee for the Design and Construction Issues at Hazardous Waste Sites (DCHWS) Symposium, which was awarded the inaugural SAME Industry-Government Engagement Award in 2018. A Bucknell University alumnus with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering, he balances his technical career with extensive community service. He currently serves as the consistory secretary and IT director for his church, treasurer for a hiking club and a business league, controller for a community choir, and assistant scuba diving instructor.

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Awards and Scholarship Night

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