Three local surveyors honored
By From staff reports
Published in News on December 16, 2012 1:50 AM
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From left, Ed Little, Jimmie Davis and Luther Barrow, all retired surveyors, are recognized for years of service in the profession and awarded the status of "Professional Life Member" by the N.C. Society of Surveyors.
Three area surveyors were recognized Monday for years of service to the profession and awarded the status of "Professional Fellow Life Member" by the N.C. Society of Surveyors.
At a banquet at Texas Steak House, Ed Little of Goldsboro, A.J. "Jimmie" Davis III of Mount Olive and Luther Barrow Jr. of Snow Hill were honored by a gathering of their peers.
Bryant Hardison, secretary-treasurer of the Eastern Chapter of the society, called the three men "trailblazers" for an entire generation of surveyors in this part of the state, describing how they nurtured younger surveyors and taught them the skills needed to do a job well.
"Thank you for cutting the path for us," Hardison said.
"Thank you for teaching us to do things the right way," said Mike Benton, a past president of the state society. "I appreciate all you all have done, blazing the trail for the rest of us."
All three men are military veterans and are all past presidents of the society.
Little, 89, was in the U.S. Air Force during WWII, where he flew the Martin B-26 bomber. He started his surveying career in 1949 after graduating from N.C. State University with an engineering degree. He became a licensed surveyor in 1955 and started his own business.
An active member of the N.C. Society of Surveyors and the eastern chapter, he has served on the N.C. Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors.
Davis, 87, served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. His surveying career began in 1941, at age 15, when he answered an ad in the paper looking for drivers to help with the construction of the new Seymour Johnson Air Field. After discharge from the service and graduating from college, he returned home to work on the family farm, but Hurricane Hazel diverted him back into surveying.
He worked with Little for seven years before becoming a licensed surveyor in 1961 and later started his own business.
Barrow, 84, was in the U.S. Army during the Korean War Conflict. His surveying career began in Kinston in the early 1960s. He became a registered land surveyor in 1978 and started his own company, which later became a family business, with a son and grandson continuing in the tradition.
Among the highlights of his career was representing the profession in a trip to Cuba with the People to People Ambassador Program.