Dr. Alvin H. "Al" MEYER

1937 - 2016

MEYER P.E.,
Dr. Alvin H. "Al"
Another Texas Aggie has answered final Roll Call on September 22, 2016. Dr. Alvin "Al" H. Meyer, P.E., age 79, Born in Fort Worth, Texas, April 22, 1937 to Harold Alvin Meyer and Faye Witte Wingo Meyer.

Al was a devout family man. His family always came first. He married the love of his life, Shirlene Mayes, on November 30, 1957. They had two children. A son, Mark, and daughter, Robbye. He was involved with Boy Scouts with his son. He was part of the Baptist Student Union during his days at Texas A&M University which followed him into marriage where he was the Minister of Music at Calvary Baptist Church. He was active in many civic organizations. He was Cubmaster and Chairman of Boy Scout Troop 976. Manager and president of Little League North. President of Sul Ross PTA. President of Bryan City Council PTA. Member of Optimist International and a Deacon at Calvary Baptist Church in Bryan and Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin.

Al loved music. He played trombone in high school. Al had a commission to the Air Force Academy; however, to his good fortune he failed the physical and continued his musical talent into the Fight'n Texas Aggie Band. He took some time off from school in 1957 to get married and have a child. When he returned to A&M he began singing in the Singing Cadets and his love of music blossomed from there. His greatest past times were fishing, camping, water and snow skiing with his family and friends.

Al completed four degrees from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, B.B.A in Business Administration, M.S in Civil Engineering, and PhD in Civil Engineering. He was a registered professional engineer. He co-authored forty-five refereed papers and fifty-five bound technical reports. After finishing his education, he spent twelve years as a tenured Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University. He left the hallowed grounds of Texas A&M University to allow his wife to expand her career in Austin where he conquered a new frontier of ignorance educating and guiding students as Associate Dean for Student Affairs for the College of Engineering for over thirty years at the University of Texas. He was so well respected and loved what he did at the University of Texas that he passed up other opportunities and served at the pleasure of four different deans.

Al was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Texas Society of Professional Engineers (where he served as president in'79-'80), National Society of Professional Engineers. The American Society for Engineering Education, the American Concrete Institute, Sigma Xi, Chi Epsilon, Tau Beta Pi and the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering. He did rapid repair of runways for the US Air Force and provided enhancements to the existing US Forest Service Road Design System. He led a team to determine what was causing the deterioration of the missions in San Antonio in 1976.

Al was preceded in death by his father, Harold Alvin and mother, Faye Witty Wingo. Two older sisters Marilyn Watkins and Beverly Friddle and great-grandson, Asher Lee Meyer.

He will be greatly missed by his loving wife of fifty-nine years, Shirlene, his son and daughter-law, Mark and Eva Meyer of College Station, his daughter, Robbye Meyer of Austin; three grandchildren, Justin Meyer and his wife Chrystal of College Station, Chris Meyer and his wife Rebecca of Cedar Park and Jennifer Tallbear and her husband Eli of Bryan; three great-grandchildren, Leif Meyer, Evan Meyer and Wesley Tallbear. His sister, Nancy Powell of Pflugerville, numerous nieces and nephews and two very special friends he adored, Tricia Gore and Pam Vrabel.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, October 1, 2016, at Harrell Funeral Home, 4435 Frontier Trail, Austin, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to: The Texas A&M Foundation Al Meyer Memorial for the Singing Cadets, 401 George Bush Drive, College Station, TX 77840.