Hall of Fame
The World Development Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to programs and projects that improve the quality of life for people around the world.
Some of the honorees are global political leaders known by millions. Others are quiet engineers, scientists, and managers scarcely known outside their professional organizations. "They have one thing in common," according to McKinley Conway, who chaired the selection committee, "they have made the world a better place."
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND PROJECT SPONSORS
Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, Second Deputy Premier, Minister of Energy, Qatar. He has led in building pioneering liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects totaling more than $20 billion to make Qatar the world's leading LNG producer. These LNG products are very important in meeting energy needs of the United States and other nations.
Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, former King of Saudi Arabia. He launched the development of large-scale salt-water conversion plants now providing potable water to several nations and many cities in the Middle East. From plants at Jubail and elsewhere, Saudi water lines now extend for some 2,500 miles.
Suleyman Demirel, former Director General of the State Hydraulic Works, and later President of Turkey. He was the leader in developing the Southeastern Anatolia Project, which involves numerous dams, reservoirs, hydro plants and irrigation schemes. This program has contributed greatly to improvement of economic opportunities in a large region of western Asia.
Luis Echeverria, former President of Mexico. He set in motion the planning leading to the formation of the FONATUR (national fund for developing tourism) program. This farsighted plan involved the development of new destination tourist resorts at Canc£n, Los Cabos, Ixtapa, Loreto, and Atulco by funding international airports, power plants, and speculative luxury hotels. These projects have created tens of thousands of new jobs in less-developed areas.
Dwight Eisenhower, former President of the United States. He launched the construction of the interstate highway system, which has led to development of hundreds of new towns and created an extensive distribution system for products as well as travel opportunities for private citizens.
Helmut Kohl, former Chancellor of Germany. During his regime the long-planned Rhine-Danube Canal was finished, making it possible for commercial barges and river tour ships to travel from the North Sea across Europe to the Black Sea via protected inland waterways.
Juscelino Kubitschek, former President of Brazil. He exhibited great courage and insight in developing the new capital city of Brasilia at a remote site in the interior. This move opened new opportunities and brought vast new areas into the mainstream of Brazilian life.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. He introduced many innovative development projects, giving his nation a new image and wide outlook. Most important is the Jebel Ali container port and free trade zone that has attracted more than 1,000 firms from around the world.
Lopez Mateos, former President of Mexico. He laid the groundwork for the "maquiladora" twin plant program that has brought hundreds of industrial plants to towns and cities along the U.S. border. The plan produced thousands of new jobs in poverty-stricken areas.
Francois Mitterand, former President of France. He was the French partner in launching the Eurotunnel, a link proposed by Napoleon some 200 years ago. It is a vital part of the fast-expanding global highway system.
Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia. He launched the development of the imaginative 9x30-mile (15x50-km.) Malaysia Multi-Media Corridor that stretches from the Petronas twin towers to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, including the new administrative capital of Malaysia. Begun in 1996, it has already attracted some 900 firms.
Hosni Mubarak, President of Egypt who has implemented a bold plan for pumping water from Lake Aswan into a large new canal parallel to the Nile - thus opening a huge area to agricultural production.
Muammar Al Qadhafi, head of Libya. Colonel Qadhafi authorized the $25 billion Great Man Made River Project in the 1980s. It is a massive engineering project that takes water from some 1,500 deep wells far south in the Sahara and pipes it to towns and agricultural areas to the north. The project now provides drinking water to the cities of Benghazi and Tripoli.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California. He has boldly proposed a futuristic "hydrogen highway" network to benefit the environment and economy of his state. The plan calls for the development of 100 refueling stations for hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2010.
Alfredo Stroessner, former President of Paraguay. He took the lead in promoting the gigantic Iguacu dam and Itaipu hydro complex on the border with Argentina and Brazil. With a capacity of 12,500 MW, it is one of the world's largest power generating facilities. It supplies 90 percent of Paraguay's needs and 25 percent of Brazil's requirements.
Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She was the British partner in authorizing the Eurotunnel. The project was approved in 1987 and began operation in 1994. Cross-channel traffic has expanded so rapidly that both the tunnel and competing ferries are busy.
E.G. Whitlam, former Prime Minister of Australia. He launched The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which extends more than 1,000 miles along the east coast of Australia. One of world's most outstanding conservation projects, the park operates under an historic zoning plan that specifies areas where limited tourism and fishing are permitted, while most of the area is protected.
David Wilson, former Governor of Hong Kong. In the waning days before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule he pushed through a plan for the construction of the $15 billion Chek Lap Kok airport. Opened in 1998, the facility is one of the world's finest and has been a major factor in Hong Kong's continued economic success.
Lee Kwan Yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore. He led the development of this small island nation up to a level recognized as a world model. Singapore has one of the world's busiest container ports, an outstanding international airport, a science park, and several industrial parks that have attracted leading global firms.
MANAGERS, SCIENTISTS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS
Dr. Jasem M. Al Ansari, former Director General, Royal Commission, Jubail, Saudi Arabia. He has contributed to the development of the Jubail new town on the Arabian Gulf. Where there was once a dusty village there is now a modern city with a booming industrial park and port supporting bright residential areas, schools and universities, and parks.
Riley P. Bechtel, Chairman, Bechtel. He is the chief operating officer for an engineering firm that has played a key role in noteworthy global projects such as the James Bay Hydro complex in Canada, the Hong Kong International Airport, the Eurotunnel, and the Jubail industrial town in Saudi Arabia.
Chen Binghui, former Deputy Secretary General, Pudong New Area Administration, Shanghai. He contributed to the redevelopment of the Shanghai waterfront area. Today the area features a striking new business district of high-rise office towers and luxury hotels, plus a new international airport and world-class container port.
Hans Cavalli Bjrkman, former Chief Operating Officer, Scandinaviska Enskilda Banken. He was a leader in bringing together Swedish and Danish interests to undertake construction of the $2.5 billion Oresund Bridge linking Malmo and Copenhagen. It is now possible for motorists to drive from Oslo or Stockholm to Denmark and across Europe.
Alan L. Boeckmann, Chairman, Fluor Corporation. He is the chief operating officer for an engineering firm that is a leader in construction of manufacturing and processing facilities. Fluor is a major factor in dozens of global super projects.
Sir Arthur C. Clarke, noted science writer who proposed the concept of satellite communications as well as numerous other breakthrough developments.
Walt Disney, creator of the concepts for theme parks in California, Florida, Japan, France, and elsewhere around the world. The parks have provided wonderful family entertainment while yielding great economic impact.
Ditlev Engel, President, Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the world's largest manufacturer of wind turbines, who has spearheaded large wind energy projects around the world.
Raouf S. Ghali, Hill International executive who served as project manager on the Dubai Palm Islands development and other precedent-setting ventures.
Michael Heseltine, former Secretary of State for the Environment, UK. He established the London Docklands Urban Development Area program in the 1980s. That program has led to the reclamation of some 6,000 acres along the Thames in London's decaying East End. Today the region boasts high-rise office towers, new residential and commercial areas, an in-town commuter airstrip, and riverside parks.
Wang Jiazhu, Vice President, Yangtze Three Gorges Project, Development Corporation, China. He contributed to the engineering and planning for the dam and hydroelectric plant on the Yangtze River. One of the world's largest such facilities, it provides flood protection for residents of the valley in which thousands have perished.
John McCarthy, Director, FONATUR (national fund for developing tourism), Mexico. He is the current director of a program launched several decades ago for creating employment opportunities in parts of Mexico with lagging economies. Today he is overseer of half a dozen projects that began as a dream and now are the centers of thriving new towns.
Teodoro Moscoso, former director, "Fomento" program, Puerto Rico. This highly successful industrial development program has brought more than 1,000 manufacturing plants to the island and transformed the economy. In the early days, Moscoso jump-started the program by building scores of standardized industrial buildings on speculation.
Jerry Maxwell, General Manager, Tampa Bay Water Agency. He managed the development of the Western Hemisphere's largest seawater desalting plant - a pioneering project for a non-desert area.
Paul Otellini, Chief Executive Officer, Intel Corporation. He has directed an aggressive corporate program of building complex new high-technology plants to be the world leader in production of microchips used in computers. A recent project is a $3 billion plant in Arizona that will manufacture chips with features measuring only 45 nanometers (a nanometer is one billionth of a meter).
I.M. Pei, architect. He has left his mark on outstanding projects around the world, including the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the Bank of China structure in Hong Kong, and the pyramid at the Louvre in Paris.
James Roberson, former President, Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina. He steered the Research Triangle Park project to the top echelon of science and technology parks. Located between Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, the park, with its strong ties to nearby universities, has attracted scores of top firms and provided thousands of upper-level jobs.
Sanford Smith, Corporate Manager, Real Estate and Facilities, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. He spearheaded the development of the nation's largest green office complex at Torrance, Calif. It is noteworthy for the deployment of one of the largest commercial solar electric systems in North America.
Frederick Emmons Terman, former Professor, Stanford University. He is credited with proposing the concept for Stanford Research Park, which was launched in the early 1950s on a 700-acre ranch adjacent to the university campus; it was the world's first science park. Today it is recognized as the top science park, with 150 companies having a total of more than 23,000 employees.
Olcay Unver, former Head of the Regional Development Administration of the Southeastern Anatolia Project, which oversees Turkey's Great Anatolia Project (GAP). He was the administrative manager of the far-flung GAP that included numerous dams, reservoirs, hydro plants, and irrigation projects in Southeastern Turkey. These undertakings have given the region a new economic outlook.
Steve Wynn, developer, Las Vegas. He has developed such mega resorts as his 3,000-room Mirage, the 2,900-room Treasure Island, plus The Golden Nugget and Beau Rivage ventures. His latest, the Bellagio, claims to be the most luxurious resort on the planet. These units and their competitors have made the Las Vegas strip an entertainment center of the world.
Philip L. Yeo, Biomedical Systems Group. Former director of the Singapore Economic Development Board, who has assumed leadership of a new multi-billion-dollar biomedical science program including the "Biopolis" project.
Khalifa Suhail Al Zaffin, Dubai Logistics City. Director of Engineering and Projects, Department of Civil Aviation, who has undertaken development of what is planned to be the world's largest "airport city".
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