Clifford Mumm

The Bechtel engineer, who retired in 2013 as a senior vice president, sprinkled several humorous tales into the more tragic ones. There was the time he oversaw recovery efforts in Mississippi in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, including helping FEMA transport and install temporary trailers in the hardest hit areas. “He was in charge of rebuilding Manhattan after 9/11, coping with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, trying to rebuild Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam, giant projects to do with the Channel Tunnel between England and France [and] extending the London subway system [that] had a strict deadline . . . I believe I’m safe in saying that Cliff’s the only graduate of the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology who is also [awarded] Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire!”