Alan A Frick was born in Watertown, South Dakota in 1929. He grew up in Mount Vernon, Illinois, where his parents owned a paint and wallpaper store. After High School, he passed the entrance examinations and obtained an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Alan graduated in 1951 with a class standing of 27 out of 475. Shortly after graduation he married Doris Devlin from Brooklyn, N.Y.

At 21 years of age, upon graduation from West Point, he selected to serve with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . Frick spent eleven years overseas with the Corps. This included tours during combat in Korea in 1952 and in Viet Nam from 1969 to1971. Various other assignments included: Area Engineer for construction on Okinawa; Chief of Demolitions & Mine Warfare at an Engineering School in Germany; Chief of Engineer Troops and Equipment Branch at the Strategic Planning Group in Washington, DC; Area Engineer for construction at Thule, Greenland, located with the Ballistic Missile Early Warning Site; Post Engineer for Fort Carson, Colorado; Commanding Officer of the 23rd Engineer Combat Battalion of the 3rd Armored Division in Germany (consisting of 1,000 men); Author of a special study for certain defense operations for the Commanding General of the 7th Army in Germany; Chief of Engineering Services Division, Viet Nam, 1st Logistical Command; and Executive Officer of about 3,500 personnel with the 34th Engineer Construction Group in the Mikong Delta region of Viet Nam.

Frick's education after West Point included: Engineer Officer's Basic and Advanced Courses at Fort Belvoir, VA; Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from Iowa State College; Nuclear Weapons course, Ft. Belvoir; Computer Systems Course, Ft Monmouth, NJ; Command & General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, KS.

Upon his retirement from the Army in 1971, he was employed at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa for approximately twelve years as the Port Engineer and later promoted to Deputy Port Director. His work at the Port included awarding and overseeing contracts for construction of additional roads and railroad, extension of main power, water & sewer services; acquisition of an additional locomotive and towboat; and negotiating private operation construction of the Port's grain elevator and related structures.

Alan oversaw operations of the Port's railroad, towboat service, port security, and fire protection. He negotiated land leases, reviewed proposed plans and monitored their use of Port property and facilities. He was involved with Port budget preparation, financial planning, and utilization of Port financial resources. He dealt with various governmental and private agencies on matters such as financial planning and requests, including the extension and operation of the major utilities and transportation means to serve the Port area.

After retiring from the Port in 1983 he relocated to Saint Petersburg, Florida. Alan and his wife Doris have been married almost 60 years and blessed with seven children.

Eddie L. Morris was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1930. Raised and educated in various parts of this brand new state, Morris went on to graduate from "Oklahoma State University" (then known as Oklahoma A. & M.). It was there he met and later married his soul mate, Pat Morris. After college he went into active military duty for the U. S. Army in the Korean War. He was stationed in many different locations during his military career and rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel. Morris was assigned many different military duties to included Deputy District Engineer, US Corps of Engineers, Mobile AL, then on to Fort Leavenworth to the U.S. Command and General Staff College. After completion, Lt. Col. Eddie L. Morris was given three choices for a new assignment and Eddie choose Tulsa! He became the Tulsa Deputy District Engineer and served under District Engineer Col. William. E. Read during his term from August 1971 to November of 1972. The Tulsa District covered all of Oklahoma and parts of Kansas and Texas that were within the Arkansas River Basin. The Tulsa District was in charge of operations and maintenance of a brand new navigation system that cost $1.2 billion, covered 448 miles, had 17 locks & dams and had just been opened for traffic. The cities along the waterway required brand new port facilities and industrial parks. To become a success, this required close cooperation between the military, local government, the business community and local citizens and Lt. Col. Eddie Morris provided the leadership necessary to get this aspect going in the right direction. Colonel Read was required to be out of Tulsa with other military duties and deputy Lt. Col. Morris was promoted to the Acting District Engineer for the District. This was a busy and critical time for the McClellan-Kerr Navigation System. The Tulsa Port of Catoosa was at the head of the navigation system and was in the process of becoming the largest inland port and industrial park on the Arkansas River. President Nixon came to this Port for the Dedication of the Navigation System. After Col. Read received his promotion to Brigadier General and left the Tulsa District, Col. John Driskill became the new District Engineer in November of 1972 and Lt. Col. Eddie L. Morris was his Deputy until August 1973. The Legion of Merit Award was presented to LTC Eddie L. Morris when he retired as Deputy District Engineer in August 1973. He was cited for meritorious service to the District through his exceptional qualities of leadership and executive ability. He completed his military duty and he and Mrs. (Pat) Morris choose to remain in Tulsa.

Eddie Morris became a Project Manager for the Tulsa Base of Rockwell International. He managed the Space Shuttle Payload Bay Doors project. He was active in the Arkansas Basin Development Association and served on the Board of Directors and as the President. He was a member of the Port of Tulsa Propeller Club of the U.S., and served as a member of the Board of Directors. Eddie was also a member and Board of Directors of the Arkansas River Historical Society and was active in the National Waterways Conference. After his death in 1990, the Governor of Oklahoma recognized Eddie as an Oklahoma Water Pioneer.

BG (Ret) Donald G. Weinert, PE is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, and received his Masters Degree in Engineering from Purdue University. He is also a graduate of the Command and General Staff College, Armed Forces Staff College, Army War College and the Army's advanced Management Training Program at Northwestern University. His Professional Engineering Registration is in the state of Texas and he is a member of the Order of the Engineer.

He served as District Engineer of the Little Rock District, US Army Corp of Engineers, from 1972 to 1975. During that period, the completion of construction projects and management of operation and maintenance of the Arkansas River Navigation system was a special challenge due to unusually heavy rainfall and frequent flooding. Under his leadership, the Little Rock District was successful in balancing the many competing interests served by the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and made a significant contribution to the successful development and growth of navigation on the system.

In addition to his service as District Engineer of the Little Rock District, his military assignments included service on the Army General Staff, Commander and Director of the US Army Engineer Studies Center, and Tactical Officer and Military Instructor, US Military Academy. Foreign service included command and staff assignments in Germany, Korea and Vietnam. He is a veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.

A number of distinguished honors marked his military career, including three awards of the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, four Army Commendation Medals, a Meritorious Service Medal, and several awards from the Republic of Vietnam. He was also a qualified parachutist.

Following his retirement from active duty, BG Weinert served as Executive Director of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) from 1978 to 1995. He was named Executive Director Emeritus in November, 1995. While with NSPE he was instrumental in creating MATHCOUNTS, a national 7th and 8th grade mathematics program, and currently serves as an honorary member of the Board of the MATHCOUNTS Foundation.

Born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, BG Weinert and his wife Suzi have five children, fourteen grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. They reside at Lake of the Woods in Locust Grove, Virginia. In addition to his work with the Boy Scouts of America, he has been extensively involved with youth athletic programs and with Rotary International.

Bob C. Worley was President and CEO for the Fort Smith Freight Bureau and its successor, the Arkansas Industrial Traffic Associatio. In the 1960s, as the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System was being developed, Bob Worley recognized the impact the navigation system would have on freight rates and the area economy. He predicted a significant decrease in rail rates due to water compelled freight rates.

Bob Worley worked with railroads, barge lines, truck carriers and steamship lines to develop the most advantageous rates for shippers of both domestic and foreign shipments. He was instrumental in developing lighter aboard ship (LASH) shipments to and from the McClellan-Kerr and overseas ports, contributing to area foreign trade and the attraction of industry to the region.
He also stressed the importance of and need for a unified voice in waterway transportation matters along the Arkansas. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Port Operators Association for which he prepared the constitution and by-laws.

For over 20 years Bob Worley served as an Advisory Board Member of the Orrin Harris Chair of Transportation at the University of Arkansas. There, and throughout the region, he worked to create an understanding and awareness of the economics and benefits of the McClellan-Kerr and its intermodal transportation - barge, rail and truck.

Licensed to practice administrative law before the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Federal Maritime Commission, he participated in hearings to develop reasonable barge rates for grains and other commodities to and from ports on the Arkansas.

He also served as a member of the Executive Committee and Vice President for the National Industrial Traffic League; as General Manager of the Southwest Shippers Advisory Board; and as President of the Southwestern Industrial Transportation League.

As an initial member of the Fort Smith Port Authority he was actively involved in developing the first port there and worked with the Corps' Tulsa District to add a portion of the Poteau River to the McClellan-Kerr as a turning basin.

Through the years Bob Worley's knowledge and expertise has benefitted ports, terminals, those shipping to and from the Navigation System and the Arkansas River Basin as a whole.