Home : Volume 25 : Fall 1998 :
Distinguished Service Award for Eugene M. Bentley, III

Eugene M. Bentley, III (45K JPG)

Eugene M. Bentley, a civil engineer, chemist and mathematician who has owned consulting engineering firms since 1970, has devoted the past 30 years of his engineering career to encouraging African American students to study science and engineering. Bentley often speaks to engineering students at institutions such as Howard University, Morgan State University and the University of the District of Columbia. Additionally, he has provided employment for more than 150 engineers and scientists of color at Advanced Engineering, P.C., his consulting engineering firm.

As a leader, environmentalist, scientist and engineer, Bentley was an owner/vice president and later served as manager of operations with Polytech, Inc., in Cleveland, Ohio. There he developed and implemented marketing strategies to sell the firm's capabilities in transportation, sanitary, facilities and construction engineering. He managed a staff of 170 who were involved in securing and completing projects in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, the District of Columbia and Texas, in addition to international projects.

Bentley has received numerous awards. They include: Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni from Summer High School in St. Louis, Missouri; Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni from Langston University in Oklahoma; Technical Achievement Award from the National Technical Association; and Membership in the Hall of Fame of the United States Department of Energy.

He is married to Jean R. Lee-Bentley, a former secondary educator and guidance counselor. They are the proud parents of two children. Jeni Bentley-Bailey earned an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering as well as an MBA from Northwestern University. She is now a vice president with a major corporation. Eugene Macke Bentley, IV earned both bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture and now serves as a vice president in his father's engineering firm.