PWHS Publications

Publishing the history of public works has always been a central activity of the Society. A complete list of Society publications along with short abstracts, book reviews, and text from out of print publications is available from this web site. Publications are available for purchase through the APWA Bookstore and APWA Programs and Publications Catalog.  Publications include:

Interviews:

1. An Interview with Donald C. Stone (1903-1995)

Donald Stone is pioneer of modern urban public administration. During the 1930's, as head of the Public Administration Service, he directed scores of surveys and reorganizations of city, county, state, and federal agencies. He was instrumental in the development of standards for urban financial administration, program budgeting, municipal engineering, and police and crime reporting. Stone played a major role in the development of the Marshal Plan, the Charter of the United Nations, and the Executive Office of the President. His academic career included developing public works administration graduate program at the University of Pittsburgh. Interview Number 9, October 1992, interviewed by Howard Rosen and Stephen Pudloski. Purchase

2. An Interview with George Rowe (1925-2006)

This is the story of a life lived with inner strength, persistence, and grace in the face of tremendous odds. He made public works history in Cincinnati, and he made a crucial contribution to the history of APWA. Interview Number 15, November 2006, interviewed by Howard D. Rosen, Ph.D. Purchase

3. An Interview with Herbert Goetsch

A key public works official in metropolitan, post World War II Milwaukee, Goetsch epitomizes a successful public works administrator. Combining technical expertise with a commitment to lifelong learning, dedication to public service, involvement in the community, high ethical standards, strong communication skills and a genuine concern for the individual. Interview Number 11, August 1999, interviewed by Stephen Pudloski and Howard Rosen Purchase

4. An Interview with James E. Attebery

As a key figure on both the local and national levels, Jim Attebery’s life is a testament to perseverance and hard work. Besides playing a major part in providing public works infrastructure to the City of Phoenix during a time of historic growth, he also filled a crucial role in the national development of utility location techniques and organizations. Interview Number 17, interviewed by Howard Rosen, Ph.D., August 2008. Purchase

5. An Interview with James L. Martin

Jim Martin is a man who considers himself a 4th generation public works person. He is one of only four people to have received the highest honors from both APWA and ASCE. He’s also APWA’s most prolific author and one of the profession’s greatest assets! Interview Number 14, September 2006, interviewed by Martin V. Melosi, Ph.D. Purchase

6. An Interview with Myron D. Calkins

This oral history interview tells the story of a modest man with a host of professional awards and accomplishments to his credit. Learn the story of Myron Calkins, from his roots in Tacoma, Washington, to his retirement and beyond in Kansas City, Missouri. You'll be entertained and enlightened by this peek into the life of one of the public works profession's most honored members. Interview Number 12, September 2002, interviewed by Fredrick Spletstoser. Purchase

7. An Interview with Robert D. Bugher

Bob Bugher served the American Public Works Association in 1953 until his retirement in 1989, with more than 30 years of that time spent as executive director. This interview is the story of both the man and the Association he led with dedication and vision, while working shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the icons of public administration and public works in the United States. Interview Number 16, December 2007, interviewed by Howard D. Rosen, Ph.D. Purchase

8. An Interview with Robert Esterbrooks

This interview tells the story of one of the pillars of APWA and the public works profession. A civil engineer by profession, a military man by choice, and a proven administrative leader in several national organizations, Retired Rear Admiral Robert C. Esterbrooks has been, and continues to be an inspiration to his colleagues, to his family and friends, and to the young people he mentors. He is a role model we can admire—a man of integrity and high standards, successful in his chosen careers, modest about his accomplishments, fun to be around. Interview Number 13, July 2003, interviewed by Reba Wells Grandrud, Ph. D. Purchase

9. Oral Histories Collection

Public works professional stand on the shoulders of giants and this collection of interviews gives you insight into 10 of the profession’s tallest giants! Many of these interviews have been out of print for several years, but now they are available to you in PDF format. Purchase

Essays:

1. Army Engineers' Contributions to the Development of Iron Construction

This essay examines the specific ways in which the U.S. federal government, through the Army Corps of Engineers, was able to influence the development of iron for use in 19th Century construction. The author documents the Corps' early use of iron as structural elements in the construction of fireproof buildings and skeleton frame lighthouses. Research for this book was done under contract to The Office of History, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. TEssay Number 21, Sarah E. Wermiel, 2002. Purchase

2. Black Waters

Serious public responses to oil pollution did not occur until almost fifty years after the experience of widespread oil pollution in the World War I era. Why? A look at the history of the 1920s shows powerful economic and political forces aligned against the strengthening of pollution controls. Both the nature of this political battle and its outcome revealed patterns that would continue to shape oil pollution controls in the U.S. for almost half a century. Essay Number 27, Joseph Pratt, Ph.D., 2008. Purchase

3. Cities Take Flight

From grassy fields to virtual small cities, the responsibilities in municipal airport planning and construction have shifted. This important research from a premier aviation historian provides a solid understanding of how airports have evolved over the last century.Essay Number 23, Janet R. Daly Bednarek, 2004. Purchase

4. Mayor Frank P. Zeidler

Completed shortly before Mayor Zeidler’s death in July 2006, this well-researched book establishes the historical context of conditions in Milwaukee at the end of World War II; outlines the election of 1948, including the 1948 expressway bond issue; lays out mayoral initiatives on expressway planning and construction; examines the city’s freeway construction, the transfer of freeway planning to Milwaukee County and its legacy; outlines and examines Mayor Zeidler’s efforts to improve mass transit while stemming the decline of mass transit usage; and provides his introspection on Milwaukee transportation policies. Essay Number 25, James J. Casey, Jr., 2006. Purchase

5. Natchez, Mississippi

Perhaps because of the need to rely on unpublished primary source material, the technological advances made in the “Old South” are seldom the subject of modern published research. Dr. Scott believes that what is often considered “obsolete material” should be preserved in the hope of spawning new ideas. In this monograph, he devotes attention to four key services as they developed in antebellum Natchez: fire protection, gas lighting, sanitation, and streets. Essay Number 26, Philip Paul Scott, Ph.D., 2007. Purchase

6. Paying for the Cost of Growth: The Environmental Engineering Debate in Atlanta, 1877-1914

This essay tells the story of how Atlantans came to accept the need for long-term solution to their environmental problems. From the late 19th to the early 20th Century, Atlanta changed from a lagger to a leader in urban sanitary engineering. Essay Number 18, Stuart Galishoff, 1994. Purchase

7. Public Works and Public Health: Reflections on Urban Politics and Environment, 1880-1925

This essay uses a comparison of regional public works programs in metropolitan Boston and Oakland to explore the changes in public works policy and its relationship to the history of American cities, political institutions, and the urban environment. During the middle 19th century American city dwellers and scientists commonly subscribed to moral-environmentalism, the belief that there was a casual connection between poor sanitation and high rates of crime and disease. Guided by this theory, urban leaders sponsored water, sewage, and other sanitary public works. By the 20th century, the germ theory of disease overshadowed moral-environmentalism. As a result, public health turned to the eradication of specific germs. The effect of this change and its impact on the relationship between cities, public works, and their national environments is the focus of this essay. Essay Number 19, Sarah Elkind, 1999. Purchase

8. Scene by the Engineer

This book, written by a curator emeritus of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, will transport readers to 70 different locations along the path of American engineering and creativity. Using seldom-seen photographs, the author takes you behind the scenes to layout little-known facts about some of engineering's biggest successes, dismal failures, and long-forgotten pipe-dreams. From suspension bridges to concrete boats, every picture is captivating and the commentary is delightful. It's fun, and it's all fact! Essay Number 24, William Worthington, 2005. Purchase

9. The Politics of Congestion: The Continuing Legacy of the Milwaukee Freeway Revolt

This essay examines the history of freeway politics in the  City and County of Milwaukee from a variety of perspectives: public policy, legal, economic, political and environmental. It covers the history of post World War II transportation developments in the city and county. Milwaukee was selected as the focus for this essay not because it is considered to be representative of other cities, but because the freeways in Milwaukee are still a matter of some public debate and discussion. By revisiting the era of the freeway revolt, this essay may rekindle some of the passions expressed during that period. It provides a retrospective look at a turbulent period in urban transportation history so as to encourage a more objective understanding of the lessons we might learn from that history. Essay Number 20, James J. Casey, Jr., JD, 2000. Purchase

10. Water for the Anasazi: How the Ancients of Mesa Verde Engineered Public Works

Navajos called them "the ancient ones," the Anasazi. Monuments to their genius remain in Colorado's cliffside apartment houses, terraced fields and ruins of a sprawling, medieval road system. But there are mysteries as well. Among them is how they were able to get enough water to sustain a civilization on a riverless mesa with infrequent rainfall. This full color essay by Kenneth R. Wright, a civil engineer, probes the technology behind the Anasazi's success. Purchase

History Related Publications

1. Going Underground: Tunneling Past, Present and Future

This feature book is a compendium covering past and present experience in tunnels and tunneling, and explores the possibilities for the future. Based on an exhibit and symposium organized by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and the PWHS, the book was edited by Jeffery Stine, Smithsonian Institution, and Howard Rosen, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Purchase

1. People Making Public Works History: A Century of Process, 1894-1994

This publication is a collection of biographical articles originally published in Society and APWA periodicals, covering nearly 600 public works practitioners. The 700-page book, edited by Robert Bugher, APWA Executive Director Emeritus, covers a century of public works in North America. Purchase