All of us at Boh Bros. were saddened by the passing of Dale Biggers, P.E., a prominent figure at Boh Bros. for more than 50 years. Dale spent 33 years as a project manager completing hundreds of projects, including piles for the Superdome and the Aquarium. In 2001, he was named piling and marine department manager and served a key role in the recovery of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. A vice president since 2003, Dale’s presence in the halls of Boh Bros., his depth of knowledge, and his wonderful sense of humor will be missed. Dale is survived by his wife Virgene and daughter Eva.

Dale Biggers

Before he passed, the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) named Dale as this year’s Distinguished Service Award (DSA) recipient. This is the highest award bestowed to an individual from DFI. The Distinguished Service Award recognizes individuals who have made exceptionally valuable contributions to the advancement of the deep foundations industry. His wife Virgene, daughter Eva, cousins, Robert S. Boh, and Harold Baur accepted the DSA award posthumously for Dale at this year’s DFI Banquet.

In addition to his work at Boh Bros., Biggers also devoted his time to industry associations. He was an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), DFI Driven Pile Committee, and ACI 543 Concrete Pile Committee. He served as chair of the Pile Driving Contractors Association (PDCA) Technical Committee and chair of the GeoCoalition Code Committee. He was also a mentor to the Capstone Project teams at the University of New Orleans.

Biggers was the chair of the task force for the International Building Codes (IBC) revisions, a nine-year effort that involved monthly meetings of a 35-member committee comprised of structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, and contractors from across the country. He served as chair of the 2017 DFI Annual Conference on Deep Foundations held in New Orleans and was awarded the ASCE Outstanding Engineer New Orleans in 2006.

Hailing from New Orleans, Biggers attended Tulane University, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in both mathematics and civil engineering. In addition, he graduated from the U. S. Coast Guard Officer Candidate School.

From left to right: Dale’s cousins, Eva Biggers (daughter), Virgene Biggers (wife), Robert S. Boh, and Harold Baur