Don Watson Inducted into NCAT Wall of Honor

Don Watson receives the Wall of Honor plaque from Chris Roberts, NCAT board vice-chair and dean of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University.

Friends, family and colleagues gathered on Friday, Feb. 28, 2019 to celebrate the career of NCAT Training Manager Don Watson and his induction into the NCAT Wall of Honor. Stories were shared, best wishes were made and a few tears were shed during the retirement celebration.

Don came to NCAT in 2001 after a 32-year career with the Georgia Department of Transportation. As a research engineer at NCAT, Don was the principal investigator on a diverse list of projects ranging from stone matrix asphalt, open graded friction courses, Superpave refinements and thermal segregation. He also made significant contributions to topics such as warm mix asphalt, recycling, and mechanistic pavement design. His practical research has made a positive influence on specifications in numerous states and will have a lasting impact of the quality of asphalt pavements for years to come.

Perhaps the most significant contribution that Don has made to the industry and NCAT’s mission is his work as manager of NCAT’s training program. Don is an outstanding instructor, drawing on his decades of field experience, sharing his genuine interest to improve pavements, taking care to explain concepts in ways that are easy for all to understand, and inspiring participants to ask questions and learn so that they can apply the lessons they’ve learned to make better asphalt roads. During his time as training manager, the program greatly expanded in technical content and the number of people taught through the courses. He has helped grow NCAT’s reputation worldwide through training groups from South Korea, Russia, Mexico and Nigeria, as well as traveling to instruct ongoing training programs in Puerto Rico and Qatar.

“Don Watson is a man of true character,” said NCAT Director Randy West. “It will be impossible to replace his 49 years of experience in the industry, but the biggest void that he’ll leave is the daily influence that he has on the NCAT family.”

After retirement, Don still plans to work part-time as an instructor and continue his service to the industry through his work in the NAPA Quality Awards program.