COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Dr. Billy L. and Becky Edge of College Station have endowed a $25,000 scholarship at Texas A&M University honoring one of the foremost experts in the field of coastal zone management. The Orville T. Magoon Scholarship in Coastal Engineering will be awarded to United States residents who demonstrate interest in the field of coastal engineering. Magoon, who lives in San Francisco, is president of The Coastal Zone Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving management, protection and use of coastal and ocean resources. "Magoon has not only served as a leader in my field, he has also served as my mentor for over 25 years. We wish to acknowledge his contributions and friendship with a permanent contribution to coastal engineering education," said Edge, Bauer Professor of Dredging Engineering and head of the coastal and ocean engineering division in Texas A&M’s civil engineering department. Magoon retired in 1983 as chief of the Coastal Engineering Branch, Planning Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Pacific Division. He continues to be an activist for coastal solutions and is a member of the Advisory Council of the California Academy of Sciences. A native of Honolulu, he holds a B.S. from the University of Hawaii and an M.S. from Stanford University, both in civil engineering. He has served on various federal civil engineering committees and panels, and is the author of numerous books and technical publications on coastal engineering. He conceived and chaired seven major international specialty conferences on coastal zone management and coastal processes. For 10 years Magoon served as president of the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA). Most notable among his honors are the International Coastal Engineering Award and John G. Moffat-Frank E. Nichol Harbor and Coastal Engineering Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE); Benchmark Award, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and Jim Purpura National Coastal Engineering Award, Florida Shore and Beach Preservation Association. "Billy and Becky Edge know firsthand the students’ need for scholarships. Their gift is an especially appropriate way for them to honor Mr. Magoon’s lifework in that it will help the next generation of coastal engineers achieve their goals," said Dr. Paul Roschke, interim department head for civil engineering. Edge is an international leader in research on offshore breakwaters and beach nourishment. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to joining Texas A&M in 1993, he worked extensively in the private sector and was a professor at Clemson University. He has served on the Marine Board, National Academy of Engineering, and as secretary for the ASCE Rubble Mound Structures Committee and the ASCE Waterway, Port, Coastal and Ocean Division’s Coastal Engineering Research Council. For 25 years Edge was proceedings editor for the International Conference on Coastal Engineering. He has been co-director of the U.S. Army Engineering Waterways Experiment Station/Texas A&M University Graduate Program. He continues to serve as the senior civilian member of the Coastal Engineering Research Board for the Corps of Engineers. Becky Edge, a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute, worked for many years with Billy Edge in the private sector before coming to Texas A&M. She is active in many associations and volunteer activities for the Bryan-College Station community including the University Woman’s Club, Philanthropic Educational Organization-Chapter EQ and Bryan Church Pantry. The Edges’ gift is part of the One Spirit One Vision Campaign, the university’s multi-year fundraising effort aimed at helping Texas A&M attain national top 10 status among public universities while sustaining the distinctive Texas A&M spirit. The volunteer-led campaign, coordinated by the Texas A&M Foundation, encompasses all private gifts benefiting the university.
