Dale manages a geotechnical lab for GeoEngineers’ Baton Rouge office and is responsible for all of the tests performed on soils and some other materials. In addition, he oversees the quality control/quality assurance of all testing performed in the lab. Explaining what soil testing entails, Dale enumerates, “We squeeze it, roll it, wet it, dry it, burn it, compress it, apply pressure to it, vibrate it, wet it, mix it and bang it with a 10-pound hammer. We add weight to it, remove weight from it and run electrical current through it… we even cure it, even though it’s not ill!”

As for Dale’s proudest projects, he says, “It’s rewarding to be a part of the solution of rebuilding Louisiana’s rapidly deteriorating coastline, which has been losing wetlands at a rate of 16.57 square miles per year, or equal to a football field of coast every hour!” He is also proud of how well he and his colleagues have met the challenges of of working with all of the various soils they encounter, particularly the very soft, organic soils of the Louisiana coastal areas.

Dale cherishes his lifelong connection with his wife. “I’ve known my wife since I was two months old and she one month old, and have photos to prove it,” he reveals. The couple enjoys spending time with their grown son and daughter, two rescue dogs and two rescue cats. For fun, Dale performs concerts and summer reading programs for children at libraries throughout South Louisiana. “I recorded a CD of my music a few years back that my son made available on iTunes and Amazon.com, as a birthday gift last year.” Dale loves geology as a hobby and has a vast personal collection of rocks, minerals and fossils.