Attributing his knowledge of the final question to his lifelong fascination with engineering and its history, Olmstead won the jackpot for correctly identifying Igor Sikorsky as the inventor of the first mass-produced helicopter. It was a lucky break, since he had already used all three of his "lifelines" at that point and was anticipating a pop culture question, according to an April 11 AP story.

No foreigner to game shows, Olmstead, 42, had won nearly $27,000 as a Jeopardy! contestant in 1994. Since last July, only eight Millionaire contestants had reached the final top-level question, but they all chose to take their $500,000-winnings rather than risk a wrong guess and lose all but $32,000. No slouch at math, Olmstead calculates he will net $1.2 to $1.3 million after taxes.

SEI Advisory Committee member Pete Quinn, of Greenhorne & O’Mara, Inc., notes, "Firms are increasingly adopting ACEC’s executives leadership program as the training program of choice for their current and future leaders. The value of the program and the perceived high return on the training investment is easily evidenced by the number of firms that have had executives in different SEI Classes." Greenhorne & O’Mara has sent three executives to earlier SEI classes and has a seat reserved for SEI Class VI.

SEI Class VI meets for a 21 days total, starts Oct. 13-18, 2001, in Washington, DC, and includes sessions in California, Banff (Canada), and Florida. The SEI network currently includes 102 executives from 63 firms across 32 states. Leading professional liability insurers continue to support the program, with CNA/Schinnerer offering five $4,000-fellowships and DPIC Companies contributing ten $1,000-scholarships to participating policyholders. To register for SEI VI, contact Maria Galvan (mgalvan@acec.org) at ACEC.

Renowned historian David McCullough, a featured speaker in the White House Presidential Lecture Series (and one of the few private citizens to be asked to speak before a joint session of Congress), will address ACEC members during this year’s Opening Session of the ACEC Annual Convention.

McCullough, recent winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his book Truman, and author of best-sellers such as The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge and Path Between the Seas: Creation of the Panama Canal, is the host of American Experience on the Public Broadcasting Service. McCullough "…paints with words, giving us pictures of the American people that live, breath, and above all, confront the fundamental issues of courage, achievement and moral character," so states McCullough’s honorary degree from Yale University.

As the engineering industry looks ahead, McCullough will speak to the challenges we face, not only technologically, but also in terms of ensuring our services respond to human needs and societal dynamics. This morning session is on Monday, May 14.

Fiesta at La Villita!

Who says engineers don’t know how to have fun? Come enjoy the biggest party in Texas on Tuesday, May 15, as CEC/Texas shows us the true local color of San Antonio. Mariachis will greet you as you enter an historic Spanish village complete with quaint houses now converted to artisan shops. Colorfully decorated food stations throughout the area will offer ACEC members a taste of South Texas. The evening will conclude with the Ballet Folklorico, beautifully costumed dancers performing traditional dances from various states and provinces in Mexico.