The Houston civil engineering community came together last Friday to honor the late Charles Joseph “C.J.” Tamborello (BSCE ’61) by dedicating a bridge in his memory.
The pedestrian bridge at Sim’s Bayou in Houston’s FM Law Park was the last designed primarily by Tamborello before his death in 2005. It now bears a plaque in his honor.
Tamborello was extremely active in the area’s civil engineering community as a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Council of Engineering Companies and other organizations.
He was also a leading figure among Cullen College alumni. With his wife, Marge, at his side, he was one of the founding members of the college’s Engineering Alumni Association (EAA) and led the steering committee for the college’s first golf tournament 23 years ago. He also served as a mentor to several Cullen College students, many of whom went on to be among the college’s most successful alumni. In recognition of these efforts, the EAA honored Tamborello with a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus award in 1994.
Speakers at the bridge dedication included Mike Talbott, director of the Harris County Flood Control District, which oversaw the bridge’s design and construction; Roger Eichhorn, former dean of the Cullen College; and Jim Moffatt, a longtime friend and colleague of Tamborello.
“My first thought today is that Flood Control and Harris Count got it right,” said Moffatt. “No one is more deserving of this recognition than CJ, which is ironic because CJ was never after recognition. He was a generous, honest and kind man.”