John Banicki†, PE
The late John Banicki was Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Testing Engineers & Consultants, Inc. (TEC). Mr. Banicki’s contributions to the engineering community were numerous and far reaching. However, John’s most significant contribution to his community and to society in general, was his enlistment and service as a Naval Aviator in the US Navy in WW II where he served as a Lieutenant in the Pacific Operations.
After serving as a pilot and spending many months on the U.S.S. Onslow aircraft carrier, John wanted to keep both feet on the ground for a while so, he returned to Wayne State University and pursued a profession in civil engineering. What followed was an engineering career that spanned 50+ years. During that time he was directly involved in the construction of a multitude of Michigan landmarks including the Ford Auditorium, Book Cadillac Hotel, Detroit Renaissance Center, Lafayette Park, and the Detroit People Mover. In 1966, he and his wife Katherine founded TEC. Today, TEC is a multi-million dollar engineering consulting firm.
John was active in many trade organizations such as AGC Michigan, the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers, and the National Society of Professional Engineers since 1959; he was Past President and former recipient of the 1979 MSPE Engineer of the Year Award and an elected Fellow. Further, he was a long-standing member, past Board Member and Chairman of the Construction Activities Committee, as well as an elected Fellow with the Engineering Society of Detroit. Mr. Banicki was Past President of the Construction Specifications Institute, and past Secretary/Treasurer of the American Concrete Institute (Michigan Section). Further, he was an honorary member of AIA Michigan. John’s many awards for engineering excellence and distinguished service include his induction into the Engineering Hall of Fame at Wayne State University.
His commitment to the profession was demonstrated not only by the organizations he worked for, but also by the individual people he helped along the way. He developed a tutoring program for young Polish engineers and TEC continues to sponsor an annual engineering scholarship in his name at WSU.