Safety 2008: Illinois Safety Professional Receives Distinguished Service Award from ASSE Foundation

The ASSE Foundation Distinguished Service Award recipients are chosen by the foundation chair based on their outstanding achievement, commitment to and support of the ASSE Foundation.

“It is truly my honor and privilege to give the ASSE Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award to Larry,” said ASSE Foundation Chair Cynthia L. Roth, COHN. “While serving as research chair for the ASSE Foundation, he helped craft and launch the foundation’s research program by developing an application and review process that provides researchers with a vehicle to share their results with the ASSE membership.”

Roth added, “The program is currently in place today and thanks to Larry, the foundation has published many of these studies in ASSE’s Professional Safety journal and on the foundation’s Web site. Oldendorf also helped develop the criteria for the Liberty Mutual Fellowship program, established in 2000.”

Oldendorf graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology with a degree in Industrial Fire Protection and Safety Engineering. He retired from the U.S. Department of Energy after serving as a safety and fire protection engineer and management analysis officer for 31 years with oversight of six national laboratories and two government laboratories.

He has been a safety and fire protection engineering consultant for special hazard facilities since 1980 and a standards writer and technical advisor for fire protection research involving nuclear facility system operations. He is a professional engineer in Fire Protection and currently president of Fire & Safety Engineering Services in Burbank, Ill.

As an ASSE emeritus professional member and Fellow of ASSE, Oldendorf has volunteered in ASSE programs for more than 40 years. As an active member, he served as ASSE Standards Development Committee chair and vice president, research and standards; chair of the ASSE Governmental Affairs Committee; Society board member for nine years; Society president; and chair of the Technical and Professional Committee. He also served on the ASSE Foundation Board of Trustees as vice chair and served as research chair for the Foundation for 6 years. Currently, Oldendorf also is a member of the ASSE Greater Chicago Chapter and continues to serve on the Foundation Research Committee.

The American Society of Safety Engineers Foundation, established by and in partnership with the American Society of Safety Engineers, generates funding and provides resources for scholarship, applied research, academic accreditation and related academic initiatives in order to advance the safety, health, and environmental profession. More information on the foundation and its programs can be found at http://www.asse.org/foundation.