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DART’s Thomas honored by Texas Tech University

The Distinguished Engineer Award was created by former dean John R. Bradford in 1966 to honor former engineering students who have made significant contributions to society and whose accomplishments have brought great honor to the college.

May 3, 2016
DART’s Thomas honored by Texas Tech University

DART President/Executive Director Gary Thomas.

1 min to read


DART President/Executive Director Gary Thomas.

Texas Tech University’s Whitacre College of Engineering has awarded Dallas Area Rapid Transit President/Executive Director Gary Thomas with a Distinguished Engineer Award.  

The Distinguished Engineer Award was created by former dean John R. Bradford in 1966 to honor former engineering students who have made significant contributions to society and whose accomplishments have brought great honor to the college, Texas Tech and the profession. The college recognized seven engineering alumni this year, including Thomas.

Thomas graduated from Texas Tech in 1980, with a double-bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and architecture structure. Prior to joining DART in 1998, Thomas worked for a national engineering firm where he held positions of project engineer, project manager, engineering manager and program manager.

As president/executive director, Thomas oversees a 13-city transit system that covers 700 square miles with bus, light rail, commuter rail and paratransit services. DART’s light rail system is the nation’s longest at 90 miles.

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