My Journey

About the Book

The book written in free style includes poems and short stories and reflects the author’s experiences as he worked as an engineering consultant/manager in London, Jamaica and the USA over a period of fifty years. The book is not about engineering, but rather about people, events and circumstances observed and or experienced as he navigated his way through diverse places and situations over that period of time. The writings include romantic, cultural, sociological and political subjects. Each poem or story has its own natural emotional dynamics ranging from hate, love, lust, abysmal ignorance or arrogance, beauty of nature, beauty of the soul. Like in the case of movies that embellish books of authors so as to capture the imagination of the viewer, so does this book in embellishing those poems and short stories to peak the interest of the reader. As in the case of broadcasting or voice over work, this book should be read with emphasis to reflect the emotion embedded in the words.

About the Author

Bob was born in Jamaica where he attended elementary schools and then to an English style boarding school, Clarendon College. There he excelled in track and field, soccer and lawn tennis. Having passed the University of Cambridge Senior Cambridge School Certificate, Bob worked for ALCAN Works and was mesmerized at the sight of massive engineering works and the processing of bauxite into alumina. This experience propelled Bob to migrate to London where he gained a BS degree in Civil Engineering. He was articled to the world renowned firm Ove Arup and Partners, famous for among other projects, the Sydney Opera House, a project on which Bob had the honor of being a team member studying deflection parameters. Thereafter, Bob was one of the site engineers on the Sandy Gully Drainage Project, the largest drainage project in the Caribbean/Central America region. Bob, later became a partner in Hue, Lyew, Chin Associates, the first indigenous firm of Consulting Engineering in Jamaica. There, for fifteen years, Bob was Engineer of Record for a multitude of diverse projects, both buildings and infrastructure. Bob migrated to the USA, and while in Atlanta was responsible for the study and design of the storm water/sewer collection and disposal system for the entire City of Atlanta. The methane migration abatement project under the direction of Bob is of special note. It was at this point in time,1988, Bob was nominated ‘Black Engineer of the Year’ signifying his accomplishments and leadership. Bob moved to Miami where he was Manager of Project Managers on the Dade County Public Schools $1.5 billion (1989) Capital Improvement Program. Thereafter, Bob joined a team of Aviation Consultants, and as Project Manager, was engaged in the holistic management of the $5.4 billion (1994) Capital Improvement Program of Dade County Aviation Department. As an engineering consultant, Bob has managed, holistically, projects valued at $1.0 billion and in addition, as Project Manager managed projects valued at $1.8 billion. Bob, a Registered Professional Engineer, holds the highest level of membership, that of Fellow, in the London Institution of Civil Engineers and similarly Fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers.