By: Victoria Goncharova
Col. Jack W. Martin and Wayne S. McCall were inducted into the M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management Hall of Fame this past Saturday on the campus of the University of Florida. The Hall of Fame honors those who have truly distinguished themselves in the construction profession.
“The Rinker School Hall of Fame is very important to us because it is the one chance, the one opportunity we have, to recognize the legacy builders today,” Rinker School Director Robert F. Cox said. “A lot of people’s lives are touched every time.”
Col. Martin made a remarkable impact at the Rinker School, where he was honored for his many contributions during his years of teaching as a professor. In addition to creating the Soils and Concrete Laboratory and personally supporting student scholarships, Martin was able to bring a wealth of experiences from his prior 24-year construction career in the military.
The distinguished veteran attended West Point Military Academy and went on to receive his master’s degree in engineering from MIT. He received numerous awards for his service, including: Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Medal, Air Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army of Occupation Medal (Germany), National Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Vietnam Service and Campaign Medals.
“It is a big thrill because teaching for 21-plus years, it is like a family. To be designated as a smaller family [of inductees] is really, really special,” Martin said.
As the CEO of three construction companies (Perry-McCall, Parrish McCall and Elkins Construction), McCall has extensive constructive management experience with a broad range of clients from healthcare to entertainment. His father-in-law, Charles Perry, was a previous Rinker Hall of Fame inductee in 1983, and formed the Perry-McCall company with him.
The CEO is a proud graduate of the Rinker School and a long-term supporter of UF. In fact, his company has built many of the buildings on campus and is currently working on the new football training facility.
“I believe it is a capstone,” said McCall, commenting on what being inducted means to him. “It lets me understand how important it is to have a great business with great employees because that’s how we get here. We do not do this by ourselves; it’s a team effort.”
The event was hosted by Hall of Fame member Steve Palmer and attended by a plethora of other Hall of Fame members, including UF Board of Trustees member David L. Brandon.
For more information on the Construction Hall of Fame Class of 2021, click here.
