Inez Arman

The Gary Arman North Dakota State University scholarship was established to
recognize his special qualities and his desire to assist young engineers with their
education and career development.
Gary graduated from Bismarck’s St. Mary’s Central High School in 1960. He then
attended Bismarck Junior College and began working at Twin City Testing, which
reinforced his interest in engineering. Gary graduated with a Bachelor of Science
Degree in Civil Engineering from NDSU in 1967. Following graduation, he was
employed by the Kansas Highway Commission before accepting a branch
manager’s position in 1974 with Twin City Testing/Soil Exploration in Eau Claire,
Wisconsin. In 1978 he was transferred to Bismarck where he managed their labs
throughout the state. During this time, Gary was involved in providing
engineering services for the construction of power and gasification plants. Next,
he opened and managed the North Dakota laboratories for Braun Intertec. He
later started his own firm, Arman Engineering Testing Ltd. As a professional, he
took special pride in being direct to tell his clients what they needed to hear, not
necessarily what they wanted to hear, a unique ethical quality admired by many.

Upon returning to North Dakota in 1978, he became involved with the North Dakota Society of Professional Engineering Chapter 3 in Bismarck. He was instrumental in fund-raising for the 1981 National Society of Professional Engineers Summer Meeting held in Bismarck. After the bills were paid, the remaining funds were used to create the NDSPE Education Foundation Scholarship Fund. Gary encouraged and challenged every professional engineer to support it. Gary served as vice-president, president-elect, and president of Chapter 3. He also held similar offices at the state level within NDSPE.
Gary was appointed to the North Dakota Board of Registration for Engineers and Land Surveyors by governors Ed Schafer and John Hoeven. In 2007, he was chosen by the North Dakota Society of Professional Engineers to receive the Elwyn F. Chandler Award in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of the engineering profession. His leadership qualities were also realized by his involvement in other organizations including Toastmasters and Capital City Lions, (where he was named a Melvin Jones Fellow) and United Way.
Gary was active with the Bismarck-Mandan Development Association and served as a member and Chairman of the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber’s Transportation committee which he chaired several times. Over the years he coached little league soccer and was involved with scouting. He was committed and passionate in everything he did. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, and wood working projects.
This scholarship is provided to the recipient in honor of Gary’s commitment to the profession. His hope would be that you become involved, committed and admired in your profession leaving an optimistic and positive impression on others.