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By Maj. John K. Johannes Memphis District Operations Officer

M emphis District’s fiscal year 2016 Leadership

Development Class (LDP) participated in a

leadership workshop March 21-25 at Naval

Support Activity (NSA) Mid-South in Millington. This was

the first of four workshops scheduled for the LDP class.

Josh Giannini and Randy Lord from Engineering and Con-

struction Division, Sierra Marshall from Contracting Divi-

sion, Sherry Blount from the Office of Counsel, Marvin

Roddy from Operations Division, Billy Grantham from

Programs and Project Management Division, and Mike

Thron from Regional Planning and Environmental Division

-South make up the 2016 class.

The 2016 LDP curriculum has several parts to it. First,

the students will attend four leadership workshops provided

by instructors from the U.S. Army Engineer School and

Non-Commissioned Officer Academy (NCOA) at Fort

Leonard Wood, Mo. Second, the LDP students will attend

classes, meetings, and take field trips designed to enrich

their knowledge of the Memphis District and USACE. Fi-

nally, the LDP students will scope, plan, and deliver a pro-

ject to the District Commander by the District Leadership

Conference in early fiscal year 2017. This year’s project is

a reference manual for District employees.

The workshop week of March 21 began with instructors

from Fort Leonard Wood’s NCOA touring the District. The

five instructors received several informational briefings on

how the Memphis District and USACE function. They also

toured Ensley Engineer Yard and the Grand Prairie and

Bayou Meto Pump Stations. These experiences helped the

instructors better understand the day to day life of the LDP

students, and also provided the instructors with a better

appreciation for the capabilities and organization of a

USACE district.

On March 23, the NCOA instructors began a three day

Memphis District’s 2016 Leadership

Development Class attends workshop

Josh Giannini and Sierra Marshall work on their communication skills using the experiential learning technique. In this case, they work together to stack plastic cups and popsicle sticks.

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leadership workshop at NSA Mid-

South aimed at providing the LDP stu-

dents with blocks of leadership devel-

opment instruction. They worked on

improving communication skills, coun-

seling techniques, team building, and

military rank structure.

“It was interesting to see and under-

stand the perspective of leadership

from the non-commissioned officers,”

Randy Lord said. “It differs greatly

from the officers and civilians that I

work around normally.”

The instructors presented the materi-

al in a way that was unfamiliar to most

of the students. This was a method the

Army calls the Experiential Learning

Model. This style uses a lot of interac-

tive exercises to reinforce the learning

objectives from the lesson. For exam-

ple, the students stacked cups to learn

about communication skills. They

counseled each other in the counseling

techniques block and even drew a bug

to emphasize the importance of clarity

in writing.

“The instructors’ activities were

challenging and forced us to get out of

our comfort zones and allowed me to

learn about myself,” Josh Giannini

said. This method of instruction will

be used by all of the Fort Leonard

Wood instructors in the future.

The workshop concluded at the end

of the workday on March 25. Both the

instructors and the students exchanged

some great ideas over the course of the

week. The next LDP workshop taught

by Leonard Wood instructors is in

May.

Deborah Griffith (left) makes a point about perseverance and using ones intelligence to succeed as Voncile Williams (center) and Linda Ross (right) listen.

Site visits to our two water security projects in Arkansas gave visiting NCOs a chance to see firsthand the kind of work the Memphis District does.

USACE cover illustration by Visual Infor-mation Specialist Vance Harris.

Memphis District LDP class members gathered at NSA Mid-South for a group pho-to with NCO instructors from Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo.

Sherry Blount briefs her classmates in a practical exercise.

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Project Manager Dewey Powell retires

with 28 years of federal service

D ewey Powell first came to work for the Memphis

District in January 1990. His friends and cowork-

ers celebrated his highly successful federal career

at a retirement ceremony on March 29.

Following two years on active duty in the U.S. Army dur-

ing the Vietnam era Powell attended Tennessee State Uni-

versity where he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engi-

neering in 1974.

Following graduation he went to work for the Tennessee

Department of Transportation as a road designer. He be-

came a licensed professional engineer in 1988.

In 1990 he took a position in our Planning Division, Plan

Formulation Branch where he worked on a number of chal-

lenging and important projects.

Powell was study manager for the Cache River Basin

Project during the reconnaissance phase, and managed and

formulated detailed project reports for 20 continuing au-

thorities projects (CAP). He successfully constructed 10 of

those projects.

He also initiated and constructed the Section 205 May-

field Creek, Kentucky project. This is the only Stream Ob-

struction Removal Guidelines project in the District.

His last assignment in the Memphis District was as Pro-

ject Manager for St. Francis Basin Construction.

At his retirement ceremony Memphis District commander

Col. Jeff Anderson presented Powell with the Command-

er’s Award for Civilian Service in recognition of his many

contributions to the District and its mission.

In remarks following the presentation, Powell said he was

inspired to become an engineer by his father, a self-taught

designer and carpenter.

“I watched my dad design projects and build them, and

knew I wanted to do something like that,” he said.

Powell said he looks forward to relaxing and staying busy

in his church where he is a deacon and Sunday School su-

perintendent.

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Bright receives Commander’s Award for

work on two high visibility permits Regulatory Branch Project Manager Josh

Bright received the Commander’s Award for

Civilian Service on March 30 in recognition

for his work on two controversial and highly

visible permits: the Big River Steel Mid-

River Terminal near Osceola, Ark., and a

residential lake expansion in Wilson City,

Ark. The projects will potentially result in

more than 500 jobs and more than a billion

dollars of investment in the region. This will

contribute significantly to the on-going revi-

talization of the local communities. Bright

worked successfully with applicants, re-

source agencies, and reviewing officials,

providing them with essential information

accurately and on a timely basis. He also

coordinated with outside stakeholders and

senior leadership throughout the process.

Congratulations Josh!

NWS hydrologist Gene Rench honored

with Commander’s Public Service Award

N ational Weather Service Memphis Service Hydrol-

ogist Dr. Gene Rench was the featured speaker at

a Lunch ‘n’ Learn event on March 23.

Dr. Rench spoke on Mississippi River Flood Risk Trends

in the Memphis District. His informative presentation cov-

ered “big picture” flooding in the Memphis District and

Mississippi River Valley, including the impacts of El Niño

and La Niña weather patterns on flooding potential.

Following his presentation he received the Army Com-

mander’s Award for Public Service. This honor is present-

ed to non-Army personnel for service or achievements that

contribute significantly to the accomplishment of the mis-

sion of an Army activity, command, or staff agency.

In addition to his regular duties at the National Weather

Service, for many years Dr. Rench has maintained a critical

liaison with the Memphis District prior to and

throughout numerous high water events and seasonal

flood events.

In the citation with the award Dr. Rench was recog-

nized for his long established pattern of excellence in

providing Mississippi River and tributary flood fore-

cast expertise and climatological predictions to the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Memphis District.

His forecasts have resulted in increased public safe-

ty and reduced property damage throughout the re-

gion. Through his tireless efforts, he has made signif-

icant contributions to the mission of the Memphis

District. In the photo at left, Dr. Rench holds his award as Con-struction Branch Chief Jim Wolff looks on.

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Engineers share news of USACE job

opportunities with CBU students

M allory Harvey and Josh Giannini visited

the campus of Christian Brothers Univer-

sity in Midtown Memphis on March 17

where they talked with engineering students about

upcoming employment opportunities in the Mem-

phis District and at our area offices.

Harvey and Giannini both work in our Design

Branch and are both CBU graduates.

“I think its important to reach out to our communi-

ty and get people in this area interested in working

for us,” Harvey said.

Harvey and Giannini talked with the students

about the numerous missions and work the Memphis

District does in this region, about summer intern

opportunities and how to apply for those positions.

“This is a great way to recruit new talent, tell our

story and give back to one of our local universities

that is linked directly to USACE via its graduates,”

Daniel Rocha, Structural Engineering Section chief

said. “Thanks to Mallory and Josh for doing this.”

Turner invited to share scheduling

module info with Nashville District

M att Turner, Chief of Technical Services Support Branch, Engi-

neering and Construction Division, visited Nashville District

on March 25 to unroll the ESR module (Engineering Schedule

Review web application) that was redeveloped and is in use here at the

Memphis District. Nashville District officials specifically requested that

Turner do the presentation.

“The ESR Module is a web-enabled schedule tracking application to

track engineering construction, project commitments and deliverable ser-

vices like reports, reviews and milestones,” Turner said.

“Key engagements like this with our counterparts in the Nashville Dis-

trict are important” Donny Davidson, Engineering and Construction

Branch Chief said. “Matt went over our regional Work For Others appli-

cation and showcased our Leave/OT Request application as well.”

Davidson said we have already unrolled these to other counterparts in

the Mississippi Valley Division.

“Kudos to Mike Watson, Matt Turner and the entire team who continue

to develop smart ways to manage data and resources, to overall maximize

our productivity,” he added.

Davidson said the leadership in the Nashville District also requested and

received our monthly Construction Status Review (CSR) Package, and we

will likely be talking more on that subject as well.

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On this day in 1700, English

pranksters begin popularizing

the annual tradition of April

Fools’ Day by playing practical

jokes on each other.

Although the day, also called

All Fools’ Day, has been cele-

brated for several centuries by

different cultures, its exact ori-

gins remain a mystery. Some

historians speculate that April

Fools’ Day dates back to 1582,

when France switched from the

Julian calendar to the Gregorian

calendar, as called for by the

Council of Trent in 1563. Peo-

ple who were slow to get the

news or failed to recognize that

the start of the new year had

moved to Jan. 1 and continued

to celebrate it during the last week of

March through April 1 became the butt

of jokes and hoaxes. These included

having paper fish placed on their backs

and being referred to as “poisson

d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize

a young, easily caught fish and a gulli-

ble person.

Historians have also linked April

Fools’ Day to ancient festivals such as

Hilaria, which was celebrated in Rome

at the end of March and involved peo-

ple dressing up in disguises. There’s

also speculation that April Fools’ Day

was tied to the vernal equinox, or first

day of spring in the Northern Hemi-

sphere, when Mother Nature fooled

people with changing, unpredictable

weather.

April Fools’ Day spread throughout

Britain during the 18th century. In

Scotland, the tradition became a two-

day event, starting with “hunting the

gowk,” in which people were sent on

phony errands (gowk is a word for

cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and

followed by Tailie Day, which in-

volved pranks played on people’s der-

rieres, such as pinning fake tails or

“kick me” signs on them.

In modern times, people have gone

to great lengths to create elaborate

April Fools’ Day hoaxes. Newspapers,

radio and TV stations and Web sites

have participated in the April 1 tradi-

tion of reporting outrageous fictional

claims that have fooled their audienc-

es. In 1957, the BBC reported that

Swiss farmers were experiencing a

record spaghetti crop and showed foot-

age of people harvesting noodles from

trees; numerous viewers were fooled.

You can see the ridiculously funny

video at this link: BBC Spaghetti.

In 1985, Sports Illustrated tricked

many of its readers when it ran a made

-up article about a rookie pitcher

named Sidd Finch who could throw a

fastball over 168 miles per hour. In

1996, Taco Bell, the fast-food restau-

rant chain, duped people when it an-

nounced it had agreed to purchase

Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and intend-

ed to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell.

In 1998, after Burger King advertised a

“Left-Handed Whopper,” scores of

clueless customers requested the fake

sandwich.

April Fools’ Day is fun time with deep

and curious roots in history

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This weekend in memphis Midtown Opera Festival

April 1-10, Various times

Opera Memphis’ fourth annual Midtown Opera Festi-

val takes place over ten days in April at Playhouse on the

Square. It will feature two intimate chamber operas, family

events, panel discussions, and a late-night cabaret in the

heart of Memphis. Click here for details.

Down to Earth Festival

April 2, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., $5 per vehicle, Shelby Farms Park

Celebrate Earth Day with Shelby Farms Park during Down

to Earth Festival. Outdoor adventure, eco-friendly exhibitors,

the Go Ape Treetop Ropes Course, and more. Live music &

food trucks, family hikes at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. and a

Shelby Farms Park Conservancy tour with Jimmy Ogle.

Memphis Farmers Market Opening Day

April 2, 7 a.m.-1 p.m., FREE, S. Front at G.E. Patterson

First day of the Memphis Farmers Market, Downtown! Kids

can enjoy crafting their own flower pot for a lesson on grow-

ing. There will be food trucks, all kind of locally grown food

vendors, crafts, and more.

April 3 Tweed Day

April 4 Walk Around Things Day

April 5

Go For Broke Day

April 6

National Tartan Day

April 7 World Health Day

No Housework Day

April 8 Draw a Picture of a Bird Day

April 9 Winston Churchill Day

National Tartan Day celebrates Scottish heritage and the distinct pattern "tartan" which is commonly seen in clothing and many other items. When we see this tartan pattern, we think of Scotland, bagpipes, kilts and other things Scottish. On this day in day in 1320, the Scottish Declaration of Independence was signed. The United States Declaration of Inde-pendence was modelled after the Scottish Declaration of Independence.

Fall in Love with Binghampton

April 1, 5:30 p.m., $20

The Carpenter Art Garden invites you to Fall in Love with

Binghampton. An evening of art and entertainment with

artwork for sale by the children from Binghampton and

the local artists who taught them. Appetizers, beer and

wine available.

Who knew this was a thing?

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The mission of the RiverWatch Weekly newsletter is to support the Commander’s internal information program for the Memphis District and its stakeholders. It also serves as one of the Commander’s primary communication tools for accu-rately transmitting his policies and Command philosophy to the Memphis District Community and its customers. It seeks to do this in an informative and entertaining manner.

Our condolences

To the family, friends and coworkers of former Memphis

District employee Don E. Jordan, 81, of Troy, Tenn., who

died on March 12. Mr. Jordan worked as an electrician on

Bank Protection Party #8 and was also a Veteran of the

U.S. Air Force. He is survived by his wife Clara and a large

family of children and grandchildren.

To Edward Lambert and family on the passing of his

mother Juanita Lambert, 86, on March 28. Ed is Chief of

our Environmental Compliance Branch. Funeral services

were scheduled for today in Tangipahoa, La. Mrs. Lambert

was a retired educator and active in a number of civic, ser-

vice and historical organizations. Please keep Ed and his

family in your thoughts and prayers.

Farewell

Almost 38 years ago, I was 19 years old, and began my

job in the Appraisal Branch of the Memphis District, U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers. I had no idea, as I settled in at a

desk with a typewriter in the Federal Building in Memphis

that I would find myself in many different places, from

standing on levees, to warehouses at the Ensley Engineer

Yard, to traveling on the Mississippi River aboard the Mo-

tor Vessel Mississippi, to visiting the halls of Congress. I

did not know I would meet all different kinds of people in

all different kinds of jobs, but with one thing in common—

their dedication to executing the mission. I had no clue I

was going to become part of the Corps family and this fam-

ily would encourage me, support me, and challenge me to

give my best. I was unaware that I was going to work with

the finest group of men and women I would ever meet. I

know now and am truly proud and grateful to have been a

part of this team. ESSAYONS!

Linda Story Ross

From Lifeblood

Thank you for hosting a Lifeblood blood drive on March

30 at the Federal Building. We’re so grateful for your ef-

forts to make the blood drive a success. There were 27 par-

ticipants. With your help we were able to collect 23 units.

RiverWatch Weekly

Newsletter

Memphis District

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Public Affairs Office

167 N. Main St. RM B-202

Memphis, TN 38103-1894

District Commander: Col. Jeffery Anderson

Public Affairs Officer: Jim Pogue, (901) 544-4109

Email: james.t.pogue@usace.army.mil

www.facebook.com/MemphisUSACE

Here and there