Wendell R LaDue Safety Award

The award, established in honor of Wendell R. LaDue, is presented to recognize distinguished water utility safety programs.

Wendell R. LaDue was born in Ohio in 1895 and graduated from the University of Southern California.  After serving in the U.S. Navy, he began work in the Akron, Ohio, Water Department as a draftsman in 1919, and retired as Superintendent and Chief Engineer in 1961. In fact, the largest reservoir in the upper Cuyahoga watershed in Ohio was named in his honor.  A quick-spoken speaker, LaDue was highly regarded and sought after for his sense of humor, knowledge and insight.  LaDue worked hard for the water industry, and in addition to serving as an AWWA President from 1946-1947, he was a committee member or chairman for various engineering societies and the National Safety Council.

The award is given to one of each size class of utility:  under 10 employees, 10-100 employees, 100-500 employees and over 500 employees.  To be considered for the award, utilities need to complete the application form with safety information for the last five years.  The nomination form can be found on the AWWA website:

2024-WendellLaDue-Nomination-Form
Please email your Nomination Form to Brian Miller – brian.miller@cityoffortwayne.org – Nominations are due January 26, 2024

Winners from each of the classes will be announced during the Awards Luncheon at the 2024 Indiana Section Annual Conference.  Completed applications shall be forwarded to the Indiana Section AWWA Executive Director (monique.riggs@inawwa.org) AND to Brian Miller- Committee Chair (Brian.miller@cityoffortwayne.org) for review and selection.