Klein: Adil Godiwalla, whose name was synonymous with the Houston Airport system for many years and whose smiling countenance endeared him to many in the engineering and construction profession in the Bayou City passed away on Monday, December 16, 2013 in his home in Klein, a far northern suburb of Houston, due to heart failure.
Godiwalla was born to Minoo and Mehroo Godiwalla in Bombay, India on March 29, 1941.
In 1965, he came to the United States to complete a Masters in Civil Engineering at the University of Missouri at Rolla. On a trip back to Bombay, he met Arnavaz Bharucha of Bombay, and the two married on August 2, 1969, later returning to the US. Together, the couple had four daughters, and later, six grandchildren.
Adil and Arnavaz first settled in Chicago, where Adil accepted a job with Pioneer Engineering. They later moved to Pittsburg for an opportunity with Westinghouse-Tenneco Corporation designing offshore nuclear power plants and later transferred to Jacksonville, Florida with the same company. In 1974, Adil settled in Houston, Texas working for Brown & Root, and later spent over 35 years working for the City of Houston.
Godiwalla’s early years with the City of Houston involved street and bridge design, and he was instrumental in designing much of Houston’s major intersections, roads, bridges, and sanitary storm sewers. He later became an expert in airport engineering, and was instrumental in the design of terminals D and E at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and the revamping of Hobby Airport, both in Houston, Texas. His expertise was used globally as well, assisting airports in Ecuador and Costa Rica. After more than 35 years of service working for the City of Houston, Adil retired in October 6, 2012 and worked as a consultant. On his retirement, Houston Mayor Annise Parker issued a city proclamation making October 6, 2012 Adil Minoo Godiwalla Day.
People who worked with Adil Godiwalla described him as a genius; a brilliant, kind, quiet gentleman who had a great sense of humor and an extraordinary memory and was considered a legend in the Civil Engineering profession.
Read News in full 02/01/14 Amy Godiwalla/Indo American News
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