17th Annual Henry Farnam Dinner at Bally's Quad Cities -- April 20.
Thursday, April 20, 5 p.m.
Bally's Quad Cities, 777 Bally Boulevard, Rock Island IL
Hosted by Davenport's River Action and named in honor of Henry W. Farnam, the chief builder of the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad, the Quad Cities' Farnam Dinners are annual tributes to historically significant citizens and events, and this year's celebration – taking place at Bally's Quad Cities on April 20 – will salute the 1856 Mississippi River Rail Bridge and the future of high-speed rail in the Midwest.
Among this year's guest speakers at the 17th Annual Henry Farnam Dinner is William (Bill) Ashton, founder of Ashton Engineering, who will discuss the design and engineering of the 1856 railroad bridge from Rock Island to Davenport. Following in the footsteps of his father, Frank W. Ashton (Chief Engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Rock Island Arsenal) and his uncle Edward L. “Ned” Ashton (Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Iowa), Bill Ashton has become a highly respected ambassador for the field of engineering, most recently as president of Ashton Engineering, Inc. A Davenport native, Ashton earned two degrees (BS 1962, MS 1963 in Civil Engineering) at the University of Iowa, and after graduation, he returned to the Quad Cities, serving as Chief of the Structural Design Section of the Rock Island Corps of Engineers. In 1970, he was responsible for the 2,600 foot Milwaukee Railroad bridge over the Iowa Saylorville Reservoir, earning him the recognition of Quad City Engineer of the Year. He also oversaw engineering of the Iowa River bridge on U.S. Highway 20 near Steamboat Rock, Iowa - one of the first sites chosen in the U.S. to use steel superstructure spans with welded plate girder beams. His work has extended to locks and dams, and rivers and harbors throughout the U.S., as well as international locations such as Nairobi, India, and Ghana where his water projects have brought life to parched communities.
Ashton received the U.S. Department of the Army Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 1974 and the Department of the Army Certificate of Appreciation from the Chief of Engineering in 1978. He has given his expertise back to his profession as a member of the Iowa Engineering Society Engineering Education Committee. To his community, he has served as a Junior Achievement lecturer and project advisor, member of the Board of Directors of the Scott County (IA) Board of Human Resources, Commissioner for the Scott County Veterans Affairs, Ducks Unlimited, Waterfowl USA, and Friends of Vander Veer Park. Ashton has also been a recognized leader in Rotary International and the Rotary Club of Davenport, serving as a board member and president. With that organization, he led fellow Rotarians on a service trip to India to assist with a National Immunization Day against polio. He also has taken Rotarians to Guatemala for Adopt a Village in Guatemala, where he used his extensive engineering background to design rainwater capture systems.
Also among the speakers at this year's Farnam Dinner is Richard Harnish, Executive Director of the High Speed Rail Alliance, an organization he helped found in 1993. Harnish will discuss efforts to integrate rail and transit networks connected by 200-plus mph high-speed lines. By connecting cities, towns and airports, the high-speed trains will dramatically expand economic opportunities and slash carbon emissions. A native of the Chicago area, Harnish has been the HSRA’s executive director since 2001. His perspectives on trains and transportation policy have appeared in Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Politico, Governing, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, and many other publications, in addition to various NPR programs.
Additionally, Harnish has achieved notable successes and progress in HSRA’s three focus areas of advocacy, education, and research, and his work is informed by his strong commitment to researching and learning from global best practices. He has ridden high-speed trains – often in the context of leading small groups – in Belgium, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and Turkey, and he draws on a global network of colleagues with expertise in trains and transportation policy.
The 17th Annual Henry Farnam Dinner will take place at Bally's Quad Cities on April 20, with displays and cocktails beginning at 5 p.m., dinner served at 6:15 p.m., and the program itself starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 or $450 for a table of 10, and more information and reservations are available by calling (563)322-2969 or visiting RiverAction.org.
