Dr. Richard Elgin, PS, PE

Dick Elgin is a rare surveyor. Practitioner, researcher, product developer, educator, author and PhD in surveying: Practitioner as the 24-year owner and president of the family surveying and mapping business in which he was raised in Rolla, MO. (Which he sold in 2008, but is currently employed part-time by the successor company.) Researcher as he (along with Drs. David Knowles and Joe Senne) examined methods for celestial observations for precise direction in the mid-1980’s. Product developer as he co-developed the very popular celestial observation software packages ASTRO*ROM, ASTRO*CARD and ASTRO*DISK. Educator, having been an Assistant Professor and now Adjunct Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T, located in Rolla, MO). For many years Dick has taught undergraduate and graduate-level surveying courses there. Author, having coauthored “The Sokkia Ephemeris,” a contributor to “The Surveying Handbook.” His latest book, “The U.S. Public Land Survey System for Missouri” (2013) is a textbook and reference manual covering all aspects of the USPLSS for Missouri including its early history, the original GLO methods, resurveys on the system, case and statute law, example problems and example GLO plats. Dick’s PhD work (1982) resulted in the book “Legal Principles of Boundary Location for Arkansas.” The book is based on his study of about 1400 decisions of the Arkansas Supreme Court and from them developed surveying legal principles for the location of the boundaries of rights in real property. No other state has such a book. The late Curtis Brown, in the book’s “Foreword” referred to the work as a “masterpiece.”

Dick is a Past President of MSPS, a frequent contributor to “American Surveyor” magazine, and has given hundreds of seminars nationwide on a wide array of business and technical surveying topics. The recipient of several national and state honors for his contributions to the profession, he also is a member of the Academy of Civil Engineers at both S&T and the University of Arkansas. He is a past member of the Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Surveyors and Landscape Architects. For many years he was a subject matter expert for NCEES. A decorated Vietnam Veteran, Dick flew the iconic UH-1 “Huey” (as a Warrant Officer) for the Amercial Division in Vietnam and remains active in veteran affairs.