Chapter History

The Cleveland Chapter was born in the early ‘70’s, the result of the desire of some Cleveland area surveyors who had been active throughout the ‘60’s in the surveyors practice section of OSPE (then known as PSO). Will Dempsey, William Haas, Ray Henry, Jack Hoy and Mike Papcum, as well as others, felt that of the several hundred registered surveyors in Cuyahoga County alone, enough would be willing to give of their time to better their profession.

Invitations brought close to a hundred surveyors to the initial meeting at the Brown Derby Restaurant in Independence and the formation of the chapter was on its way. Many of the early issues of importance could not even be discussed today, such as increased wages and recognition for public sector employees, and setting a minimum fee schedule. Other items of interest were the same then as today, such as employee wages and fringe benefits, working to an accepted standard and the part-time or moonlighting surveyor doing substandard work for a lesser fee. Advertising was considered unethical at that time, as was “bidding” for work.

In the early years, the Cleveland Chapter had been active in the Annual Engineers Week activities and the Cleveland area Certificate presentation by the State Board of Registration. Chapter social functions have included well-attended golf outings, family picnics and Christmas parties. The Chapter has hosted the Annual PLSO Conferences in 1977, 1983, 1993, 1998, 2004 and 2008 and the ACSM/ASPRS Fall Convention in 1989, as well as numerous seminars over the years.

Three chapter members have served as State President and numerous others as other state office holders. Four chapter members have also been honored as PLSO “Member of the Year”. One of our members has held national office in NSPS and in ACSM and two others have served as a member of the State Board of Registration.

The Cleveland Chapter members have served on the committees that have produced the significant legislations affecting surveyors; Minimum survey standards, four-year degree requirement, mortgage location survey standards and continuing professional development as well as a number of other continuing committees that make PLSO what it is – a fine, almost entirely volunteer, professional service association.

Other notable undertakings by the Cleveland Chapter:

1. The law suit against a prominent local title insurance company resulting in their agreeing to stop practicing land surveying. At first, the chapter did not even have the backing of the rest of PLSO, but eventually had the moral and financial backing of individual surveyors and professional associations from across the country.
2. The establishment of a data bank in which the chapter rescued the records of a long-standing surveying company from a trip to the dump. The records of other retired or deceased surveyors have been added and this information is available to all surveyors. The data bank was housed for a time with the Cuyahoga County Engineer and more recently at the office of Richard T. Garrett, P.S., P.E., for which all of the chapter members are most grateful. The entire data bank has now found a permanent home with the Cuyahoga County Archives where the information will be available to surveyors and the general public.
3. The recent establishment of a series of six Seminar Meetings each year on a variety of surveying related topics to allow surveyors and engineers in the area to get some necessary Professional Development Hours (PDH) credits locally at a reasonable cost.

Other notable undertakings by the Cleveland Chapter:

Surveyor of the Year Award

A committee comprised of all previous recipients of the award presents the Surveyor of the Year Award. The committee is chaired by the most immediate past recipient excluding the current holder. Each nominee for the award must be a Professional Surveyor in the State of Ohio and a member of The Cleveland Chapter of Professional Land Surveyors of Ohio. Nominees will be judged by the committee on the basis of the nominee’s technical and professional accomplishments, the nominee’s current activities, the extent to which the nominee has given to the advancement of the profession, and their involvement in civic and community affairs. Click here to suggest a nomination for this year's award.