5-20-09 -- Construction industry leader, philanthropist, and community volunteer Robert J. Stamm received an honorary degree at the UNM commencement ceremony at Tingley Colliseum on Saturday, May 16. The University's honorary doctorate is awarded to individuals who have an exemplary record of academic or public accomplishments in keeping with the university’s standards of rigor, quality and significance. For more than six decades, Stamm has made significant and lasting improvements to the construction industry, to civic and arts organizations in New Mexico, and to higher education.
His contributions to UNM over an extended period of time earned him a UNM Regents’ Medal in 1986. Since then, he chaired the capital campaign for the School of Engineering’s new Centennial Engineering Center and was instrumental in raising funds for the School of Architecture’s George Pearl Hall.
Stamm chaired New Mexico’s Commission on Higher Education, served as trustee and chairman for the city of Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, and was instrumental in the creation of the Albuquerque Business Education Compact. He has received numerous state, local and national awards for his professional success and leadership, personal commitments and contributions to the community and state, including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Governor’s 38th New Mexico Distinguished Public Service Awards. In 1991 he was selected as the “most admired executive” by the Private 100, an elite group of executives of the largest privately-owned companies in New Mexico.
“Bob has had an expansive impact across New Mexico, UNM, and higher education,” says UNM School of Engineering Dean Joseph L. Cecchi. “He has been a leader in the engineering profession and economic development. He is also an outstanding role model for students, particularly in his integrity and commitment to ethical practice.”
Stamm received a bachelor’s degree from UNM’s School of Engineering in 1942. After serving as an engineering officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he was hired by the construction contracting firm O.G. Bradbury. In 1958, the firm became the Bradbury Stamm Construction Company, with Stamm as vice president and, later, president. When he retired in 1999, he had worked his way from the most junior position to senior leadership. He combined his engineering and construction backgrounds with innovative business skills to transform an already successful company into a major regional leader in commercial building.
Stamm's nomination as a candidate for the Honorary Doctorate was supported by over a dozen letters from colleagues in the engineering, construction, and architecture industries. The letters praised Stamm’s career as a prominent commercial builder, who was “respected and looked up to by all the engineers in the state.” They described a community leader who “chaired numerous task forces and boards of business, civic, and philanthropic organizations.” They gave examples of his character and integrity, and one letter referred to Stamm as “a man who can always be trusted.”
Letters of support came from Gerald W. May, former UNM President; Roger Schultz, Dean and Professor in the UNM School of Architecture; James N. King, President, Bradbury Stamm Construction; Vic Chavez, Principal Engineer, Chavez-Grieves Consulting Engineers, Inc.; J. Howard Mock, Chairman Emeritus, The Jaynes Companies; Vicki Mora, Chief Executive Officer, Associated General Contractors-New Mexico Building Branch; Van H. Gilbert, AIA, Van Gilbert, Architect; Dale R. Dekker, AIA, Dekker/Perich/Sabatini; “Duffy” Swan, President/CEO, French Mortuary; and R. Randall Royster, Executive Director, Albuquerque Community Foundation.
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