Senior engineer Godiwalla

Adil Godiwalla, assistant director, Civil Projects Division of the Houston Airports System was presented the 25-year service award by Richard Vacar, director of aviation on behalf of the City of Houston, notes a press release. Godi­walla played a leading role in heightening design and construction productivity of the airport’s engineering division. Within two years he is credited with increasing production from $ 15 million annually to $ 60 million annually thanks to his intensive and extensive experience in street, bridge and right-of-way engineering, sanitary sewers and storm drains. Godiwalla’s skills have benefited numerous projects at the Houston Intercontinental Airport, Hobby Airport and Ellington Field which constitute the Houston Airport System, said to be the third largest in the US and sixth in the world. He is credited with generating new specifications for the public works department and the formulation of policies for enhanced quality control of the projects, as per the write-up. He is also credited with the designing of runways, taxiways, aprons, paving, utility and fuel systems.

Godiwalla (top right) receiving award. (Bottom) Daughters Shara, Shanaya, Nina and Amy

Bombay born Godiwalla schooled in Jamshedpur where his father, the late Minoo, was employed as an electrical engineer with TISCO. Acquiring his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Benares Hindu University Godiwalla proceeded to get his masters in civil engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla. A registered professional engineer in the states of Illinois, Florida and Texas, Godiwalla is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Airfield Pavement Committee, of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Airfield Pavement Committee and the Federal Government General Accounting Office Committee.

Prior to joining the City of Houston Government Godiwalla had completed three-year stints with Brown and Root Inc and the Westinghouse Electric Corporation — working on the civil engineering aspects of nuclear power plants. He has presented over 30 technical papers in advanced modern airport engineering, notes president Roshan Bulsara of the Lioness Club of Cuffe Parade, who forwarded the material on Godiwalla’s achievements to Parsiana.

Married to Arnavaz (née Bha­roocha), the Godi­wallas have four daughters: Shara, with a masters degree in Public Health works for the Center for Disease Control; chemical engineer Shanaya Averill works with Dove Chemicals and teaches ballet dancing on the side; Nina is doing her masters in the liberal arts at Dartmouth University and Amy, a graduate, works for the Ford Motor Company. Arnavaz, an arts graduate from Bombay, works for Proctor and Gamble. Godiwalla’s mother Mehru is well-known in Houston for her vasanu, dar-ni-pori, Xmas cakes and party catering, writes Bulsara.