Max Sproles (1934-2015)
A registered professional engineer, Sproles began his career in 1958 at the federal Bureau of Public Roads—today’s Federal Highway Administration. In 1970, he joined the Association of American Railroads (AAR). As AAR’s executive director for highway-rail programs, he played a key leadership role in the passage of a 1973 law that funded upgraded rail crossings – estimated to have helped save 1,000 lives annually. He later spent 10 years as a vice president with Deleuw Cather and another decade with Frederic R. Harris. He also was a senior vice president with the international infrastructure company, AECOM.
As 1997 ARTBA chairman, he met with President Bill Clinton to highlight the importance of increasing federal highway and public transit investment as part of the next reauthorization bill. His other volunteer ARTBA leadership roles included: senior vice chairman, regional vice chairman, co-chairman of the Russian Project Advisory Committee, Planning & Design Division president, and chairman of the Railroads Advisory Council. Sproles spent more than two decades as a member of the AASHTO-AGC-ARTBA Joint Committee. He also was the long-time chairman of the ARTBA Tellers Committee, which counted and certified the annual officers and directors election results.
