Chuck McHugh Receives 2004 Wilson Award

ST. LOUIS, MO – C.J. McHugh, who has been a valuable contributor to the Chemical Industry and an active member of DGAC for over ten years, was awarded the distinguished George L. Wilson Award at DGAC’s 2004 Annual Conference in November. Each year, DGAC presents the George L. Wilson Award to an individual, organization or company that has demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of hazardous materials transportation safety.

After serving in the U.S. Air Force, Mr. McHugh worked for Shell Oil and Shell Chemicals for 31 years. During his time at these outfits, he held many positions in the transportation and distribution field, including Plant Distribution Management and Transportation and Distribution operations. In his last 14 years, his duties were primarily focused on hazardous materials compliance and emergency response. Mr. McHugh has an unparalleled knowledge of the HMR, and is not only skilled at identifying issues facing the hazardous materials transportation industry, but shows expertise in suggesting and developing solutions.

Mr. McHugh has also been a dedicated member of DGAC since 1990. He served on the Board of Directors from 1994 to 1999, as well as participating in numerous committees,
sub-committees, and task groups, including the Executive Committee, Education and Training Committee, Portable Tank Working Group, and HM-181 Communications Requirements Task Group. While serving on the Education and Training Committee, he was the driving force behind the creation of the Hazardous Materials Classification Class, which is now included in DGAC’s training catalog.

In the last year, he identified the need for a Cross-Border NOM/HMR seminar and developed a proposal that was approved by the DGAC Board of Directors. He then worked tirelessly with DGAC staff to ensure that he created a well-attended and informative seminar. The 2004 DGAC Cross Border Seminar in San Antonio, TX was extremely successful, and received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from attendees. Proving his commitment to the need for this seminar to continue, he has already submitted a proposal for a 2005 Cross Border Seminar. Mr. McHugh’s tireless dedication to DGAC and the entire hazardous material industry prove him to be a worthy representative for he 2004 George L. Wilson award.

The award is presented in memory of DGAC’s first President, George Wilson, who was recognized for his many contributions and life-long dedication to improving the safe transportation of hazardous materials. While any significant act or series of actions could qualify an individual or organization for consideration, the award is not intended as a means to recognize those who have merely served for many years in the hazmat community. A recipient’s past activities must have been characterized by performance well beyond the normal expectations of industry by significant contributions to the development and understanding of national and/or international regulations, promotion of improved and safer responses to hazmat incidents, advancement of public knowledge about hazardous materials transportation safety, or in some other way advancing the safe transportation of hazmat.