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Sidney O. Dewberry, a long-time friend and benefactor of the College of Engineering and Computing, died at his home in Arlington, Va. of natural causes on July 16, 2022. Dewberry co-founded his professional services firm in 1956. Since then, the firm has grown from a single-office, six-person civil engineering and surveying practice based in Northern Virginia to a nationwide consulting enterprise with more than 2,000 employees and 50 offices throughout the U.S.
“Sid was a visionary and a leader in the engineering field in Northern Virginia, but to the college, he was also a dear friend. His sense of community and generosity has had a tremendous impact‑‑establishing programs, supporting faculty, and inspiring students,” says College of Engineering and Computing Dean Ken Ball. “We will miss him greatly.”
Dewberry’s association with the college began in the late 1980s when he led efforts to form the CEC’s Urban Systems Engineering Institute, now known as the Civil Engineering Institute. The CEI Institute remains an active and engaged volunteer board that raises money, lends expertise, and supports student and faculty endeavors.
In 2012, the college’s civil engineering department was named the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering in honor of the Dewberry’s extensive contributions to establishing and supporting the department. He was instrumental in establishing two faculty endowments for professorships, the first bearing his name in 2009 and the second honoring his long-time friends Bill and Eleanor Hazel in 2014.
"Sid will be remembered for so many years to come by the Mason community, especially our department which has been privileged by being named after Sid and his late wife, Reva,” says the department’s chair, Sam Salem.
Dewberry received multiple awards honoring his civic, charitable, and academic endeavors and his professional leadership including the CEC’s first-lifetime achievement award and George Mason University Mason Medal the highest honor bestowed by the university. He was rector emeritus of the George Mason University Board of Visitors, after serving an eight-year term as visitor and the last four as rector with a term ending June 2007.
Dewberry was preceded in death by his wife of 72 years, Reva, and his son, Michael Sidney Dewberry. He is survived by his son Barry K. Dewberry and wife Arlene Evans; daughter Karen S. Grand Pré and husband Bruce; son Thomas L. Dewberry and wife Christine; daughter-in-law Stephanie A. Dewberry; grandchildren Candace and Suzanne Grand Pré, and Michael, Katie, John, Kelly, Quinn, and Reagan Dewberry; his multiple great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.
Memorial services will be Saturday, July 23, 2022, at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home, 9902 Braddock Road, Fairfax, VA 22032 – details on the website www.fairfaxmemorialfuneralhome.com.