Carson Harper Hoge

Carson Harper Hoge August 2, 1923 - April 22, 2013 Carson Harper Hoge of Waco passed away Monday, April 22, 2013. Services will be 11:00 a.m., Thursday, April 25, at Austin Avenue Methodist Church. Burial will follow at Waco Memorial Park. Visitation will be 6:00 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 24, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey. Carson was born August 2, 1923, in Throckmorton, Texas, to Philemon and Ruth Hoge. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1941-1945 as a Chief Radar man on the U.S.S. Waters in the South Pacific, which participated in the recapture of the Solomon Islands from the Japanese. He was selected to return to the US in 1943 to continue his education and was commissioned as an officer. He did this at University of Texas where he graduated with a degree in civil engineering, and met Bonnie Jean Dorroh, who became his wife in 1945. In 1946, he received his honorable discharge from the Navy and spent several years in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Midland, working as a consultant for engineering firms to build several important canal systems and gas piplines across Harlingen and cross country in Mississippi, Alabama and Virginia. In 1958, Forrest and Cotton Engineering firm sent Carson with his family to Waco, to provide services to the City of Waco on the largest public works project that it had undertaken at that time, that included the 17th Street railroad overpass and the Clay Avenue relief storm sewer. In 1962, Carson was named Public Works Director of the City of Waco. Among other lasting accomplishments during his tenure with the City, Carson planned and directed a major rehabilitation of the Suspension Bridge, initiated mechanized solid waste processing, worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to plan and complete Lake Shore Drive and with the Texas Highway Department to plan and complete IH 35 through Waco, and planned and directed development of Herring Avenue, Cobbs Drive, and other major elements of Waco's arterial system. In 1967, Carson accepted the position of Assistant General Manager of the Brazos River Authority. He was promoted to General Manager in 1981 and retired in 1991. During his tenure with the Brazos River Authority, they completed Lake Limestone, partnered with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to build Lake Aquilla, raise the level of Lake Waco, and rebuild Possum Kingdom Dam. The stabilizing of Possum Kingdom Dam was named one of the five outstanding engineering projects in 1991 by the National Society of Professional Engineers. Carson served as Advisory Director on the Board of Freese and Nichols Consulting Engineers in Ft. Worth from 1991 1994. Throughout his years of service, he also served as board member and president of the Central Texas UT Ex-Students Association, the Central Texas Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, the Heart of Texas Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Texas Water Conservation Association and the Rapoport Academy, and was an active member of many other professional and civic organizations. He was named Engineer of the Year by the Central Texas Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, received the Clara Barton Award from the American Red Cross, and was made a life member of the National Water Resources Association. Bonnie and Carson Hoge have been active members of Austin Avenue United Methodist Church in Waco since moving to Waco in 1958. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Bonnie Jean Hoge; children, James Dorroh Hoge and wife, Marcia, of Waco; Cynthia Marie Sperry and husband, Bryan, of Austin,; Kenneth Edward Hoge of Houston, and Phillip Harper Hoge of Austin; grandchildren, John and Sara Marler, Rachael Shannon Hoge and Bradley Morris, Michelle and Kyle Alsobrook, Robin and Kelly Adair, and Amy Elice and Donald Smith; great grandchildren, Anne Marie and Abigail Marler, Hannah and Kayla Alsobrook, Brayden Adair, and Ethan, Zoei and Bella Smith. He is also survived by a brother-in-law; sister-in-law; and many nieces, nephews and cousins, who gave great meaning and joy to his life. Pallbearers will be members of the grandchildren, great grandchildren and nephews. Memorials may be made to Austin Avenue Methodist Church. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.WilkirsonHatchBailey.com.