Steven H. Corr, P.E., who served as NEWEA President in 1992, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 26, 2021, at the age of 79 after a difficult fight with various illnesses. He leaves his wife Lois, two children, four grandchildren, and a host of appreciative friends and acquaintances in NEWEA and the rest of the water environment community.
Steve was a 1964 graduate of Northeastern University where he earned a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and later a Master of Environmental Engineering degree, and later still a Master of Business Administration from Boston University. In the space between two corporate engineering jobs, he served his country as a first lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers for two years during which he spent a tour in Vietnam. Following his honorable discharge, he re-started his long career in environmental engineering where he worked for the next 40 years in both the private and public sectors. He was known for being an enthusiastic mentor and an innovative business thinker, and he wrote many technical papers and earned awards for his process problem-solving innovations.
Steve was active in several professional associations, including ACEC New England, where he chaired their Environmental Affairs Committee. He was also deeply involved in NEWEA (then NEWPCA), where he chaired the Program Committee during the challenging transition to the longstanding Copley Square location. He was selected into the then-new Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers (1985), and was elected NEWEA President in 1992, later also serving as a director in the international Water Environment Federation. He was recognized with the Arthur Sidney Bedell Award acknowledging his extraordinary service to NEWEA, and later received a WEF Service award for his work on the national level. He was a reserved but strong-willed association officer who would sometimes finish a discussion by making a well-considered point followed by his wry smile in the ensuing silence.
In his later career, he worked in the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and became well-known as an expert in Title 5 alternative technology applications and approvals, a field in which he later offered independent consulting services.
Steve was deeply devoted to his wife Lois, with whom he traveled the world, and to his family. He was also a keen Boston sports fan, often attending Celtics and Red Sox games with family. He loved playing tennis and racquetball, and later settled into a passion for golf. He was also a firm believer in lifetime learning, which he achieved by constant reading of books particularly on history, political science, and biographies, and through attendance at continuing education courses at local colleges.
Steve Corr will be missed by the many professionals who grew to appreciate his unassuming style mixed with his on-point observations and ready tutelage when needed. He left the water environment industry richer and NEWEA a better organization through his dedicated involvement.
I am deeply saddened to hear of Steve’s passing. He and I were good friends and we always enjoyed a nice glass of wine, a good meal, and good conversation. I will miss him…my thoughts go out to his wife and children/grandchildren. He spoke of you often and shared how much he was enjoying retirement and seeing you all.