FILE NUMBER........

Whereas, Born in 1923, Henry C. Hodges Sr. was raised in a family

whose father demanded an interest in science and whose mother demanded

a love of animals and the West; and

Whereas, In 1929, the Hodges’ family pioneered the Jumping Horse

Ranch in Montana and, at the age of 8 years, Henry Hodges began his

career in vehicular mobility when he started his first trucking company on

the ranch with three wheelbarrows, one of which was equipped with a

pneumatic low pressure tire to make spring cleaning of the corrals easier;

and

Whereas, World War II interrupted the collegiate career of Henry

Hodges, but the invaluable experience he gained as a member of the 10th

Mountain Division of the United States Army stimulated his interest in

developing off-highway wheel and tracked vehicles to move infantrymen

into combat; and

Whereas, From 1953 to 1957, Henry Hodges managed the Detroit

Arsenal Test Operation of the United States Army at Camp Bullis, Texas,

where he directed the testing and development of combat vehicles from

jeeps to main battle tanks which required the establishment of controlled

and repeatable test courses on beach heads, desert dunes, mountain trails

and mud pits; and

Whereas, In 1957, the Detroit Arsenal Test Operation was closed, and

the Texas test programs were transferred to Nevada where the Nevada

Automotive Test Center was founded and where Henry Hodges and a four-

man crew continued the essential U.S. Army wheel and track development

tests which grew to include more than 60 employees by 1968; and

Whereas, Henry Hodges worked extensively with the military and the

United States Forest Service on the use of Central Tire Inflation Systems,

whereby tire pressures are reduced or increased from inside the vehicle

based on the condition of the road being traversed to enhance tire traction,

reduce road deterioration and diminish vehicle maintenance costs; and

Whereas, During the 1960s, Henry Hodges developed and

implemented the methodology for testing the traction of tires on hard

surfaces, soft soil and winter environments, and by using state-of-the-art

recording instrumentation, he was able to measure and record for the first

time a complete biaxial traction curve in these materials; and

Whereas, In the early 1970s, Henry Hodges developed Vehicle

Dynamics Seminars, which teach students how a vehicle reacts during a tire

blowout and how a person can control the situation, and these training

classes, which are now promoted by the American Trucking Association,

have included participants from law enforcement agencies, attorneys, and

truck and school bus drivers from around the country; and

Whereas, By 1972, the ever-expanding Test Center had moved all of

its testing to the state-of-the-art proving ground facility developed on the

historic Break-A-Heart Ranch near Fort Churchill, Nevada, which currently

employs more than 200 people; and

Whereas, In 1976, Henry Hodges built a Dynamic Force Measurement

Vehicle that measures the forces acting on the vehicle and tire, and this

vehicle proved to be the basis for a series of traction vehicles built to

measure both road surfaces, and tire braking and traction in a variety of

environments, including mud, snow, ice, and wet and dry pavement; and

Whereas, At the Nevada Automotive Test Center, Henry Hodges

directed most of the original test and development efforts of the High

Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle which was built for the United

States Army, and subsequent demonstrations of this vehicle, nicknamed the

"Hummer" and other military and commercial vehicles brought many

visitors to Nevada from other states and foreign countries; and

Whereas, In the 1990s, during Operations Desert Shield and Desert

Storm, Henry Hodges worked extensively with the United States Army

providing on-site advice and procedures to enhance the mobility and

reliability of vehicles and tires for the troops in the field; and

Whereas, Henry Hodges was presented with the Commander’s Award

for Public Service and a Certificate of Appreciation for Patriotic Civilian

Service by the Department of the Army to commemorate the work he did

for the United States Army; and

Whereas, Based on Henry Hodges’ technical expertise, the Nevada

Automotive Test Center was able to develop the WesTrack project, an

experimental road test facility, for the Federal Highway Administration at

the proving ground in Nevada, including the longest research project on

asphalt mixes in the world which has prompted visits to Nevada from

thousands of pavement engineers from around the world; and

Whereas, The WesTrack project also led to the development of the

driverless vehicle technology that has achieved more than 800,000 miles of

heavy truck operation, all done by computer, which is the highest number

of driverless vehicle operating miles ever achieved in the world; and

Whereas, Henry Hodges is one of the world’s leading experts in

transportation research and development, including tire and vehicle testing

for both governmental and private sector clients; and

Whereas, His Nevada Automotive Test Center is recognized for its

commitment to providing unique, timely, creative, useful and cost-effective

solutions with knowledge, excellence and integrity for transportation

partners worldwide; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of Nevada, the Senate

Concurring, That the members of the 70th session of the Nevada

Legislature do hereby commend Henry C. Hodges Sr. for his achievements

related to product integrity, performance and safety, his contributions to the

field of transportation research and development, and his dedication and

allegiance to his state and country; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly prepare and transmit a

copy of this resolution to Henry C. Hodges Sr.

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