POTSDAM -- William F. Helmer ‘56 and Robert A. “Soupy” Campbell ‘61 have received the Lifetime Engagement Award from their alma mater, Clarkson University.

The award is given to alumni who have remained engaged and supportive of Clarkson’s mission from students onward. The award requires at least fifty years from graduation.

Bill Helmer received a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Clarkson in 1956. He served his term with Clarkson’s Board of Trustees, leaving as an Emeritus Trustee. He is a past president of the Clarkson Alumni Association and was a recipient of the Golden Knight Award in 1991.

After serving as an engineering assistant with the Atlantic Refining Company in Pittsburgh, Helmer reported to the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Upon retirement from the Corps of Engineers, he returned to Atlantic Refining Headquarters in Philadelphia and soon after was promoted to district engineer.

Helmer-Cronin Construction Inc., founded in 1961, is principally engaged in commercial, industrial, institutional and multifamily housing construction. It has completed more than 500 projects, including the world's largest travel plaza for the Marriott International, the first passenger terminal at Stewart Airport for American Airlines and the historical renovation of The Thayer Hotel at West Point.

A New York State licensed professional engineer, Helmer is a life director of the Associated General Contractors of America and a past president of the Contractors & Suppliers of Rockland County, the Construction Contractors Association of the Hudson Valley, the Associated General Building Contractors of New York State and the Construction Employers Labor Relations Association of New York.

Helmer and his wife, Sandy, reside in Nyack, N.Y., and Marco Island, Fla.

Robert A. “Soupy” Campbell of Highland Park, Texas, and Grantham, New Hampshire, received his bachelor of business administration in accounting from Clarkson. He earned an MBA from the University of Colorado Boulder and became a CPA in 1968.

As a Clarkson Trustee, Bob currently serves as chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Executive Committee. He was past president of the Clarkson Alumni Association and received the Golden Knight Award.

He began his career with Deloitte Asia Pacific and became a partner in 1975, holding professional and leadership roles, nationally and internationally, before retiring as CEO.

Bob and his wife, Cynthia, a graduate of SUNY Potsdam, spend their winters in Dallas, Texas, and summers in Grantham, N.H.