A 1972 civil engineering alum has received the highest nonacademic honor an alumnus or friend of NC State can receive.

The university selected J. David Beam III ’72 as a 2026 Watauga Medalist recipient at the second annual NC State Honors event.

The Watauga Medal, officially bestowed by the Board of Trustees since 1975, was named for a group of local 19th-century leaders who helped push for the establishment of NC State as a university. It is given to individuals who consistently go above and beyond in their support of the institution.

“My parents sent me to NC State to study civil engineering to prepare me for a career,” Beam said. “That worked out just as they had hoped. What they would not have imagined is that my time here was not just transactional. It was more than that. It was transformational.”

A native of Hamlet, North Carolina, Beam has long been a committed supporter of the College of Engineering, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, and of Wolfpack Athletics. He is also the founder, former owner and former CEO of JD Beam/Beam General Contractors, a Raleigh commercial construction firm established in 1979. Beam retired from the company in 2013.

Beam served on the Wolfpack Club Board of Directors for more than a decade, holding several positions over the years including terms as president. He also represented that group on the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Beam played a key advocacy and leadership role in the Reynolds Coliseum Walk of Fame and History project, for which he gave a transformational gift. He has also provided financial support for athletics scholarships, facilities and the David Thompson basketball statue, among other initiatives. The wolves fountain in front of Carter-Finley Stadium’s Murphy Center is named David and Elizabeth Beam Wolfpack Turf in recognition of he and his wife’s generosity.

Beam’s gifts have also supported a new home for Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and a named lab in Fitts-Woolard Hall, as well as the University’s Greatest Needs, Feed the Pack Food Pantry, Forever Bell Tower and College of Engineering Leadership funds, among others. He also served as a member of the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Fellows.

Beam has provided guidance, advocacy and construction expertise across campus. Along with his wife, he is also deeply involved in a long list of community organizations as a volunteer and donor.

Read about the full article about the NC State Honors event.