On the recommendation of the Board of the History of Engineering Section, the Main Board of the Royal Institute of Engineers has appointed Ir. Ton Boele as Member of Merit of the History of Engineering Section for his outstanding services to this section and to KIVI in general.
Ton Boele joined our board as Travel Commissioner in 2015. From 2012 he organised these trips together with our previous Travel Commissioner Frits Versfelt, with effect from 2016 he takes the lead himself. To this end, he became a member of the European Route of Industrial Heritage and thus acquired a large network in this area,
Ton Boele prepares the trips with great care, often visiting the locations to be visited in advance. Prior to each trip, he prepares a booklet describing the objects to be visited and acts as tour guide. During the trips, Ton Boele pays full attention to the wellbeing of his fellow travellers and, partly as a result, these trips are conducted in a pleasant atmosphere every year.
Besides his work as travel commissioner, Ton Boele also has an important input in other activities of the board. For instance, he is part of the committee that chooses the winner of the Willem Wolff Award from the applications received. This prize has been awarded annually since 2011 by the KIVI History of Technology Department, the Foundation for the History of Technology and the Wolff family. The prize consists of a sum of €2,000 and a plaque. The prize serves to support and encourage small museums and local initiatives in the field of engineering history.
That award ceremony took place on 1 October 2024 during the closing dinner of the 2024 study trip that took participants to Bilbao and Santander and the surrounding area.
