Amy Martin Dean (March 16, 1963 – August 12, 2022)
It is with a heavy heart that the International Society for Concrete Pavements shares the sad news of the passing away of our Editor-in-Chief, Art Director, valued colleague, and friend, Amy Dean. After putting up a brave fight against an ailment for over a month, she breathed her last breath with her husband, Greg Dean, at her side. Our thoughts are with her family, including her husband and two adult sons, in their moment of tragedy.
Born in 1963 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA to Robert and Patricia Martin, Amy had a natural gift for creativity. In high school, she played a major role in the yearbook design. Following her passion, she went on to earn a BA in Communications with a Minor in Design from North Carolina State University in 1986. She also earned a BA in Elementary Education with a Minor in Graphic Art and Advertising. After college, she turned her passion into her career, first as a graphics artist for Spectator magazine, and then in her own business. In 2010, she started working at ISCP in several capacities.
Amy brought in a rare combination of skills to ISCP: the ability to make graphical art that conveyed meaning to a wide range of audiences as well as an appreciation of concrete pavements and the concrete industry. She started off as the associate editor and art director and rose to the position of Editor-in-Chief after one year. She was instrumental to ISCP’s outreach and growth, launching our social media presence on the nascent LinkedIn website in 2011, helping construct our new website in 2014, and designing the new logo and brand of the Society in 2015.
It was with ISCP’s new website that Amy made her most lasting contributions. She developed a keen eye for finding the latest news about concrete pavements from around the world, be it a new concrete expressway in India, exciting new research coming out of universities, or tracking people on the move in the US. This keen eye, together with her ability to make the information visually appealing, became the backbone of ISCP’s website and newsletter. But her role didn’t end there: when it came to ISCP’s webinars or the flagship International Conference on Concrete Pavements, she was always able to develop high quality graphics, brochures, and advertising materials with minimal input and surprising speed. Her talent and professionalism provided a solid foundation for the Society to build on.
It was perhaps fitting then that one of Amy’s last communications with us was about the website as well. In 2022, ISCP embarked on a refresh of the website and while she was part of the consultation process, she unfortunately spent a large part of the execution time being treated in the hospital. Still, once she was back home, she sent us a simple message – “Website looks fantastic. Good job!”. She was geared up to resume work, even posting an article about a school district in Missouri on August 10. Two days later, her health took a turn for the worst, and she was no longer with us.
Amy’s loss leaves a gaping hole in ISCP that will be difficult to fill. While we find a way to honor her memory, we will also be discussing ways to keep bringing our members the latest news from the world of concrete pavements. It will not be easy, but we will forever have Amy’s example as our guide.
A selection of some of the great graphics that Amy designed for us over the years:
