"Frederick-Mcdonald-Massiah" (December 12,1886-July 7,1975)

Born in Bardados,he immigrated to the United States in 1909,where he

started as a laborer,working during the day and studying architecture at night.He studied at the Pennsylvania School of the Fine Arts and earned a degree in Civic Engineering at what is now Drexel University.By the early 1920s,he established his own business and was among the first successful African American contracting engineers in the country.He established a construction business during a time when it was almost impossible for African Americans to obtain financing,insurance,and acceptance in trade unions.

His methods of using reinforcements in concrete pre-dated the existence of widespread building codes in the 1920s.By using a combination of conconcrete and steel acting as a unit,rebar in concrete.High tensile qualities of steel allow concrete to stretch and twist with greater yield strength than concrete that is not reinforced,while  helping prevent cracks in the structures from changes of temperature and shrinkage.

His many accomplishments included the elliptical dome of the Ascension of Our Lord Church (the first structure of its kind in the U.S.),the William  Donner X-Ray laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania,and the Sewage Disposal Plant in Trenton,New Jersey.

Frederick was awarded the Harmon Foundation for Engineering in recognition of the outstanding beam and girder work.During a 45-year span of activity stretching into the late 1960s,Frederick was responsible for building many structures.