Chances are, you don't have what it takes to earn the national Dalton E. Hamilton Certified Welding Inspector of the Year Award. Few do. But if you want to prove that you have the spirit to rise above the rest, the race to victory starts now.

Only 14 CWIs have grasped the national title since 1988, when the first recipient was recognized. About 300 CWIs have received the Dalton E. Hamilton Memorial CWI of the Year award on the Section and District levels.

For each of those proven worthy, the award is confirmation to all of the honoree's superior performance and special contributions to the field of welding inspection.

The award was instituted by the American Welding Society's Cerification Committee, which administers the selection process, to recognize meritorious service by CWIs on the local and national levels.

The award is named for the great Texan and Certified Welding Inspector Dalton E. Hamilton, who passed away in 1988. Hamilton was very active in the AWS as a pioneering leader and advocate of certification, and as chair of the Qualification and Certification Main Committee, chair of the Executive Subcommittee, and as a member of six other committees and subcommittees.

Last year, the national award was bestowed upon William R. Beck, who is with the Project Management Construction Division of the Eastman Kodak Co. in Rochester, N.Y. Beck began his welding career in 1967 while in the U.S. Navy, where he serviced and repaired nuclear and nonnuclear piping systems on nuclear submarines, performing pipefitting, welding, and brazing. Beck holds certifications as an AWS Certified Welding Inspector; a New York State DOT-Registered Inspector; ASNT Level II, visual testing; ASNT Level II, dye penetrant testing; and ASNT Level II, magnetic particle testing.