Progress is like people walking to their departure gate in an airport—some stroll along as if time is of no concern, confident they will get there on time, others frantically rush ahead swerving around the slowpokes, no time to spare. Progress in the concrete industry too has been slow in some areas and lightning fast in others. But looking back allows us to see that we have indeed made progress and helps us envision where we are going in the future.

When the first issue of Concrete Construction was published in September 1956, the world and concrete construction were very different. There was no post-tensioning, no laser screed, few admixtures. To examine the progress we have made, or not made, we've asked some industry leaders to comment on different aspects of the past 50 years in the concrete construction industry. We've also looked at some of the people and projects that have made a difference. Unfortunately, there isn't room to cover everything, but we hope to give you a glimpse of where we've come from and where we are going.

— The editors