Lynn Showalter, a welding engineer at Newport News Shipbuilding, is no stranger to accolades.

He is a six-time recipient of NNS’ Model of Excellence Award – the company’s highest honor. Showalter also has received national recognition from the American Welding Society and the American Society of Materials. Last weekend, he added another honor when he was named Engineer of the Year by the Peninsula Engineers Council during the organization’s annual banquet.

“There have been some pretty phenomenal people prior to me who received this award,” said Showalter, naming former NNS vice presidents Charles Southall and Roger Eshelman and Chief Engineer Michael Reilley. “I’m humbled to be joining that list.”

Showalter’s award recognizes his impact at NNS and beyond as the company’s subject matter expert and technical fellow for welding. He came to NNS first as a summer intern in 1983 and returned as a full-time employee in 1984. Throughout his career, Showalter has developed, analyzed, researched and designed welding techniques, procedures and applications.

Through his work, he has contributed to every product line at NNS. Showalter said he’s proud to be part of the “tremendous team we have at Newport News that builds these ships.”

“The world expects the United States Navy to come help whenever something goes bad somewhere, and I have a sense of pride that I’m just a small part of helping those boats be where they need to be,” he said.

As he looks forward to becoming a Master Shipbuilder in a few months, Showalter said he is grateful for the friendships he’s developed at the shipyard. “The friends I have here have made me an effective engineer because they had my back,” he said.

Showalter said he still remembers what his mentors told him when he arrived as NNS as a young engineer: Know who to call to be directed to the right answer and work hard to be known as the person in welding engineering who provides the right answer.

“I would hope that my legacy will be that I answered the phone any time of the day, and they knew I would work hard to get them the right answer – maybe not the quick answer – but the right answer,” he said.

The Peninsula Engineers Council is an inter-society council comprised of representatives from organizations dedicated to strengthening and promoting the engineering profession in the Peninsula area. Showalter served as president of the council in 1993.