NASSCO, Rehab Icon Irv Gemora Dies at 86

Underground infrastructure industry icon Irvin “Irv” Gemora, 86, of Towson, Md., passed away on Dec. 4, 2022.

Gemora is perhaps best known for his affiliation with the National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO), including serving as executive director from 2002 to 2010. He was instrumental in guiding NASSCO through the formal launch and rapid growth of the Pipeline Assessment and Certification Program (PACP).

Under his leadership, PACP has grown geometrically and continues to allow NASSCO to not only experience tremendous growth, but to diversify into many other beneficial rehabilitation activities and programs. After his retirement from NASSCO, Gemora continued his involvement by becoming a PACP Master Trainer.

“In the early days, some perceived NASSCO as a ‘good-old-boy club’ and I’m proud that view has changed,” Gemora told Underground Construction (now Underground Infrastructure) upon his retirement from the association. “We have a mission – NASSCO develops standards, best practices, certification programs and specifications. Because the need of a standard was widely recognized, PACP was almost immediately accepted and has become an international standard.”

Gemora graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in electrical engineering. He soon began a successful career as a semiconductor manufacturer’s sales representative. In the late 1980s, he became a partner in a company that purchased the Danby man-entry, large-diameter pipeline rehabilitation system and brought it to North America. It was through Danby that he first became involved in NASSCO as an active member and also served on the board of directors.

Gemora is survived by his wife Paula Gemora.

Contributions may be made to NASSCO’s PACP Scholarship Fund, NASSCO, Inc., 5285 Westview Drive, Suite 202, Frederick, MD 21703. A celebration of life will be held at a later date in January; the exact date and time will be announced.

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