Ingham County's road improvement program was a pacesetter in Michigan under the leadership of "Tex" Evans, the road commission's engineer-superintendent for more than 23 years (1946-1970). An innovator and experimenter in road maintenance techniques, he pioneered on-site recycling of asphalt pavement in Michigan and gained a statewide reputation for his administrative talents and willingness to lend his expertise to others in his field. Evans was a farsighted community leader and a prime mover in creation of the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission to provide for orderly growth in his area of mid-Michigan. His career also included stints with the Department of State Highways and the Branch County Road Commission.