Eaves was a draftsman for the United States Bureau of Public Roads in Denver, Colorado, and then the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company. She joined the Women's Engineering Society in 1925, and continued as a member throughout her career. In 1926 Eaves started working for McGraw-Hill in New York City for the Engineering News-Record Department. She was also a publication and sales manager of the McGraw-Hill Construction Daily. In 1927, she was the first woman admitted to full membership to the American Society of Civil Engineers. In 1945, she became the manager of Business News. In 1929, Eaves originated and compiled the first national inventory of municipal and industrial sewage disposal facilities. Next, she compiled statistics on needed construction, which helped revitalize the construction industry during the Great Depression. After World War II, Eaves organized and directed ENR’s measurement of “Post War Planning” by the construction industry that was used as the official progress report of the industry. In total, she was associated with McGraw-Hill's Engineering News-Record, a weekly trade publication, for 37 years. She retired in 1963, but continued practicing as an adviser to the National Commission on Urban Affairs on the subject of housing costs. She advised the International Executive Service Corps about construction costs in Iran. In 1972, she wrote the obituary for fellow engineer, Ruth Shafer, chair of the first International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists. In 1974, she received the George Norlin Silver Medal, the highest alumni award given by the University of Colorado and, in 1979, she was the first woman to receive an honorary lifetime membership to the American Association of Cost Engineers. Elsie Eaves died March 27, 1983 in Roslyn, New York, aged 84.
Achievements
First Woman to be elected Associate Member, Member, Fellow, Life Member, of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
First woman and first civil engineer to be elected as Member, American Association of Cost Engineers, where she became the first woman to be awarded an Honorary Life Membership.
First woman elected as Chapter Honor Member, Chi Epsilon fraternity.
First woman to receive the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award from the College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado.
First woman to receive the Honorary Life Membership Award from the American Association of Cost Engineers.
First woman to receive the International Executive Service Corps "Service to Country" Award.
First woman to receive the Award of Merit from the American Association of Cost Engineers.
