PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Respecting and Learning from History I wouldn’t call myself a history buff, but I enjoy reading about and discussing history. There are a few quotes that I refer to from time to time. They are history-related quotes that have been made part of the modern vernacular. The most obvious and frequently used quote is about learning from history or you are doomed to repeat past failures, which is a really good one! This quote is attributed to several different sources, but is probably about 100 years old. I also like Sir Isaac Newton’s quote about “standing on the shoulders of giants,” relating to using discoveries from the past as a starting point and moving forward from there with new innovations. I love Winston Churchill’s quote: “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” “Are you ready to write your own history?” Koutsoftas, Bob Lukas, George Munfakh, Kenji Ishihara and Safdar Gill. I am sure that each of you could add a significant number of names to these lists. During our schooling and careers, each of us has been exposed to the writings of, and even has had personal relationships with, many great engineers. I try to make it a point to read the works from each of the men on my list and to seek out and meet with as many of them as I can. Each of them has made huge contributions to our profession, sharing their own unique expertise. When I was in undergraduate and Making History in Our Profession Deep foundat ions and foundat ion engineering have a relatively short history since the invention of modern drilling machines, diesel and hydraulic pile driving hammers, etc. The father and son of geotechnical/foundation engineering are generally considered to be Karl Terzaghi and Ralph Peck. Other historical names in geotechnical engineering stand out to me: Arthur Casagrande, Donald Taylor, Alec Skempton, Laurits Bjerrum, T.W. Lambe, Bill Shannon, Aleksandar Vesic, Mike Duncan, Jim Mitchell, Fred Kulhawy, Wayne Clough, Harry Seed, John Schmertman, Bob Koerner, Chuck Ladd and Steve Wright. What about foundation engineers? I think of Gerry Leonards, Bengt Broms, George Sowers, Stan Wilson, Jim Gould, Gregory Tschebotarioff, Bob Holtz, Stan Wilson, Lymon Reese, Bengt Fellenius, Ben Gerwick, Harry Schnabel, Jorj Osterberg, George Goble, Wally Baker, George Tamaro, Clyde Baker, Demetrious graduate school at the University of Illinois, Dr. Ralph Peck would return each semester and give lectures. It was really great. He never used any notes. He was a wonderful communicator, and his students have also left a great legacy in our profession. Dr. Herb Ireland had audio tapes of lectures and interviews with Karl Terzaghi that he would play in his foundation engineering case history course. I can still remember Terzaghi’s very deep and gravelly voice. John Wolosick, P.E., D.GE President [email protected] Geotechnical vs. Foundation Engineering What is the di fference between a geotechnical engineer and a foundation engineer? Well, you have to have geo- knowledge to do foundation engineering. A good background in geology also really helps. I guess geotechnical engineering can be thought of as more of the “science” behind foundations, but we all know there is a lot of ART in our work as well. I like to think of foundation engineering as APPLIED geotechnical engineering, with a healthy dose of structural engineering thrown in by necessity. My hope is that by absorbing the works of these great engineers, I will not get caught repeating past failures. And neither will you. Then we can “stand on the shoulders of giants” and look toward the horizon to see what is in store for us tomorrow and the next day. Are you ready to write your own history? The Value of DFI Membership Check out the new video on the home page of www.dfi.org. Current DFI members discuss the value they receive from being an active member of the Institute. If you are not a member, we encourage you to join. If you are a member, make sure that you are taking advantage of all the benefits DFI offers. DEEP FOUNDATIONS • MAY/JUNE 2016 • 7
