Karl von Terzaghi (October 2, 1883 – October 25, 1963)
Photograph From the World Wide Web of Geotechnical Engineering Hall of Fame (http://www.ejge.com/People/Terzaghi/Terzaghi.htm)
Good day and Happy Karl Terzaghi’s Birthday! Today is a celebrated day on the geotechnical calendar each and every year, and this year is special as it is the 125th year since the birth of the Father of Modern Soil Mechanics. For those of you that this is the first year you have received this message, let me welcome you to my annual tribute to Professor Terzaghi and the geotechnical engineering profession. (If you do not want this annual greeting, please let me know and I will drop you from my list!).
This year I am writing from a hotel room in Baton Rouge, Louisiana preparing to be on a bridge site in the morning to observe an O-cell load test. I wish I could say I spent some time perusing Professor Terzaghi’s biography: “Karl Terzaghi – The Engineer as Artist” by Richard E. Goodman in order to prepare something that reflects on some event or achievement of Professor Terzaghi. Alas the last two weeks have been terribly busy with trips back and forth between Alabama and Louisiana, long days on the project site, and staying on top of everything else as usual.
Therefore, I will keep this post brief and encourage you to celebrate today wherever work finds you today. Every day is a great day to be a geotechnical engineer, foundation contractor, professor, sales engineer, or other part of the geo-industry. Go out and have fun today, and make sure and remind everyone in your office, etc. that today is Karl Terzaghi’s Birthday!
