A Latin Lover?

A Latin Lover?

At the 7th Pan-American Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering in Vancouver, Canada, June 1983. From left to right: Dr. Arnaldo Carrillo-Gil, Dr. Jorge Troncoso, Dr. H.B. Seed, Dr. Peck.

Dr. Peck was legendary in his ability to write succinctly with perfect grammar and spelling. He was also legendary in his detailed constructive review of the many papers his students and staff sent his way. Over a period of many years. I was responsible for a major research project on tunnel linings, so I had the opportunity to write may research reports for his review. Not only did I learn about technical issues from Dr. Peck, but I learned much about good English grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc. In one of my sessions with him, he questioned the spelling of an unusual word describing a special technical process. Dr. Peck gave me the Latin word for a related process and asked me to re-check the spelling in English. Of course, the sources that I had been using for the spelling were incorrect and Dr. Peck's practical application of the Latin language in everyday life led me to the correct spelling.
Harvey Parker, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE

This letter is an excerpt from the Geo-Strata Feature on Professor Peck, Geo-Strata September/October 2008.

Photo#112: At the 7th Pan-American Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering in Vancouver, Canada, June 1983. From left to right: Dr. Arnaldo Carrillo-Gil, Dr. Jorge Troncoso, Dr. H.B. Seed, Dr. Peck. Photo from the Geo-Strata Magazine Sep/Oct 2008.

Elmo DiBiagio, Kaare Flaate, (2000). Publication Nr. 207: Ralph B. Peck “Engineer, Educator, A Man of Judgement”. Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Oslo

Ralph B. Peck developed a very close professional and personal relationship with NGI's (Norwegian Geotechnical Institute) first director, Laurits Bjerrum. Following Bjerrum's death in 1973, he kept in contact with NGI. Suzanne Lacasse, Managing Director of NGI from 1991 to 2011, also had a very close relationship with Peck. In connection with the opening, NGI published Publication 207, "Professor Ralph B. Peck - Engineer, Educator, a Man of Judgement", which recounts the story of the events that lead to the establishment of the Peck Library and Peck's professional and private life.

John Dunnicliff and Nancy Peck Young, (2007). "Ralph B. Peck, Educator and Engineer - The Essence of the Man". BiTech Publishers Ltd, Vancouver.

This review flows from the latter camp, a place where Dr. Peck is widely recognized for his ultimately practical engineering wisdom. He cannot help but be a genuine hero to geological practitioners who have learned from his writings and from occasional attendance at his lectures and oral papers. We geologists see him mainly in the light of his remarkable ability to detect and grasp the practical essentials and then, with the true calling of a great engineer, to pass his own proven lessons-learned on to us. Regrettably, however, this tribute is devoid of commentary by the many geologists who have crossed Ralph Peck's path over the years.

Professor Ralph Peck's

Legacy Website

A Latin Lover?

Photo#112: At the 7th Pan-American Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering in Vancouver, Canada, June 1983. From left to right: Dr. Arnaldo Carrillo-Gil, Dr. Jorge Troncoso, Dr. H.B. Seed, Dr. Peck. Photo from the Geo-Strata Magazine Sep/Oct 2008.

Professor Ralph B. Peck