A gracious man: Always Accessible

A Gracious Man:
Always Accessible

Dr. R.B. Peck, with whom I shared a sincere friendship, was an assiduous attendant at the meetings with Latin-American geotechnical specialists. We were lucky to meet and discuss with Dr. Peck on two opportunities during the Pan-American Conferences wich are carried out at 20-years intervals.

Arnaldo Carrillo-Gil, Dr. Eng., P.E., F.ASCE

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

Photo#116: With Dr. Arnaldo Carrillo-Gil at the 12th Pan-American Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Boston, MA, June 2003. 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 gracious man: Always Accessible

Photo#116: With Dr. Arnaldo Carrillo-Gil at the 12th Pan-American Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Boston, MA, June 2003. Photo from the Geo-Strata Magazine Sep/Oct 2008.

Professor Ralph B. Peck