E-mail from A. Sadrekarimi

From: Abouzar Sadrekarimi [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 4:25 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Contribution to the Ralph Peck Legacy Website.

Dear Mima Malakou:

I just noticed the invitation to contribute in the Professor Ralph Peck’s Legacy website in Geoengineering.org. Being a graduate of University of Illinois I would be happy to contribute as much as I can to the website. Professor Peck used to come to University of Illinois every year to give a lecture and the Ralph B. Peck award to two doctorate students. I was fortunate to meet him at the University of Illinois twice (2005 and 2006) in which during his last visit (2006) he offered a very interesting lecture about the “Rion- Anitrion Bridge, Greece” where he was a consultant on the project. The last time I met him was during the GeoDenver 2007 accompanied by Dr. Suzanne Lacasse. My father (also a Geotechnical Engineering professor at the University of Tabriz) also met him during the 16 International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering in Osaka Japan. I have attached photos of these occasions to this email. The descriptions of each photo are provided in their names. I have also attached two photos (2 & 4) of Ralph Peck with some other famous figures in Geotechnical Engineering taken (scanned) from one of the earliest proceedings of ICSMGE.

Sincerely,

Abouzar Sadrekarimi

Photo#99: University of Illinois (left to right: Chienwein Huang, Ben Mattson, Aaron Sacks, Daniel Servigna, Ralph Peck, Gholamreza Mesri, David Groholski, Abdolreza Osouli, Abouzar Sadrekarimi).

Photo#100: Lecture at University of Illinois 2005.

Photo#101: GeoDenver 2007 Conference (from left to right-Abouzar Sadrekarimi, Jim Hansen, David Jaromin, Suzanne Lacasse, Nejan Huvaj).

Photo#102: 16th ICSMGE (Professors Peck & Sadrekarimi).

Photo#103: 16th ICSMGE (Professors Peck and Mesri).

Photo#106: The opening address at the Conference was presented by professor N.M. Newmark shown here (2nd from left) chatting with W.J. Turnbull, S.M. Davidson and R.B. Peck.

Photo#107: Task Committee on Shear Strength of Soils: H.B. Seed, J.W. Hilf (Secretary), M.J. Hvorslev (Vice-chairman), W.J. Turnbull(Chairman), R.B. Peck, A. Casagrande, R.A. Barron.

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

E-mail from A. Sadrekarimi

Photo#99: University of Illinois (left to right: Chienwein Huang, Ben Mattson, Aaron Sacks, Daniel Servigna, Ralph Peck, Gholamreza Mesri, David Groholski, Abdolreza Osouli, Abouzar Sadrekarimi).

Photo#100: Lecture at University of Illinois 2005.

Photo#101: GeoDenver 2007 Conference (from left to right-Abouzar Sadrekarimi, Jim Hansen, David Jaromin, Suzanne Lacasse, Nejan Huvaj).

Photo#102: 16th ICSMGE (Professors Peck & Sadrekarimi).

Photo#103: 16th ICSMGE (Professors Peck and Mesri).

Photo#104: 16th ICSMGE, Professor Peck.

Photo#105: 16th ICSMGE, Professor Peck.

Photo#106: The opening address at the Conference was presented by professor N.M. Newmark shown here (2nd from left) chatting with W.J. Turnbull, S.M. Davidson and R.B. Peck.

Photo#107: Task Committee on Shear Strength of Soils: H.B. Seed, J.W. Hilf (Secretary), M.J. Hvorslev (Vice-chairman), W.J. Turnbull(Chairman), R.B. Peck, A. Casagrande, R.A. Barron.

Professor Ralph B. Peck