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G E O R G E F. S O W E R S
1921–1996
Elected in 1994
“For translating theory into practice as a teacher, author,
and consultant in geotechnical engineering.”
BY PAUL W. MAYNE AND BRUCE R. ELLINGWOOD
I N OCTOBER OF 1996, civil engineering lost one of its giants
with the passing of Professor George F. Sowers at the age of 75
after a rather short bout with bone cancer. He was a rare breed
of person who truly integrated the practices of geotechnical
engineering and engineering geology with research and
teaching
“There Were Giants on the Earth in Those Days.” That was
the title of George F. Sowers’ keynote lecture at the 1979 Annual
Convention of the American Society of Civil Engineers. This
special presentation, called the Terzaghi Lecture, was awarded
to just one individual in the profession of civil engineering each
year. The year George was chosen to give this talk, the
auditorium was packed to capacity.
At first glance, his odd title for a technical lecture might have
been about dinosaurs, but true to his intentions, George wove
a fascinating story about the details and evidence concerning
ancient earthwork construction and rock engineering practices
on the North and South American continents dating back several
thousand years. George’s talk included descriptions of the Aztec
pyramids, the great cities of the Incas, Mayan centers, and the
Etowah Indian burial mounds in Georgia. Most of us in the
geotechnical profession were dumbfounded, because we had
been taught that Professor Karl Terzaghi had founded our
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286 MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
discipline just a few decades earlier, circa 1925. Now we were
presented with proof that our engineering discipline had a
much, much longer history. Needless to say, George left an
impression that was forever “karst” in stone.
Throughout a long and distinguished career of more than
60 years of participation in civil engineering projects, George
had simultaneously worn a number of hats, with equal
excellence, humility, dignity, and enthusiasm. However, if one
were forced to describe him in one word, it would have to be
educator. Regardless of whether he was in front of 60 aspiring
civil engineers in an undergraduate geotechnical engineering
class at the Georgia Institute of Technology or in the presence
of some of the world’s leading consultants standing on the
abutment of a 300 m high rockfill dam in Malaysia attempting
to assimilate the characteristics of the large slide that had just
occurred, Professor Sowers always tried to learn something
new for himself and to help educate everyone who was present.
The infectious enthusiasm with which he did this ensured that
his listeners always left with a better understanding and a
feeling of accomplishment.
George F. Sowers was born on September 23, 1921, in
Cleveland, Ohio, to George B. Sowers and Marie Tyler Sowers.
His engineering career began at an early age when, as a teenager,
he worked as a part-time engineering aide in heavy foundation
and harbor construction with his father’s consulting firm. He
obtained a B.S. in civil engineering from the Case Institute of
Technology in Cleveland in 1942, and upon graduation, spent
a few years working as an assistant hydraulic engineer for the
Tennessee Valley Authority before serving in the U.S. Navy
from 1944 to 1946 as an instructor in electronic servicing. More
important, in April 1944, he married a mathematician and
hydrologist from the Tennessee Valley Authority named
Frances Lott. Over the next 52 years, they become one of the
best known and most admired couples on the national and
international geotechnical circuit.
Soon after the war, George attended Harvard University,
where he had the honor of attending classes given by none other
than the “father of geotechnical engineering,” Professor Karl
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GEORGE F. SOWERS 287
Terzaghi. He also studied under Professor Arthur Casagrande.
Sowers received an M.S. in civil engineering from Harvard in
1947 in the areas of soil mechanics, foundations, and engineering
geology.
George then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where, for the next
50 years, he held two positions simultaneously—consultant
with the Law Engineering Testing Company (now known as
MacTec) and professor in the School of Civil Engineering at the
Georgia Institute of Technology. Between 1950 and 1958, George
and Frances produced four children: Carol, Janet, Nancy, and
George Jr. On the professional side, George held a succession
of increasingly senior appointments with both Law Engineering
and Georgia Tech. At Law, he was named a vice president in
1955, senior vice president in 1967, and chairman of the board
in 1971. After serving in the latter capacity for a number of
years, however, he was anxious to return to more technical
matters, so he resumed his appointment as senior vice president
in 1975. Later, he was named senior consultant for Law
Engineering Testing Company.
At Georgia Tech, George was appointed professor of civil
engineering in 1953 in charge of instruction in soil and rock
mechanics and geotechnical engineering. In 1965, he was
appointed Regents Professor of Civil Engineering. In addition
to balancing and fulfilling his commitments as a consultant and
academician, Professor Sowers also found time to participate
actively in the activities of professional societies, including the
Geotechnical Engineering Division of American Society of Civil
Engineers (ASCE), International Society for Soil Mechanics and
Foundation Engineering (ISSMFE), Earthquake Engineering
Research Institute, National Society for Professional Engineers,
American Society for Testing and Materials, Geological
Academy of Science, U.S. National Society for Soil Mechanics,
U.S. Committee on Large Dams, Seismological Society of
America, and Association of Engineering Geologists. In many
of these organizations he participated at the highest level,
serving on the Executive Committee of the Geotechnical
Engineering Division of ASCE and as vice president of
ISSMFE.
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288 MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
Professor Sowers was the author or co-author of eight books.
His first book, An Introduction to Soil Mechanics and Foundations,
published in 1951 by MacMillan, was widely acclaimed and
was reissued in three editions (1961, 1970, and 1979). In addition
to the English version, it has been translated into Spanish and
Chinese. During the last year of his life, in failing health, he
worked diligently to complete his final book, Building on
Sinkholes: Design and Construction of Foundations in Karst Terrain,
which was published by ASCE in 1996. When he received the
first copy directly from the printer and was asked about how
long the book had taken to write, he replied, “my whole life.”
Considering that it contains things he had learned over a 50
year period, that was probably the correct answer.
George was also the author of more than 140 technical papers,
many of which received prestigious awards. The excellence of
his professional endeavors was recognized with numerous
accolades: Teacher of the Year Award at Georgia Tech in 1971;
Engineer of the Year Award from the Georgia Society of
Professional Engineers in 1973; Herschel Prize from the Boston
Society of Civil Engineers in 1976; ASCE Middlebrooks Award
in 1977; Terzaghi Lecture in 1979; ASCE Martin Kapp Lecture
in New York in 1985; Brooks Award in 1990; ASCE Middlebrooks
Award in 1994; ASCE Terzaghi Award in 1995; and ASCE
Forensic Engineering Award in 1995. He was elected a member
of NAE in 1994.
Notwithstanding his hectic dual careers, intensive travel
schedule, professional involvement, community and church
activities, and active family life, George Sowers clearly was a
giant among his peers. He left a far-reaching legacy through
his teachings, writings, and the physical structures he helped
design and build, which will ensure that many more will come
to know the giant, who, for a few years, many of us had the
privilege knowing.
He is survived by his four children: Carol, Janet, Nancy, and
George, Jr.; ten grandchildren; and 1 great grandchild. His wife,
Frances Sowers, died in 2008.
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