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WENDELL EUGENE JOHNSON
1910-1982
BY JACOB H. DOUMA
WENDELL E JOHNSON died in Arlington, Virginia, on February
26, 1982. Before his retirement in 1970 he had been Chief of the
Civil Works Program of the Army Corps of Engineers for the last ten
years of a distinguished thirty-seven years with the Corps. He was
recognized universally for competence, leadership, and vision in
directing the largest water resource program in history.
Outstanding among his many significant accomplishments during
his federal career were his work on (1) development and design of
the multiple-use reservoir system in the Missouri River, one of the
world's largest water resource developments, costing approximately
$200 million per year; (2) design of the Third Locks Project in
Panama and the Atlantic-Pacific Interoceanic Canal Study, involv-
ing pioneering in the use of nuclear explosives for canal excavation,
a new field of engineering technology; (3) research and development
of techniques and criteria for design of massive earth darns on foun-
dation conditions unprecedented in engineering technology; and (4)
leadership in fostering worldwide recognition of greater concern for
the safety aspects of major dams.
Mr. Johnson was born on September 23, 1910, in Minneapolis,
Minnesota, and received a B.S. degree in civil engineering in 1931
from the University of Minnesota. After working briefly with that
state's highway department, he joined the Corps of Engineers in
1933 and continued his career with the Corps until retirement, only
interrupted by two years of military service during World War II.
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MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
To describe Mr. iohnson's responsibilities as Chief of the Engi-
neering Division of the Directorate of Civil Works of the Corps of
Engineers, an understanding of that program is required. The pro-
gram was composed of more than 3,600 authorized projects having a
total estimated construction cost of more than $23 billion and annual
expenditures of t1 billion. It was the major federal program for
development of the Nation's water resources, providing many bene-
fits to the American people, such as flood control, navigation
improvement, hydroelectric power development, water supply,
water quality control, hurricane protection, beach erosion control,
and recreation and conservation of land and water resources.
The technical problems the social, economic, and aesthetic fac-
tors that had to be considered—all challenged the engineer execu-
tive. He directly supervised sixty top-level engineering specialists
and was responsible for providing technical direction for several
thousand engineers working throughout the Nation in eleven
regional supervisory offices and thirty-seven districts of the Corps of
Engineers. In addition, he was responsible for technical direction
and review of the work of private firms whose services were
required, annual costs being typically $15 million.
For many' years Mr. Johnson represented the United States at
international conferences, assemblies of engineering organizations,
and advisory boards for major engineering projects. As a federal
administrator and engineer, he furnished advice to the Congress on
numerous occasions. One example of such service was his work as a
consultant to the State Department in connection with the preserva-
tion of the Abu Simbel temples in Egypt from inundation by the
reservoir behind the high Aswan Dam. He provided advice on the
engineering feasibility of the several plans proposed for preservation
of the temples, and it was on his advice that the United States made
its commitment to participate in the preservation work.
After his retirement from the Corps of Engineers, Mr. Johnson
continued as a consultant on major dam projects until he suffered a
stroke. With great courage and eagerness he kept informed of ongo-
ing problems and progress on projects with which he was actively
involved before his illness, often contributing valuable suggestions
by letters dictated to his devoted wife, Margaret, or by telephone.
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WENDELL EUGENE JOH NSON
139
He also prepared, by dictation, a significant technical paper on
construction inspection of dams, which was published by the Ameri-
can Society of Civil Engineers.
In addition to his distinguished service as a federal employee and
private consultant, Mr. Johnson served his profession in an exem-
plary manner through his activities with professional engineering
societies. He served in many positions as an officer or committee
member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Interna-
tional Commission and U. S. Committee on Large Dams
(USCOLD), the World Power Conference, and the Society of
American Military Engineers. He was Chairman of USCOLD in
1968 and had a major influence in USCOLD actions to promote
dam safety, including development of a model law for licensing and
inspection of privately owned dams in the United States.
He was recognized by his peers and received a number of honor-
ary awards, including the Department of the Army Exceptional
Civil Service Award. He was a Fellow of both the American Society
of Civil Engineers and the Society of American Military Engineers
and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1970.
Mr. Johnson was a very effective catalyst in human relationships
that required the resolution of differing engineering opinions. He
was able to conceive of ambitious objectives and to communicate his
beliefs and enthusiasm so articulately that there was little doubt
about achieving what may have appeared to be unreasonable goals.
He inspired people to stretch their capabilities and channel their
work into a powerful team effort.
Wendell Johnson was a warm, perceptive man, a true friend of
many and admired by all who knew him. It was an inspiration to
work with him; younger engineers found his support and encourage-
ment particularly valuable to their career development. His achieve-
ments both as a human being and as an engineer leave a rich
heritage indeed.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
military engineers
