STOKER

STOKER 02.03. 1905 Pittsburgh PA/USA 19.10. 1992 New York NY/USA James Johnston Stoker obtained the BS degree from Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh PA, in 1927 and became instructor in technical mechanics. He obtained in 1931 there also the MS degree. In 1936 he moved to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, obtaining in 1936 the PhD degree. Stoker along with Kurt O. Friedrichs (19011982) joined the Department of Mathematics at the New York University, where the two developed the famous Courant Institute of Applied Mathematics and Physics. With Stoker’s engineering background, and Friedrichs’ mastery in mathematics, both greatly collaborated on many problems of applied mathematics and mechanics. On Courant’s retirement in 1958, Stoker succeeded him as director, serving until 1966. During this period, the Institute acquired greater autonomy within the University, becoming the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Stoker originally was interested in the elasticity theory, developing essentially into an expert of water waves. His 1947 paper deals with the effect of depth on the propagation of water waves. In 1957 Stoker published his book Water waves, one of the main works in this topic until the book chapter on Surface waves, by John V. Wehausen (1913-2005) and Edmund V. Laitone (1915-2000) published in 1960. Stoker’s significant work summarizes the then current state of knowledge with a focus on the linear wave theory. In 1970 Stoker was awarded the Timoshenko Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME in recognition of distinguished contributions to the field of applied mechanics. Anonymous (1971). Prof. James J. Stoker. Mechanical Engineering 93(1): 73. P Anonymous (1985). J.J. Stoker. Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics 38(1): 1. P Anonymous (1992). J.J. Stoker. Notices of the American Mathematical Society 39(10): 1291. Stoker, J.J. (1936). Über die Gestalt der positive gekrümmten offenen Flächen im drei-dimensionalen Raum. Promotionsarbeit 826. ETH: Zürich. Stoker, J.J. (1947). Surface waves in water of variable depth. Quarterly of Applied Mathematics 5(1): 1-54. Stoker, J.J. (1953). Numerical solution of flood prediction and river regulation problems 1: Derivation of basic theory and formulation of numerical method of attack. Report IMM-200. Institute of Mathematical Science. New York University: New York. Stoker, J.J. (1957). Water waves: The mathematical theory with applications. Wiley: New York.

STORROW 25.03. 1809 Montreal/CA 30.04. 1904 Boston MA/USA Charles Storer Storrow was born in Canada, but his family moved to Boston MA. Graduating in 1829 from the Harvard University, Cambridge MA, he moved to Paris, taking further courses at Ecole des Ponts et Chaussees studying then engineering works in France and Great Britain. Upon his return to Boston in 1832, he became a railroad engineer and directed the running of the first train from Boston to Lowell. He studied also the water quantity utilized by the Lowell mills, and published his pioneering 1835 treatise on water works, the first in the English language, making available to the English-speaking engineers the works of the French scientists Gaspard Riche de Prony (1755-1839), JeanBaptiste Bélanger (1790-1874), or Henri Navier (1785-1836). Ten years later Storrow, became engineer for the Essex Company, Lawrence MA. He laid out the city, designing canals, designating mill sites, building mills, and designed a large masonry dam across Merrimac River, which still exists. From 1853, he was city mayor. Storrow’s work at Lawrence brought him into close contact with the president of the Essex Company. The latter tried to persuade Storrow to assume charge as professor of engineering at the newly erected Lawrence Scientific School at Harvard, yet Storrow declined this offer. In 1860 he established his home at Boston, and from 1861 served as engineer member of the state commission on the drainage of the Sudbury and Concord meadows. As a member of the Hoosac Tunnel Commission, he went in 1862 for a study tour to Europe and upon return advised the commission on plans and methods for tunnel construction. At age of eighty, Storrow resigned his position with the Essex Company. His eminent services to engineering were recognized by his professional brethren in the election to honorary membership of the American Society of Civil Engineers ASCE in 1893. He was also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Anonymous (1904). Charles Storer Storrow. Engineering News 51(18): 422-423. P Anonymous (1931). Charles Storer Storrow. Engineering News-Record 107(13): 476. P Anonymous (1936). Storrow, Charles Storer. Dictionary of American biography 18: 98-99. Scribner’s: New York. Fitzsimons, N. (1968). Charles S. Storrow and the transition in American hydraulics. Civil Engineering 38(12): 81-82. Storrow, C.S. (1835). A treatise on water-works for conveying and distributing supplies of water, with tables and examples. Hilliard, Gray and Co.: Boston.