ABSTRACT
CHADWICK 04.12. 1897 Loring KS/USA 05.06. 1996 Claremont CA/USA Wallace Lacy Chadwick moved as a child to South California. After two years of study at University of Redlands, Redlands CA, his academic career was interrupted by World War I. He later returned to the school, yet to serve for 42 years on its Board of Trustees. In 1965, the University conferred upon him an honorary doctorate in engineering science. After a six-year stint with the Metropolitan Water District, he joined the Southern California Edison Company in 1922, remaining there for almost 40 years. He retired from it in 1962 as vice-president of engineering and construction but went on for another 30 years as consultant to the Edison and Bechtel Corp., San Francisco CA. During his ‘second career’ Chadwick travelled more than 7 million miles to work on projects such as the San Francisco Bay Area or the Washington DC subway system, hydro-electric power plants in Canada, a power facility in Saudi-Arabia and an official inquiry into the causes of the 1976 failure of Grand Teton Dam. Chadwick is still known for his 1988 book on the Development of dam engineering in the United States, edited with a colleague. This impressive work evidents the large advances made in dam engineering within 100 years, counting still to the countries with the largest hydropower potential. Chadwick was member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers ASCE, of which he also served as president in 1964. During this time he filled in a number of committee assignments including professional conduct, membership qualifications, and water policy and planning. The Society awarded him also its Rickey Medal in 1940. In addition Chadwick belonged to the International Committee on Large Dams ICOLD, and was a Honorary Member ASCE. In 1978 he was named Construction Man of the year by Engineering News-Record for his work on the Grand Teton Dam failure. Although he retired in 1990, he remained professionally active for the rest of his life. Anonymous (1965). Wallace L. Chadwick. Civil Engineering 35(11): 104. P Anonymous (1996). Wallace Chadwick, ASCE’s 96th president, dies at age 98. Civil Engineering 66(9): 79-80. P Chadwick, W.L. (1974). Chadwick, Wallace L. Scienziati e tecnologi 1: 234-235, R. Adams, D. Hodgkin, eds. Mondadori: Milano. P Kollgaard, E.B., Chadwick, W.L. (1988). Development of dam engineering in the United States. Pergamon Press: New York.
