Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter.
Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
OCR for page 212
OCR for page 213
JORJ O. OSTERBERG
1915–2008
Elected in 1975
“For contributions to soils and foundation engineering through research,
teaching, practice and professional leadership.”
BY RAYMOND J. KRIZEK
JORJ O. OSTERBERG passed away on June 1, 2008, in Denver,
Colorado, at the age of 93. The son of Swedish immigrants, Jorj
was raised in the Bronx borough of New York City. In 1931,
at the age of 16, he entered Columbia University, where he
befriended Professor Donald Burmister. While at Columbia his
interest was piqued by the new field of soil mechanics, and he
attended the first undergraduate and graduate courses given
on the subject. After completing his B.S. in 1935 and his C.E.
in 1936, Jorj’s interest in soil mechanics led him to graduate
school at Harvard University to study with a young professor
by the name of Arthur Casagrande. After earning his M.S. at
Harvard in 1937, Jorj enrolled in the Ph.D. program at Cornell
University, from which he graduated in 1940.
From Cornell, Jorj went to work at the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station (WES) in
Vicksburg, Mississippi. It was there that he met and married
Ruth Embree, a Virginian, who was working in Vicksburg as
a nurse. While at WES, Jorj invented and patented the WES
soil pressure cell and worked with many of the researchers
who were instrumental in the development of soil mechanics
during World War II. During the 1942–1943 academic year, he
taught at the University of Illinois, and in 1943 he joined the
civil engineering faculty at Northwestern University.
213
OCR for page 214
214 MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
Jorj’s first project at Northwestern was to build the soil
mechanics laboratory. Although much of the equipment
designed by Jorj was inspired by that built at Purdue University
and Harvard by Professors Rutledge and Casagrande, its
style and operational characteristics incorporated some
improvements and provided the basis for the early equipment
produced and sold commercially. During his more than four
decades on the faculty at Northwestern, hundreds of successful
consulting engineers and university professors took his classes
and benefited from his wealth of professional experience
and vast collection of case histories—and the impact of his
philosophy has been felt throughout the world. Jorj retired
from Northwestern in 1985 and shortly thereafter moved to
Colorado.
In addition to his significant service to several professional
and civic organizations over the years, Jorj practiced widely
as a consultant for governments, large industrial companies,
and consulting firms in almost all 50 states and more than two
dozen countries. Of the many recognitions of his contributions
to our profession, his election to the National Academy of
Engineering in 1975 is perhaps the most prestigious.
Without doubt, Jorj O. Osterberg justifiably earned his place
among the most noteworthy pioneers in the field of geotechnical
engineering. Throughout his career he continually manifested
an enviable combination of sound theoretical background,
excellent engineering judgment, good appreciation of economic
considerations, and an astute understanding of human
relationships. The years provided innumerable examples of
Jorj’s keen ability to recognize and diagnose a problem and
to suggest a technically implementable and economically
feasible solution. In most instances his philosophy inherently
equated an overly conservative and expensive design with
poor engineering.
Another strong aspect of Jorj’s personality was his intense
devotion to professionalism and its associated code of ethics.
He always manifested very strong feelings about acting in a
manner that was both morally and ethically proper—even
OCR for page 215
JORJ O. OSTERBERG 215
in very small matters—and his own conscience, rather than
popular opinions, always guided his actions.
In the field of foundation engineering, Jorj’s accomplish-
ments spanned the gamut from soil exploration and sampling
in the early phases of a project to serving as an arbitrator or
expert witness in the resolution of all too frequent disputes in the
latter phases. His inventiveness and penchant for innovation
were demonstrated in many ways, ranging from ingenious
patents to creative solutions to foundation problems. His WES
pressure cell design was among the first in the field; his piston
sampler is still the standard in the profession after more than
half a century; and his drilled shaft load cell literally changed
the practice in deep foundations worldwide. As a practitioner,
Jorj Osterberg was not only a good foundation engineer, but
he was also an engineer’s engineer.
Notwithstanding all of Jorj’s technical accomplishments,
his human qualities were among his most defining traits—
the advice he gave when asked (and sometimes even when
not asked), the stability he provided in times of trial, and the
concern he manifested when personal problems loomed on
the horizon. Those of us who were privileged to know him
will certainly attest to the fact that our lives are richer, both
professionally and personally, because our paths crossed with
that of Jorj Osterberg.
Preceding Jorj in death was his loving wife, Ruth, who
passed away in 2004. Surviving him are his four children—
Lawrence, Arvid, Ralph, and Lois—and seven grandchildren.
Jorj’s cremains are buried with those of his wife on the Embree
family plot in Buena Vista, Virginia.
