All: Please see below the sad news about the passing of Milt Harr. GS From: Philippe Bourdeau <bourdeau@purdue.edu> Sent: Sunday, November 3, 2024 11:27 AM To: Govindaraju, Rao S <govind@purdue.edu>; Drnevich, Vincent P <drnevich@purdue.edu>; Bobet, Antonio <bobet@purdue.edu>; Monica Prezzi <mprezzi@purdue.edu>; salgado@purdue.edu; Sinfield, Joseph V <jvs@purdue.edu>; Santagata, Maria Caterina <mks@purdue.edu> Cc: Philippe Bourdeau <bourdeau@purdue.edu> Subject: Milton Harr's passing GS and colleagues: Please see the note below. GS: could you please forward it to the School Faculty? Geotech colleagues: FYI, I am preparing an expanded version for informing the Geotechnical community through USUCGER and PGS mailings. Philippe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is with deep sadness that we have just learned of Professor Milton E. Harr's passing. Milton, our friend and former colleague, died in Sarasota, FL, on September 29, at the age of 98. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy (D-Day in Normandy) and the U.S. Marine Corp (Iwo Jima). He married Florence in 1945, and the couple had 3 children. Milton earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering at Northeastern University in 1949, an M.S. at Rutgers University in 1955, and then his Ph. D. degree under the guidance of Professor Leonards at Purdue University in 1958. At that time, he joined the Purdue Faculty and contributed, with Jerry Leonards and their colleagues, to making this Geotechnical program one of the very best. In 1999, Milton retired from Purdue as Emeritus Professor after 43 years on the faculty. Professor Harr had an extensive record in professional organizations, national committees, and consulting activities around the world. He received many honors both in the U.S. and abroad. Among these are: Election to the National Academy of Engineering; Honorary Doctorate from the University of Brussels, Belgium; The Alexander von Humboldt Prize; and Distinguished Engineering Lecturer at many national and international universities. He also gave the inaugural Gerald A. Leonards Lecture at the founding meeting of the Purdue geotechnical Society. Dr. Milton Harr wrote four technical textbooks that became classics of geotechnical literature, and he authored or coauthored over 100 refereed papers. Milton Harr's was a brilliant, multifaceted mind. He was an inspiring teacher and mentor, a scholar of his field and beyond, an erudite in history and the arts, and a "bon vivant" with wit. He was a gifted writer who authored, besides engineering textbooks, a historical fiction novel and a collection of short stories. He had a decisive influence on many students' and colleagues' careers and lives. A few years ago, he was awarded the Knighthood in the Legion of Honor, the highest French recognition for military service. The obituary web site, below, links to a video of the Memorial ceremony which includes military honors and interesting, moving messages from Milton's daughters, Karen and Faith, read by the officiating rabbi. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/sarasota-fl/milton-harr-12010148<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dignitymemorial.com%2Fobituaries%2Fsarasota-fl%2Fmilton-harr-12010148&data=05%7C02%7CCce-all-list%40ecn.purdue.edu%7Cbb9f38eafef6449b9d2a08dcfc249cb2%7C4130bd397c53419cb1e58758d6d63f21%7C0%7C0%7C638662481382975527%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=PqhygwE9q6N%2ByWdZQT6LBneq0FUigZBmFeLF5%2FFM3go%3D&reserved=0> Philippe Bourdeau ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Philippe L. Bourdeau, Life M. ASCE, M. SIA, USSD, ISSMGE Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering Purdue University, Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering Hampton Hall, 550 Stadium Mall Drive West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2051, USA Phone: (+1) 765 494-5025 (Geotechnical Secretariat), (+1) 765 491-8307 (Cell) Email: bourdeau@purdue.edu<mailto:bourdeau@purdue.edu> Purdue Geotechnical Society: visit https://engineering.purdue.edu/PGS and on Twitter https://twitter.com/Purdue_PGS<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FPurdue_PGS&data=05%7C02%7CCce-all-list%40ecn.purdue.edu%7Cbb9f38eafef6449b9d2a08dcfc249cb2%7C4130bd397c53419cb1e58758d6d63f21%7C0%7C0%7C638662481383131768%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=SZUrJc8xNrBxywRT2LwBA3vy6zlzpdhhnqU%2BfsfFNQo%3D&reserved=0>