“Bravo!” exclaimed Dick Short, my host and 2005 ENR newsmaker, leaping to his feet after each display of violinist¹s prowess. “Encore!”

It isn’t often that I go to an industry-related soiree and see an engineer playing classical violin, thanks to an “auction” by other engineers.

Actually, until the night of Nov. 17, 2006, it was never.

Much to my discredit, I can’t say I recognized the works from which Seth Pearlman beautifully played brief excerpts, to the extreme delight and appreciation of other members of the Deep Foundations Institute. But it didn’t really matter. It was part of an elegant evening at Tavern on the Green with some 50 or so attendees of DFI’s kickoff gala for its newly established charitable foundation.

Short, a principal with Kleinfelder, Inc., is an engineer-artist himself, making striking sculptures of people when he’s not inventing plate pile systems that keep unstable slopes from failing. Like those in other aspects of the engineering and construction industry, he is concerned about the declining number of students entering the profession. Hence the DFI Educational Trust, which will run annual paper competitions, poster programs and the Paul DeBruyn Scholarship Fund to encourage interest in deep foundations engineering.

Shortly after Pearlman’s virtuoso performance came another one.

James K. Mitchell, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, gave a slideshow and brief biographies of several giants in the soil mechanics and engineering field. Mitchell is one of the most youthful 70-somethings I have ever met in my life. I think deep foundations engineers must have stumbled upon the Fountain of Youth somewhere deep in the earth and just aren’t telling the rest of us.

Mitchell not only reminisced about these engineers’ accomplishments and his experiences working with them, but imparted some of the lessons learned from them both business-wise and human-wise. Simple, humanistic lessons that get left by the wayside in modern times.

• Well-chosen case histories illustrate principals and teach important lessons.—Karl Terzaghi, “father” of modern soil mechanics
  
  
• Let your subordinates know that you care about them ­ in every way—Laurits Bjerrum, ­ former Director of the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute.
  
  
• Demonstrate leadership by clear and logical thinking and by inspirational example.—Sir Alec W. Skempton ­ researcher, teacher, Imperial College London
  
  
• Remember and use your prior experiences.—Stanley D. Wilson, noted expert on rock dams
  
  
• Be careful when you tell it like it is.—Ronald Scott, designer of the Lunar Lander
  
  
• Don’t be afraid to go in new directions.—Richard Woodward, founding partner of Woodward-Clyde.
  
  
• There is more than one path to success.—James Sherard, expert on earth rock dams
  
  
• Be sure to dig deeply and consider all the possibilities.—Gerald Leonards, Purdue University professor.
  
  
• The little things count in your interactions with others; we all like to be known and feel appreciated. William Moore, founder of Dames & Moore
  
  
• Break complex problems into parts and simplify.—Harry Seed, the “father” of geotechnical seismic engineering

Short, who himself took courses with Mitchell, wants the legacy of memorable engineers-turned-teachers to continue. He plans to make and sell sculptures to contribute to the fund, which so far has about $97,000. The Trust will be commissioning historical art works for sale and for incorporation into a fund-raising calendar. Bronze busts of a family member, a firm’s founder, a prominent professor or other revered person will be offered at cost plus $1,000 donation (estimated total cost $3,000).

To Dick Short: Bravo!

For more information about contributing to the DFI Educational Fund, email dfihq@dfi.org or call 973-423-4030.