Lasting Memories

John A. Blume
1909-March 1, 2002
Palo Alto, California

John A. Blume, "the father of earthquake engineering," 92, died March 1, 2002, following a bout with Parkinson's disease.

Born in Gonzales, east of Monterey, he earned bachelor's and a doctorate degrees in civil engineering from Stanford. To pay for his education, he did odd jobs as a laborer, carpenter, truck driver and cannery worker. He also played the guitar and banjo, and was second tenor in a quartet that sang with dance bands at the Palace Hotel -- which his father helped restore.

His sense of humor was legendary, friends recalled, as were his escapades with sports cars. In 1945, he established John A. Blume and Associates (JAB) in San Francisco, a consulting firm that specialized in structural and earthquake engineering. The group helped design the Stanford Linear Accelerator, the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, and the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.

In 1969, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, and the Building Industry Conference board named him "Man of the Year." A consulting professor in civil and environmental engineering at Stanford, he urged the university to establish the Blue Earthquake Engineering Center in 1974. He also endowed the John A. Blume Chaired Professorship.

He is survived by his wife Jene of Hillsborough; a sister; one stepson and two step-granddaughters. Services have been held.