Professor Emeritus Tor Brekke Passed Away on March 6

Professor Emeritus Tor Brekke died on Friday, March 6, after several months of declining health. He was 75.

Professor Brekke was a member of the Civil and Environmental Engineering geoengineering faculty from 1970 to 1993. The UC Berkeley student chapters of the ASCE and Chi Epsilon named him Outstanding Faculty of the Year in 1971. In 2008, he was the recipient of the Outstanding Educator of the Year Award, presented by the United States Underground Construction Industry in recognition of his exceptional contributions and dedication.

Brekke was a chairman of the U.S. National Committee of Tunneling Technology, and a member of the Norwegian Academy of Technical Sciences and of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. He was also an honorary member of the Geotechnical Society of Colombia in South America. He was an honorary fellow of the Geological Society of America and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Association of Engineering Geologists and the U. S. Committee of the International Commission on Large Dams.

During his career, Brekke authored more than 85 publications and consulted on more than 200 projects, including hydroelectric power plants, dams, highways, railroads and mines around the world. His research interests included gas storage in excavated caverns, pressure tunnels and shafts, water and subway tunnels, and rock and soil tunneling.

See UC Berkeley news 3-19-2009.