Geotechnical News • September 2012
19
GEO-INSTITUTE NEWS
Geo-Institute Annual
Congress Calendar
2013 Geo-Congress
“Stability and Performance of
Slopes and Embankments”
March 3-6, 2013
Town & Country Resort
San Diego, CA
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2014 Geo-Congress 2014
February 23-26, 2014
Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel
Atlanta, GA
John Franklin
1940-2012
A long-term CGS Member, a former
Professor of the Department of Earth
and Environmental Sciences at the
University of Waterloo, a primal force
in the area of Rock Engineering, Dr
John Franklin of Orangeville, Ontario,
has passed on.
John served as the President of
the International Society for Rock
Mechanics for a four-year term (87-
91) and contributed massively to
the profession throughout his career
(test methods, education initiatives,
monitoring, field measurements…).
He was a premier consulting engi-
neer involved in important projects in
Canada and internationally, such as
the foundations of the CN Tower in
Toronto, the Sudbury Science North
Centre, a rock breakwater at the end
of the world (Tierra del Fuego), high
dams, deep mines, steep slopes, and
many other construction projects
on, in, and with rock. John under-
stood integrated geoscience and rock
engineering better than anyone I ever
encountered.
For the last 20 years, John battled
Parkinson’s. His wife, Kersty, sup-
ported him through the worst of the
battle, which seemed never to destroy
his spirit while it ravaged his body,
forcing him from our lives on Friday,
July 06, 2012.
John brought to Rock Mechanics and
Rock Engineering a dedication that all
of us could learn from. His achieve-
ments remind us that the world is
built on the ideals of a few visionaries
who lead us forward and often appear
ahead of their time. He was such a
visionary, and remained intellectually
active long after his physical disability
restricted his movements and travel
scope. Last year, he travelled to the
ISRM quadrennial Congress in Bei-
jing; the ISRM was his home, and he
was saying goodbye to his family.
If our International Society for Rock
Mechanics has become an important
professional organization, it is in part
because of John Franklin.
Please join the Canadian Geotechnical
Society community in extending our
appreciation for his life and contri-
butions, as well as our condolences
for the loss to Kersty and the rest
of John’s family. The University of
Waterloo will dedicate a large mono-
lith in the Rock Garden some time in
the near future
. The CGS has the John Franklin
Award, and I hope that an eponymous
award in the ISRM can also be estab-
lished.
Sincerely yours and with fond memo-
ries of John, I remain,
Maurice Dusseault, University of
Waterloo
IN MEMORIAM
