Waldo E. Smith

Waldo Edward Smith (born August 20, 1900 in New Hampton , Iowa , † August 12, 1994 in Washington, DC ) was an American geoscientist .

Life

Smith attended the University of Iowa , where he initially earned a Bachelor later and a year, in 1924, his Masters in Engineering took off. His specialties were hydrology and civil engineering . Waldo Smith worked as an engineer on hydraulic projects in the 1920s and 1930s while teaching at the University of Illinois , North Dakota State College and Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey . In 1936 he became a member of the American Geophysical Union(AGU), where he was involved in the hydrological branch. Smith came to Washington DC in 1940 through a job

In the early forties, the administrative tasks of the AGU were still largely carried out on a voluntary, honorary basis. In 1944 the association already had 2,200 members - too many to continue to be administered by then General Secretary John A. Fleming alone . When Waldo Smith was made a corresponding offer by Fleming in September 1944, he took the position of a board secretary - and later as a managing director - of the AGU. For 26 years, Smith was involved in the matters of the AGU and its implementation.

Smith was known for his organizational talent, acumen and perseverance. In particular, he became known for his ability to work out common interests and thus ensure consensus. Under his responsibility, the AGU created a number of new scientific magazines and monographs and also established a program for the translation of foreign writings. Smith edited the Transactions himself for years . Waldo Smith sought to promote and promote the Union both in the US and abroad. At the same time he was also secretary of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG).

Contemporaries of Waldo Smith were amazed at his enormous memory capacity, especially his ability to recognize almost every AGU member and address them by name. He was primarily interested in people, and so he was also a mentor for many young scientists. When Waldo E. Smith retired in 1970, he headed a staff of 40 people. The AGU already had more than 10,000 members at that time.

To honor his tireless commitment to geophysics and especially to the AGU, the American Geophysical Union created an award in 1982 that was named after him. Smith himself became the first recipient of this Waldo E. Smith Medal , which has been awarded every two years since then.

Waldo A. Smith died on August 12, 1994 at the age of 94 on his Washington DC estate

Web link / source

• Honors from AGU: Waldo E. Smith