A knighthood for Professor Alec Skempton

Professor Alec Wesley Skempton, Imperial College's first professor of soil mechanics, was awarded a knighthood in the New Year's honours list for services to engineering. He has also been nominated as one of the greatest civil engineers of the 20th century by New Civil Engineer magazine. Professor John Burland pays tribute.

Professor Alec Skempton, awarded a knighthood in the New Year's honour's list - an inspiration to civil engineers at home and abroad, says Professor Burland

"More than anyone else alive today, Alec Skempton, a civil engineering graduate of Imperial, was responsible for laying the foundations of the science and practice of soil mechanics, a key discipline of civil engineering.

He founded the first UK school of soil mechanics in the department of civil engineering and recently gave the opening address when we celebrated 50 years of postgraduate teaching at the College with a millennium symposium.

For many years, Professor Skempton served with great distinction as head of the department of civil engineering. He also acted as consultant on civil engineering projects throughout the world, perhaps the most notable being the Mangla dam in Pakistan. More recently, he played a key role in the investigation following the collapse of the Carsington dam.

As well as his immense scientific and professional contributions to civil engineering, Professor Skempton is the leading historian of the subject in the world today. He has written many papers and books and due to his inspiration and leadership, the subject now receives the attention it deserves with strong historical groups at the Institutions of Civil Engineers and Structural Engineers. His personal enthusiasm and expertise has meant he has been largely responsible for the establishment of the historical civil engineering collection in the civil engineering departmental library, containing his own library on soil mechanics.

'Skem' is someone who has been, and remains, an inspiration to countless civil engineers in the UK and abroad. The school of soil mechanics remains the premier soil mechanics school in the world and has produced hundreds of UK and overseas civil engineering experts, many of whom have gone on to become leaders in the profession and industry.

At the age of 85 he is still remarkably active, visiting the department daily to work on the latest biography of an early engineer while attending and contributing to research seminars, lecturing to the postgraduate students (an experience they never forget) and meeting local and overseas visitors.

Wherever one travels internationally, engineers ask after 'Skem' and give their own personal testimonies about the influence he has had on their careers. There can be few engineers alive today who inspire such affection and who have made such a profound and lasting contribution in so many ways."