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T h e E E R I O r a l H i s t o r y S e r i e s

ConneCtions

LeRoy Crandall


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ConneCtions

LeRoy Crandall

Stanley Scott, Interviewer

Earthquake Engineering Research Institute


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Editor: Gail Hynes Shea, Berkeley, Caliornia, www.gailshea.com

Cover and book design: Laura H. Moger, Moorpark, Caliornia, www.lauramoger.com

Copyright 2008 by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute

The publication o this book was supported by FEMA/U.S. Department o Homeland Security

under grant #EMW-2004-CA-0297.All rights reserved. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved

to the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and the Bancrot Library o the University o

Caliornia at Berkeley. No part may be reproduced, quoted, or transmitted in any orm without the

written permission o the executive director o the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute or

the Director o the Bancrot Library o the University o Caliornia at Berkeley. Requests or per-

mission to quote or publication should include identication o the specic passages to be quoted,

anticipated use o the passages, and identication o the user.

The opinions expressed in this publication are those o the oral history subject and do not neces-

sarily refect the opinions or policies o the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute or the

University o Caliornia.

Published by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute

499 14th Street, Suite 320

Oakland, CA 94612-1934

Tel: (510) 451-0905 Fax: (510) 451-5411

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.eeri.org

EERI Publication Number: OHS-15

Library o Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Crandall, LeRoy, 1917-

LeRoy Crandall / Stanley Scott, interviewer.

p. cm. -- (Connections: the EERI oral history series ; 15)

Includes index.

This oral history volume is the completion o the interview sessions Stanley Scott (1921-2002)

conducted with LeRoy Crandall in 1989, 1990, and 1991, which provide most o the content o

this book, and in a nal interview between Scott and Crandall in 2000 that is included as the lastchapter o this volume--Forward.

ISBN 978-1-932884-38-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Crandall, LeRoy, 1917---Interviews. 2. Civil engineers--Caliornia--Interviews.

3. Earthquake engineering--Caliornia--History. I. Scott, Stanley, 1921-2002. II. Earthquake

Engineering Research Institute. III. Title.

TA140.C74C73 2008

624.151092--dc22

[B]

2008034716Printed in the United States o America

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08


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tabl f Cnn

The EERI Oral History Series vii

Foreword by Robert Reitherman xi

Personal Introduction by Marshall Lew xiii

Chapter 1 Early Years Through High School 1

Chapter 2 San Diego State 5

Chapter 3 University o Caliornia at Berkeley 9

Chapter 4 Working or Dames and Moore 15

Chapter 5 LeRoy Crandall and Associates 25

Chapter 6 Development o Soil Engineering 31

Chapter 7 Engineering Geology and Geotechnical Engineering 39

Chapter 8 Soil Engineering and Earthquake Engineering 49

Chapter 9 Contributions o an Older Generation 83

Chapter 10 Caliornia Seismic Saety Commission 93

Chapter 11 Concluding Words in 2000 101Photographs 105

Index 115


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ii

th eeRi oralHry srThis is the teenth volume in the Earthquake Engineering Research Institutes

series, Connections: The EERI Oral History Series. EERI began this series to preserve

the recollections o some o those who have had pioneering careers in the eld o

earthquake engineering. Signicant, even revolutionary, changes have occurred in

earthquake engineering since individuals rst began thinking in modern, scientic

ways about how to protect construction and society rom earthquakes. The

Connectionsseries helps document this important history.

Connectionsis a vehicle or transmitting the ascinating accounts o individuals who

were present at the beginning o important developments in the eld, documentingsometimes little-known acts about this history, and recording their impressions,

judgments, and experiences rom a personal standpoint. These reminiscences are

themselves a vital contribution to our understanding o where our current state

o knowledge came rom and how the overall goal o reducing earthquake losses

has been advanced. The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, incorporated

in 1948 as a nonprot organization to provide an institutional base or the then-

young eld o earthquake engineering, is proud to help tell the story o the

development o earthquake engineering through the Connectionsseries. EERI has

grown rom a ew dozen individuals in a eld that lacked any signicant researchunding to an organization with nearly 3,000 members. It is still devoted to its

original goal o investigating the eects o destructive earthquakes and publishing

the results through its reconnaissance report series. EERI brings researchers and

practitioners together to exchange inormation at its annual meetings and, via a

now-extensive calendar o conerences and workshops, provides a orum through

which individuals and organizations o various disciplinary backgrounds can work

together or increased seismic saety.

The EERI oral history program was initiated by Stanley Scott (1921-2002).

The rst nine volumes were published during his lietime, and manuscripts andinterview transcripts he let to EERI are resulting in the publication o other

volumes or which he is being posthumously credited. In addition, the Oral


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iii

History Committee is including urther interviewees within the programs scope,

ollowing the Committees charge to include subjects who: 1) have made an

outstanding career-long contribution to earthquake engineering, 2) have valuable

rst-person accounts to oer concerning the history o earthquake engineering,

and 3) whose backgrounds, considering the series as a whole, appropriately span

the various disciplines that are included in the eld o earthquake engineering.

Scotts work, which he began in 1984, summed to hundreds o hours o taped

interview sessions and thousands o pages o transcripts. Were it not or him, valu-

able acts and recollections would already have been lost.

Scott was a research political scientist at the Institute o Governmental Studies at

the University o Caliornia at Berkeley. He was active in developing seismic saety

policy or many years, and was a member o the Caliornia Seismic Saety Com-

mission rom 1975 to 1993. Partly or that work, he received the Alred E. Alquist

Award rom the Earthquake Saety Foundation in 1990.

Scott received assistance in ormulating his oral history plans rom Willa Baum,

Director o the University o Caliornia at Berkeley Regional Oral History Oce,

a division o the Bancrot Library. Following his retirement rom the University

in 1989, Scott continued the oral history project. For a time, some expenses were

paid rom a small grant rom the National Science Foundation, but Scott did most

o the work pro bono. This work included not only the obvious eort o preparing

or and conducting the interviews themselves, but also the more time-consuming

tasks o reviewing transcripts and editing the manuscripts to fow smoothly.

The Connectionsoral history series presents a selection o senior individuals in

earthquake engineering who were present at the beginning o the modern era o

the eld. The term earthquake engineering as used here has the same meaning

as in the name o EERIthe broadly construed set o disciplines, including

geosciences and social sciences as well as engineering itsel, that together orm a

related body o knowledge and collection o individuals that revolve around the

subject o earthquakes. The events described in these oral histories span many

kinds o activities: research, design projects, public policy, broad social aspects, and

education, as well as interesting personal aspects o the subjects lives.


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ix

Publhd vlum nConnections: The EERI Oral History Series

Henry J. Degenkolb 1994

John A. Blume 1994

Michael V. Pregno and John E. Rinne 1996

George W. Housner 1997

William W. Moore 1998Robert E. Wallace 1999

Nicholas F. Forell 2000

Henry J. Brunnier and Charles De Maria 2001

Egor P. Popov 2001

Clarence R. Allen 2002

Joseph Penzien 2004

Robert Park and Thomas Paulay 2006

Clarkson W. Pinkham 2006

Joseph P. Nicoletti 2006

LeRoy Crandall 2008

eeRi oral Hry Cmm

Robert Reitherman, Chair

William Anderson

Roger Borcherdt

Gregg Brandow

Ricardo Dobry

Robert HansonLoring A. Wyllie, Jr.


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xi

This oral history volume is the culmination o interview sessions Stanley Scott

(1921-2002) conducted with LeRoy Crandall in 1989, 1990, and 1991, which

provide most o the content o this book, and in a nal interview between Scott

and Crandall in 2000 that is included as the last chapter in this volume. I edited

and reorganized the manuscript to condense and place together discussions that

occurred at dierent times and are related to the same topic. That editing did not

change the substance o what was said, and in cases where it is important to know

the date when the interview occurred, it is noted. Footnotes and photographs

have also been added to complete the work. Two members o the Oral History

Committee, Loring Wyllie and Ricardo Dobry, reviewed the manuscript. Inaddition to writing the personal introduction, Marshall Lew also reviewed a drat

and provided comments and corrections.

Gail Shea, consulting editor to EERI, careully reviewed the entire manuscript

and prepared the index, as she has on previous Connectionsvolumes, and Eloise

Gilland, the Editorial and Publications Manager o EERI, also assisted in seeing

this publication through to completion.

Robert Reitherman

Chair, EERI Oral History CommitteeJune 2008

Frwrd


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xiii

Prnal inrducn

I have had the privilege to know LeRoy Crandall or almost all o my proessional

career as a geotechnical and earthquake engineer. I interned at LeRoy Crandall

and Associates in the early 1970s while a graduate student at UCLA, and later

joined his rm on a ull-time basis in 1977 ater one year as an underpaid Assistant

Proessor at Caliornia State University, Long Beach.

LeRoy was the engineers engineer. He knew everyone and everyone knew

him, or at least knew o him. He was connected with every big name architect

and structural engineer in southern Caliornia. He was also known as the King

o Downtown Los Angeles and Mr. High-rise, as LeRoy was the geotechnicalengineer or almost every high-rise building in downtown Los Angeles and other

areas in southern Caliornia during the heyday o tall buildings in the 1960s, 70s,

80s, and into the 90s.

LeRoy was a great person to work or. He surrounded himsel with talented

associates that ormed the nucleus o what was the most prominent geotechnical

consulting rm in southern Caliornia or decades, LeRoy Crandall and Associates.

His earliest associates were Fred Barnes, Leopold Hirscheldt, and Russ Weber;

together they were the Big Four. They were later joined by Jimmy Kirkgard,

Jim McWee, Perry Maljian, Seymour Chiu, Robert Chieruzzi, and Jim van Beveren.

Glenn Brown joined as an associate when LeRoy Crandall and Associates merged

with Glenn A. Brown and Associates to add engineering geology expertise to the

company. I was the last associate to join in 1979. LeRoy Crandall and Associates

was supported by the most loyal employees, who worked long and hard to provide

the best service to LeRoys clients. Working or LeRoy was like working or amily,

and he treated everyone with respect and concern or their well-being.

LeRoy was and still is hard workingsince his retirement rom Law/Crandall in

1999, LeRoy has enjoyed his retirement by not working Saturdays and Sundays.His business ethic is Do the work right and dont worry about the budget,

because in the end, LeRoy believes that everything will work out.


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xi

LeRoy was not araid to innovate. He pioneered the use o tied-back shoring in

southern Caliornia, which made possible very deep excavations or the new high-

rise buildings when Los Angeles eliminated the 13-story height limit in the 1950s.

LeRoy was also involved with the planning and development o the rst base-

isolated building in the United States, the Foothill Communities Law and Justice

Center in Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino County, Caliornia, not ar rom

the San Andreas ault.

He emphasized proessionalism and instilled a sense o pride in our work. He also

encouraged participation in proessional societies and giving to the community. He

served on the Board o the Los Angeles YMCA and had a remarkable attendance

record or his ty years in Rotary International. He was heavily involved with

the Structural Engineers Association o Southern Caliornia and served on the

Board o Directors o the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, American

Society o Civil Engineers, and American Council o Engineering Companies.

LeRoy encouraged his associates and employees to also serve in proessional

societies and contribute to the proession and the public. He was instrumentalin the establishment o the ASCE Technical Council on Lieline Earthquake

Engineering. He was an early supporter o the Caliornia Strong Motion

Instrumentation Program and was appointed to the Caliornia Seismic Saety

Commission by Governor Jerry Brown and reappointed by Governor Ronald

Reagan. His contributions to seismic saety and geotechnical engineering are

generally unheralded, but are signicant and visionary.

It is hard to not love LeRoy Crandall. He is not araid to kick you in the rear end

when you need it, but he is always encouraging and compassionate. His enthusiasm

is contagious, and he is an inspiration.

Marshall Lew

MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc.

Los Angeles, Caliornia

November 2007


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ConneCtions

LeRoy Crandall


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Chapter 1

Early Years ThroughHigh School

I am Lionel LeRoy Crandall, and with that

name I often thought my parents must

have anticipated I would be poet laureate

of the United States.

Crandall: IamLionelLeRoyCrandall,andwiththat

nameIotenthoughtmyparentsmusthaveanticipated

IwouldbepoetlaureateotheUnitedStates.Iwas

bornonFebruary4,1917,inPortland,Oregon.Ihavea

brothertwoandahalyearsolderthanI,namedCli-

ord.Unortunately,mymotherpassedawayshortlyaterIwasborn.TheamilymovedtoSanDiegowhenIwasa

ewmonthsold,somyentirechildhoodwasspentinSan

Diego.Istillthinkitisoneothegreatestplaceswhere

onecangrowup.

Myathermarriedagain,andmybrotherstayedwith

him.Iwasraisedbymypaternalgrandparents.Lateron,

whenIwassix,mybrotheralsocametolivewithus.So

mygrandparentsraisedbothmybrotherandme.

Myearlyrecollectionsweregoingtogrammarschoolin

SanDiego.IattendedJeersonGrammarSchool,then


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Chapter 1 Connections: The EERI Oral History Series

RooseveltJuniorHighSchoolandSanDiego

HighSchool.Iwasagoodstudentandenjoyedschool.Ididbetteringrammarschooland

juniorhigh,particularlyinjuniorhigh,where

Iwasoneothetophonorstudents,andI

waspresidentomyseventhgradeclass.Iwas

heavilyintoactivitieswiththedramaticclub.

ThenIwenttoSanDiegoHigh.Otheractivi-

tiesseemedtoenterintomylie,andIdidnt

putasmuchtimeintothescholarlywork.

Scott: Youspentmoretimeonyoursocial

lie?

Crandall: No,notreally.Iwasinthedramatic

clubandwasinsomeplays,buttheamilywasnt

wealthy,soIworked.Ihadapaperroute,and

didthingsothatsort.OnSaturdaysIworked

inSaewaystorescalledHellerStoresinthose

daysinSanDiegodoingthingslikesackingpotatoesoradollaraday.

Iwasalsoapalomyolderbrotherandothers

inhisagegroup.Theywerentparticularly

interestedinschoolespeciallymybrother.

Hegraduatedromhighschool,butwasntout

tosetanyrecordsscholastically.

Soinshort,Ijustdidntdevotethetimeto

school.ButIdidgetoutohighschoolwitha

B+average.IjustdidnothaveallAs,asIhad

injuniorhigh.Ihadacoupleostudentbody

positionsinhighschool,butmostlyIwasin

thedramaticclub.

Asarasinuencesonmeinschool,two

teachersinSanDiegoHighSchoolwerethe

mostimportant.AMissCuppwastheEnglish

teacher.Shewasahardtaskmaster,butwereallylearnedagreatdealaboutEnglishin

thatclass.Theotherwasaphysicsteacher,Rex

Doughty,whomIadmired.Wegotalongfne,

partlybecausehisnamewasRex,whichmeanskinginLatin,andmyname,LeRoy,also

meansking,inFrench.Iwasveryinterestedin

Latinclass.Ienjoyedphysicsverymuch.Iwas

alsogoodinmathematics.

Aterhighschool,therewasnoreadilyavail-

ableopportunityormetogodirectlytocol-

lege.Itooktheexaminationorappointment

toAnnapolis,whichwasgivenwhenIfnishedhighschool.Ididntfnishontop,sothatop-

portunityslippedby.

Inordertoaccumulatesufcientundstogo

tocollegeaterIfnishedhighschool,Istayed

outandworked.Iworkedull-timeorSae-

wayStores,whichwasquiteanordealinthose

days,inthe1930s.Yougot$12aweekand

workedsixdaysaweek.Saturdaynightwasinventorynightinthestore,soonSaturday

nightsyoudfnishuparoundtenoreleven.

Ithinkitwasaboutafty-hourtosixty-hour

workweekatleast,whichwasntbad.Inever

mindedwork.ThenIletSaewayandgota

jobdrivingadrycleaningdeliverytruck.Igot

$14aweekthere,orsixdaysaweek.

Scott: Pickingupdrycleaning?

Crandall: Thatsright.Pickingupanddeliv-

eringandsoon.Igottoknoweverystreetin

SanDiegobynameandlocation.

ThenIworkedoralittlelocaltheaterinmy

neighborhood,intheNorthParkareaoSan

Diego.Iwasraisedinthatonearea.Wemoved

requently.Mygrandmothereltthatiyou

stayedinahousemorethanayear,somethingwaswrong.Idcomehomeromschooland

fndthatwehadmoved.Theywerenttrying


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Chapter 1LeRoy Crandall Early Years Through High School

toabandonme,andalwaysletinstructions

astowheretheyhadgone.Inanyevent,wemovedalot,butmostlyalwaysstayedinthe

samegeneralarea.

Iworkedorthetheater,asmallmoviehouse,

whichcostonlya35-cententrychargeinthose

days.Thisworkwasmuchclosertohome,

hadbetterhoursandImade$14aweek.ButI

workedsevendaysaweekthere,doingevery-

thingromcleaningupinthemorningtoclos-

ingtheshowatnight.TheonlythingIdidnt

dowasruntheprojector.That,ocourse,was

beyondakidomyage.

Scott: Howoldwereyou?

Crandall: Abouteighteen.Ihadfnishedhigh

school,andorawhile,thatwasitoreducation.


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Chapter 2

San Diego State

Of the various science and mathopportunities, civil engineering struck me

as a good one, though I didnt really know

much about that profession.

Crandall: Aterayearandahaloworking,however,

IdecidedthatiIwasevergoingtocollege,Idbet-

termakeabreak.Ihadsavedupabout$200,whichI

thoughtwouldhelpme.ButjustbeoreIsigneduptogo

tocollege,mygrandmotherhadtohaveanoperation,

andmy$200joinedtheamilyundstohelppayorthat.

InFebruaryo1937Imadethedecisiontostartcollege

anyway,andIamcertainlygladIdidthen.Scott:: Eventhoughyourgrandmotherhadtheopera-

tion,andthattookyoursavings,youstillmanagedtogo

aheadwithschool?

Crandall: Iwentonashoestring,andwenttoSan

DiegoStateCollege,nowSanDiegoStateUniver-

sity,whichwasnearby.Theeeswereminimal.Idont

rememberexactly,butitprobablycost$15toenroll,somethinglikethat.IalsoworkedSaturdays,whichgot

methroughallright,andIlivedathome.Wewerent


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starvingIdonotmeantoimplythat.But

therewasntagreatdealomoney,either.

Choosing to Major inCivil Engineering

Crandall: Ishouldsaysomethingabouthow

Idecidedonmycareer.WhenImissedgetting

intoAnnapolis,ItookstockowhatIthought

weremyattributesandinterests.Itkeptcom-

ingoutthatscienceandmathematicswerethe

subjectsthatIeltIwouldliketobeinand

wasgoodat.Othevariousscienceandmath

opportunities,civilengineeringstruckmeas

agoodone,thoughIdidntreallyknowmuch

aboutthatproession.

Scott:: Youmean,havingsomeemployment

opportunity?

Crandall: Ididntthinkaboutajobsomuch,

becauseatthatstageolieIwasntastute

enoughtocheckthatout.ButIdideelthatI

wouldliketobeinvolvedinbuildingthings.

Ihadnobasisorselectingcivilengineering,

otherthanwhatIthoughtmyinterestsand

aptitudeswere.

AtthattimeSanDiegoStateonlyhada

two-yearprograminthelowerdivision,the

reshmanandsophomoreyears.Igotstarted

asemesterearlyinthespring,whichwasvery

ortunatebecauseImanagedtobuildupaew

units.Igotgoodgradesinthingslikeresh-

manEnglishandthehistoryclasses,aew

thingslikethatwhichwereavailable,because

Icouldntstartanyotheengineeringyet.At

thattimeyouhadtowaitortheFallsemestertostarttheengineering.SoIgotaboutsixteen

unitsosupplementalmaterialundermybelt,

whichhelpedmelater,becausethenIcould

takealesserworkloadoelectives.Italsogavemeachancetogetacademicallyorientedand

backintostudying.

IstartedwithengineeringclassesinSeptember

o1937.Ienrolledinengineering,whichwasa

generalcourseatthattime,butyoutookmath-

ematicsandcalculus,andsurveyingwasalsoa

requirementorcivilengineeringthen.Itook

thesurveyingclass,wasprofcientinit,andlatergotanassistantshiphelpingthesurveying

instructor,lookingatertheequipmentand

assistingwiththestudents.

SanDiegoStatehadsomeexcellentaculty,

whowereveryinterestedintheirstudents

welare,especiallythemathteacher,John

Gleason,whoalsotaughtsurveying.Ihadsu-

percoursesinchemistry,geology,andphysics.Thoseweregoodpreparatorycoursesorme.

Inthesophomoreyear,youwouldbegintoget

intosomeengineering,mostlymechanicalengi-

neering,becausetheoneacultymemberwho

taughtengineeringsubjectswasamechanical

engineer.Sowegotsomebasicsubjectsouto

thewayatthatpoint.

Summer Work

Crandall: InthesummersIworkedatthe

SaewayStoresagain.Theywereverygoodto

me.Theydidntpaywell,butatleastIcould

getajobthere.Youwereneverexactlysure

whereyouweregoingtobeassigned.For

example,IlivedinNorthPark,thenortheast

portionoSanDiegocity,andtheysentme

toastoreinCoronado.SoIhadtotakethestreetcarromhomedowntotheerryslip,

transertotheerry,crosstoCoronadoIsland,


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Chapter 2LeRoy Crandall San Diego State

thentakethestreetcaragainoranothertwoor

threemilesintodowntownCoronadotowork.Thisisaboutanhourandahaltripeachway.

Saewayworkeduslonghours,soIwaspretty

welloccupiedjustgettingtoandromwork

anddoingthework.LaterIwasluckyand

theytranserredmetoastoreclosertohome.

Igotprettygoodintheproducedepartment,

workingasastockboyandthatkindothing.I

enjoyedthatwork,andmeetingpeople.

Aterfnishingthesophomoreyear,Iplanned

totransertotheUniversityoCaliorniaat

Berkeley.Atthattime,theonlyschoolsin

Caliorniathatgaveadegreeincivilengineer-

ingwereBerkeley,Stanord,Caltech,andthe

UniversityoSouthernCaliornia(USC).Not

evenUCLAhadupperdivisionengineering

classesasothen.So,havingrathernominal

fnancialresources,IchoseBerkeley.

Surveying Class in the Sierras

Crandall: InordertograduateromBerke-

leyincivilengineering,youhadtohavetwo

summerclassesinsurveying.TheCalschedule

wasdierentromtheotherschoolsthey

startedinAugustandfnishedinMay.SinceI

didntgetoutoSanDiegoStateuntilJuneo1939,itwastoolatetoenrollintheBerkeley

summersurveyingclassthatyear.

Fortunately,FresnoStateCollegehadasur-

veyingclass,calledtheSierrasummerschool.

Wehadaboutasix-weekclassatHuntington

LakeintheSierraNevadaupaboveFresno.

MostothestudentstherewereromFresno

State,butthereweretworomSanDiegoState,myselandmyroommate,BillBrewer,

wholaterwentontoCalwithme.AtHun-

tingtonLakewemadealielongriend,Irvan

Mendenhall,whoistheMendenhallinthearchitectural-engineeringfrmDaniel,Mann,

Johnson,andMendenhall.Irvanwasalsotak-

ingthatsurveyingclass.

Whenfnishingmysophomoreyear,Iwasse-

lectedtoreceiveanawardromtheSanDiego

chapterotheAmericanSocietyoCivilEn-

gineers(ASCE).Itwasthefrststudentaward

theygave.Istillhavethepicturethatappearedinthenewspaperatthetime.Itwasor$25,

whichmadethedierencebetweenmegoing

ornotgoingtothesummerschoolclass.I

thinkoneothepeoplewhowereinvolved

insettingupthatawardwasPaulBeerman,

presidentothatchapteratthetime.Without

theaward,Iwouldnothavehadthecashto

paytheeeorthissummerschool.

Wehadsomeexcitingtimesdrivingtoand

romHuntingtonLake.BillBrewer,whom

Ivementioned,hadaModelAFord,andwe

hookedupmyatherslittleopentrailerto

carryourstu.WedroveromSanDiegoto

HuntingtonLakeandhadacoupleonear

missesandcollisions.

Once,comingbackdown,Billwasdriving,andhewasunawarethatwewereonthissteep

grade,TollhouseGrade,Ithinkitwascalled.

AndthispoorlittleModelAdidnthavemuch

inthewayobrakes.Wegotstartedcoming

downthathill,andIthoughtitwascurtains

orus.Billputtheootbrakeon,andIpulled

ontheemergencybrake,andwegotitshited

romhightosecond,andeventuallydownto

low,andwefnallypulledovertothesideothissteepcorkscrewroad.Webothchanged

ourshortsandcontinuedtodrivehome.


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Chapter 3

University ofCalifornia at

Berkeley

It was the New Deal student job

assignment that put me into the Berkeley

soil mechanics lab.

Crandall: BillBrewerandI,againusinghisModelA,

droveuptoBerkeley.Werentedanapartmentwithtwo

otherSanDiegoellowsthatwejusthappenedtorun

intothere.Itwasonthesouthsideothecampus,andI

rememberthatitwas$25amonthortheourous,in

atwo-roomapartment.Ithadakitchen,whichweneverreallyusedbecausenoneouscookedorcaredabout

cooking.Wedidntndoutuntilaterwehadlocated

aplacetolivethattheengineeringschoolwasonthe

northsideothecampus,andwewerelivingourblocks

southothecampus.Sowehadanicelittlehikeback

andorth.

Iwasveryortunateandwasgrantedascholarshipo

$100peryear.ItwasascholarshipthataHolmesamilyhadcreatedinmemoryotheirdeceasedson.TheUC

eesatthattimeincludedtheregistrationeeo$27.50,


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10

andalaboratoryeeorengineeringandscien-

ticcourseso$17.50.Soatthattime,itcostme$45asemestertogotoBerkeley.

Ontopothatyouhadtobuyyourbooks

andthingsothatsort.MostothetimeI

scroungedbooksrommyroommates,or

wenttothelibrary,buttherewereaewkey

booksthatIwasabletobuyused.Thatkept

meprettybroke.Irememberhavingonlya

nickelinmypocketortwoorthreeweeksatatime.

Wedidntspendverymuch.Iwenttothethe-

aterwiththeboysonetime.Imanagedtoget

totwootheootballgames.Onewaswhen

CalplayedMichigan,andTomHarmonwas

thebigrageontheootballeld.Thatwasthe

gamewhenhewasrunningawayoratouch-

downandsomedrunkenpersoncameoutothestandsandtriedtotacklehim.TomHar-

monlethimhaveastraight-armandknocked

thisguyoraewloops.

Ioundajobwashingdishesinasmallrestau-

rantrunbyaGreekellow.Ididdishesormy

meals,manyowhichIdidnteat,becausethis

wasarealgreasyspoonrestaurant.

Scott: Youdidntliketheoodallthatmuch?

Crandall: Theoodwasntthatgood.The

mostimportantthingonthemenuwasarib

steakorthirty-vecents.Iworkedmylittle

buttodoingdishes.Itwasreallyahectic

atmosphere.TheGreekownerwouldscream

andswearatthehelp,notatmesomuch,

butatsomeotheothers.OneboytherewasaJewishellow,andtheGreekguywould

alwaysmalignhimsomethingawul.

Classeswereinteresting,andIdidwell.In

theallo1939,IappliedorajobwiththeNYA,theNationalYouthAdministration,

whichatthattimewastheNewDealgov-

ernmentagencythathelpedpoorboysgo

throughschool.Ithinkthepaywas40cents

anhour,andIwasallowedtenhoursaweek

maximum.

Iguessitwasastrokeoluck,butthrough

noeortomyownIwasassignedbytheNYAtothesoilmechanicslaboratory,aswe

calleditinthosedays,whichwasjustgetting

underway.IthinkBerkeleyhadstartedit

theyearbeore,maybeinlate1938orinthe

springsemestero1939.

Scott: Sotheactthatyouwererandomly

assignedtoworkinthesoilmechanicslabis

whatgaveyouyourrstexperiencewithwhatwouldlaterbeyourcareer?

Crandall: Yes.ItwastheNewDealstudent

jobassignmentthatputmeintotheBerkeley

soilmechanicslab.

Professor Harmer Davis

Crandall: HarmerDaviswastheproessor

othegraduatesoilmechanicscourse.Harmer

hadbeenanoutstandingstudentatCal,and

wasthenaveryyoungproessor.Whilehe

didntlikeit,everybodybutmecalledhim

StinkyDavis,ateracartooncharacterat

thattime.Inordertolookolder,Harmer

smokedapipeandappearedverygru,ormal,

andormidable,buthewasreallyaniceguy.I

gotassignedtohim.Harmerlaterspecializedintransportationengineeringandwaschairo

thecivilengineeringdepartment.


28/140

11

Chapter 3LeRoy Crandall University of California at Berkeley

Isweptoutthesoillab,whichwasjustget-

tingstarted.Thesoilmechanicslabhad

acornerassignedtoitintheengineering

materialslaboratorybuilding,inwhichthere

wassomeoldcabinetry.Ipaintedeverything

grayanddidthingsothatsort.Ihelpedout

occasionallywithsomeothestudentstaking

thecourse.

Wealsohadanengineerthereworkinginthe

soilmechanicslaboratory,notortheuniver-

sitybutortheBureauoReclamation.Avery

nemannamedThomasLeps.TomLepswas

very,veryriendlytomeandhelpul,andcon-

tributedmuchtomyinterestinsoils.

Ialsomadegoodriendswiththeothersta

attheengineeringlaboratory.Theyhada

machineshopthere,andabunchoreally

neguyswhowerealwaysplayingpractical

jokesandthings.AellownamedJoeBan-

ville,whowascalledTheScoutmaster,was

theheadoallthestaintheengineering

laboratory.Underhimwasaveryneman

namedEldonWhinier.Whit,astheycalled

him,kindotookaninterestinme,tothe

pointwhere,whenIwasgraduatingandthe

seniorballwasormal,Whinierloanedmethetuxedohehadwornwhenhewasmar -

ried,becauseIdidnteelthatIcouldaord

atuxorthat.Incidentally,myancehad

comeuporthegraduation,soIwasgo-

ingtotheball.Thesemenwerethepeople

whobuilttheexperimentsorthegraduate

studentsandtookcareothebigtesting

machine,thelargestoneintheUnitedStates

Ithink.

Scott: Whatkindotestingwasitusedor?

Crandall: Materialstestingorsteeland

concrete.Itwasaboutthree-storieshigh.1

RaymondE.Daviswasreallytheheadaculty

personinthelaboratory,andDavisHallonthe

campusisnamedaterthatDavis,notHarmer.

Inanyevent,backtothesoilmechanicslab.I

workedortheNYAtenhoursaweek,Ithink

itwas.Wewerelimitedtothatbecausethey

wantedyoutogetyourstudiesdone.During

therstyearIsweptoutanddidmundane

things,butinthesecondyear,HarmerDavis

wasdesigninganapparatusorcompacting

soils,andheputmeonthedrating,whichI

ranklywaslousyat.Notveryproductive.It

seemedtotakeorevertogetanythingdone,

mostlybecauseIdhavetopickitupandwork

onitoronlytwoorthreehoursatatime,

thenputitaway,thencomebackthenextdayandstartover.ButIdevelopedaninterestin

soilengineering,orsoilmechanics,whichwas

thetermtheyusedthen.

1. Thetestingmachineiscapableoourmillion

pounds(18meganewtons)compressionand

threemillionpounds(13meganewtons)

tension,andisstillinuse.Aewyearsprior

tothearrivaloCrandallatBerkeley,theUniversityacquiredtheapparatustotestlarge

concretecylinders,eighteeninchesindiameter

andthreeeettall,withaggregatethesizeo

baseballssamplesomaterialbeingused

intheconstructionoHooverDam.Ater

decadesoserviceontheBerkeleycampus,the

machinewasmovedtotheUniversitysnearby

RichmondFieldStationandbecameparto

theEarthquakeEngineeringResearchCenter

there.Ithasbeenusedinseismictestingto

providerealisticsimulationolargegravityloadsonull-scalecolumnswhilelateralorces

aresimultaneouslyexertedbyotherdevices.


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12

Graduate Soil Mechanics Course

Crandall: WhenInishedmyjunioryear

andgottobeasenior,IaskediIcouldtake

thegraduatesoilmechanicsclass.Harmer

arrangeditsothatIcouldtakethecoursein

mysenioryear,eventhoughitwasagraduate

course.IdidwellatitandgotanA.

Inthosedays,wehadtodoathesistograduate

withourbachelorsdegree.Theydontany-

more,Ithink.TwootherellowsandIdidour

thesisoncompactingsoil.Itwasnothingearth

shakinganunintentionalpunbuttrod

somenewgroundintheeldocompacting

soilsinthelaboratory.Weputalotohours

intotheproject.

HarmergavemeanAinthatclass.Itwas

toughgoing,becauseabouttenortwelve

studentsweremilitarypeoplewhohadnishedWestPointandweretakingengineering.They

weregoingintotheCorpoEngineersor

theArmy,andhadcometoCaloragradu -

atedegree.Theseguyswerebeingpaidtogo

toschool.Also,mostothemhadawieat

homewhocookedtheirmealsandeverything.

Sotheywerereallyhittingthebookshard,at

leastitseemedtome.Itwasatoughclass,and

thegradingonthecurvewassevereonmost

everybodywhowasonlyaregularstudent.

Scott: SoyourAwasaprettygoodaccom-

plishment.

Crandall: Yes.Thosewerethedayswhenan

AwasanA.WhileatBerkeley,therstthing

IdidwasjointheASCEstudentchapter,even

thoughitcost50cents.Imanagedtondthatkindomoneytojoin.Also,atthecompletion

omyjunioryearIwasinvitedtojoinTauBeta

Pi,theengineeringhonoraryraternity,and

ChiEpsilon,thecivilengineeringhonoraryraternity.Thosemembershipstogethercost

$25.Iwenttotheadministrationoceand

laidmynancialpositionbeoreoneothe

executives,andbeoreIknewit,theyhadcome

upwitha$25loanormetojointheserater-

nities.Theythoughtitwouldbeagoodthing

ormetohaveonmyrecord.

Seeking Employment

Crandall: Neartheendomysenioryear,

HarmerDavisarrangedorseveralouswho

hadtakenthesoilmechanicsclasstomeetwith

aconsultingengineerromsouthernCaliornia

namedWilliamMoore,oDamesandMoore.

BillMoorecametoBerkeley,andaboutthree

ousandHarmermetwithhimorlunchat

theFacultyClub.ItwasthersttimeIhad

beentotheFacultyClub,Imightsay.

Billsaidhewaslookingorsomeonepossibly

tojointheirrminLosAngeles.Iwewere

interestedheaskedustosendanotetohim

outliningalittlebitaboutourselvesandwhat

wewantedtodo.Thiswasprobablyearly

May,1941,towardtheendothesenioryear.

Iwrotehimaletter.IstillhavetheletterIwrote,romtheDamesandMoorele.But

timecrepton,andIhadntheardromDames

andMoore.Ithought,Well,thatsnotgoing

tobeapossibility.

SoBillBrewerandIandsomeothershopped

onthetrainorSacramentototalktotheState

DivisionoHighways,asitwascalledthen.

NowitiscalledCaltrans.Theywerelookingorengineers.Thejobmarketwasstartingto

openup.Priortothis,engineerswerehardly


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13

Chapter 3LeRoy Crandall University of California at Berkeley

abletondanyworkatall.Therewasthewar

inEurope,andtheUnitedStateswasbegin-ningtoseethatwehadtodosomething,espe-

ciallylikesupplyingouralliesthroughLend-

Lease,andothermattersthatwouldinvolve

plantandacilities.

TheDivisionoHighwayshadjustmadea

changeintheiropeningclassication.Origi-

nally,youwouldstartupongraduationwith

anengineeringdegreeasaseniorengineeringaide,whichpaid$140amonth.Thingshadim-

provedintheconstructionindustrytothepoint

wheretheywerentgettinganyapplicantsor

that,andtheyupgradedthebeginningposition

tojuniorhighwayengineerat$170amonth.

Well,thatmadeitalotmoreinteresting.

SoIwenttoSacramentoandtheyoered

meajobinthelocationIhadaskedor,my

hometownoSanDiego.Ieltitwouldgive

meachancetopayosomeomydebtsatthe

universitywhilelivingathome.Besides,my

ance,EileenExnicios,livedinSanDiego.So

Iacceptedtheassignmentandtookthetrain

backtoBerkeley.

ThenextdayIgotaphonecall.Iwasliv-

inginthetwo-storyapartmentbuildingon

HasteStreetwithaboutsixteenunits.Thephonewasacommonphoneontherstfoor.

Ourroomhadabuzzer.Thelandladywould

answerthephone,andiitwasoryou,shed

giveacertainbuzz.SoIgotbuzzedandwent

downstairs,anditwasBillMoorecalling.He

wantedtooermeajob.

Well,Iwasgreatlyanxiousorthatjob.Iwas

stillinschoolandhadntgraduatedyet,butIhadalreadysigneduporajobwiththeDivi-

sionoHighways.IhadtoldthemYes,al-

thoughIhadntstartedworkatall.Billoered

methejob,andIsaid,Gee,Idlovetohave

it,butIvemadeacommitmenttotheDivision

oHighwaysandIhavetostaywiththem.He

saidthathewassorry.Sothatendedthat,at

leastorthetimebeing.

California Division of Highways

Crandall: May28,1941,wasgraduationday.

WenishedschoolandheadedbacktoSan

Diego.Myolkshadcomeuporthegradua-

tion.Mygrandmother,whohadraisedme,had

passedawaytheyearbeore,soshewasunable

toseetherstmemberotheCrandallamily

nishcollege.Ivealwaysregrettedthat,but

mygrandatherwasabletobethere.

WecamebacktoSanDiego,andIstartedwith

theDivisionoHighways.Thatwasthersto

Juneo1941.EileenandIgotmarriedonSep-

tember20,1941.Shortlyaterthat,Ibecame

disenchantedwiththeCaliorniaDivisiono

Highways.Theywereallnicepeople,very,very

riendlyandkind,butIguessIwasntcutout

orcivilservice.Ihadinterestingassignments.

Iparticipatedinthedesignooneotherst

cloverleareewayinterchanges.ThatshowsImgettingold,becausethatinterchangewas

torndownabouttwentyyearsago.Atthe

time,however,itwasalmostrevolutionaryor

interchanges.Theyalsoputmeinchargeo

theannualtraccount,whereIworkedunder

RalphLuckenbach,whowasagreatmentor.

Ididthingsthatwereveryinterestingand

enjoyable,butoronethingweonlyworked37.5hoursperweek.Youcouldntworkover-

timeeveniyoudidntgetpaidorit,which


31/140


14

wedidnt.Iwasntusedtojustturningothe

clocklikethat.

Theotherthingwasthatiyouweredesigning

anything,theyhadamanual.Iyouwerede-

signingaculvert,youjustlookedinthemanual

ontherightpage,andpickedoutwhatever

itwasyouweregoingtodesign.IguredI

hadntspentouryearsinschooltocopysome-

thingoutoabook.

Moving to Dames and Moore

Crandall: SoIdecidedtocheckwithDames

andMooreagain.EileenandIdroveupto

LosAngelesromSanDiegoinourlittle1935

Chevy.Thecarhadtroubleontheway,andI

thinkwehadtogetanewclutch.Atthistime,

therewastheLosAngelesoceoDamesand

Moore,andBillMoorewasjustbeginningto

starttheSanFranciscooce.Itwaslate1941.

ItwasAdmissionDay,andthestatepeoplegot

aholiday,butotherpeoplehadtowork.Isaw

TrentDamesandBillMoorethereonthatday,

andtheywerenice,buttheydidnteelthey

hadanyopportunitiesatthemoment.Sowe

wentbackhome.

ThennotmorethanaewweekslaterBill

Moorecalledmeoneeveningandsaidthat

theydliketohireme.Isaid,Whatarewe

talkingaboutinpay?Hesaid,Howabout

$170amonth?Isaid,ThatswhatImmak-

inghere.Itsgoingtocostmemoretomove

upandlivethere.Hehemmedandhawed

awhileandsaid,Well,wellmakeit$175.

Thatseemedliketheworldtome.Actually,I

wantedthejob.Idprobablyhavegoneorless

than$170.SoIaccepted.


32/140

Chapter 4

Working forDames and Moore

15

We started out trying to sell the discipline o

soil mechanics to clients, and later had to

sell the idea that they should hire us rather

than all the other frms that started up.

Crandall: OnDecember17,1941,justtendaysater

PearlHarbor,IstartedmyemploymentwithDamesand

Moore.Atthatpoint,nobodyknewwhatthedickenswas

goingtohappen.EileenandImoveduptoLosAngeles

andoundalittleapartmentaboutourblocksawayrom

theoce,whichwasatFithStreetandFigueroaStreet,onthethfoorotheArchitectsBuilding,whichhas

sincebeentorndown.

BillMoorewasspendingmostohistimeinSanFran-

cisco.Idontrememberihehadmovedthereyetornot,

buttheyhadplansoropeninganoceinSanFrancisco,

andBillwashandlingthatpart.IwasinLosAngeles

withDamesandMooreinsoilmechanicsandoundation

engineering,asitwascalledinthosedays.

WhenIstarted,inDecembero1941,theyhadalead

engineerworkingthere,andIwasunderhim.Theyhad


33/140


16

acoupleopeopleinthelaboratory,andabout

threeorouroutintheeldtakingsamplesandcheckingcompaction.Ithinktherewas

onesecretary,andTrentDames.Atmost,

therewereabouteightortenpeopleinthe

oceatthetime.

TheninaboutMarch1942,theleadengineer

decidedhewantedtodosomethingelse.The

warwason.Hemovedintotheshipbuilding

business.Iwaspromotedtotheleadengineerinchargeothelaboratoryandtheengineer-

ingunctions.IwasnotchieengineerTrent

Dameswasthatatthetime.Iwasntregis-

teredyet,ocourse,soIguessyoudsayIwas

inchargeotheoceengineeringunction.

Gradually,Igotmoreandmoreresponsibility.

In1944,Ibecameregisteredasacivilengi-

neer,whichwasaboutasearlyasIcouldgetregistered,becauseyouhadtohaveacertain

amountoexperiencetoqualiytotakethetest.

Ipassedthetestandprettymuchrantheoce.

Joining the Partnership

Crandall: In1947,TrentandBilloeredme

apartnershipintherm.Theyeachwere50-

50partners,andeachgaveupsomeoit.Ihad14percentothetotal,andlaterBillBrewer,

whohadcometoworkorthecompanyinSan

FranciscoandwasworkingwithBillMoore,

becameapartner,alsoat14percent.

Iwastheresidentpartner,theycalledit,in

chargeotheLosAngelesocerom1947on.

TheLosAngelesocedidmorethanjustLos

AngelesandsouthernCaliorniawork.Itwastheleadoce,sowealsodidtheout-o-state

workthroughthatoce.

Scott: DidDamesandMoorealreadyhave

ocesaroundthecountry?

Crandall: No,therewereonlytwoocesat

thatpoint,andBillMoorehadntreallybuilt

uptoalargeoceinSanFranciscoyet.But

wedidjobsallover,inotherstatessuchasHa-

waiiandeveninothercountries,orexample

inHollandandIndia.

Wartime Years

Scott: Beoreyougoon,couldIjustaskyou

totalkaboutthewartimeyears.Whatwasthe

impactoWorldWarIIonDamesandMoore

andontheworkyoudidsayduringthepe-

riodromtheendo1941to1945,46?

Crandall: Practicallyalltheworkdonewas

inconnectionwiththemilitaryanddeense.In

act,thatwastrueoalmostallconstruction

therewasverylittlethatwasnotinurtherance

othewareort.Forexample,weworkedon

theairplaneactories,whichwereabigparto

ourwork,andrunwaysandmilitaryencamp-

ments.IrememberCampCook,orexample,

upnearSantaBarbara.War-relatedworkinthe

SanDiegoareawasimportant.Wedidaloto

pavingevaluationinthosedays.Theywerejustbeginningtocomeinwiththeheavierplanes,

suchasthebombers,andtheoriginalaireld

pavingswerenotstandingup.Sowhatwewere

doingthenweretheplateloadtests,bearing

tests.Wedgetabigtruckwithsomeloadonit,

andputajackbetweentheaxleandtheground

onaplateoacertainsize,andrunatest.The

Caliorniabearingratiotestwasdevisedjust

aboutthen,too.Sotheevaluationoexistingrunwaysandonewrunwayswasbecoming

prominent.Untilthen,theydbeendesignedby


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17

Chapter 4LeRoy Crandall Working for Dames and Moore

theseatothepants.Wedidthesoilconsult-

ingengineeringortheDouglasAircratplantinLongBeach,whichwasbuiltatthattime.

LockheedandNorthAmericanAviationwere

goingstrong.Allothoseacilitieswererequir-

ingsoilengineeringortunatelyorus,since

therewasntanythingelsetodo.

Oneothethingsthatdisturbedmewasmy

eelingthatIneededtocontributesomething

moretothewareort.IappliedorandwaspromisedacommissionintheNavySeabees,

togooverseas.Theywerebuildingairelds,

workingwithheavyequipment,andsoon.I

thoughtIwouldbeagoodadditionthere,and

wouldgetsomegoodexperience.Aaculty

memberotheUniversityoMichiganI

believeitwas,namedBillHousel,whowasa

commanderorcaptainorsometypeoocer

intheSeabees,wasputtingtogetheragroup.

Icontactedhimtoseeihecoulduseasoil

mechanic.Hepulledaewstrings.Iapplied,

andwhileIhadhopedormore,theyoered

meanensigncommissionintheNavy,with

theunderstandingthatIwouldbeassigned

tothiskindowork,withHouselsgroup.

Itwaspracticallyconsummated.Ihaddone

everythingbutsignontheline.

Prevented From Enlisting in the Navy

Crandall: ItoldTrentDameswhatIwasdo-

ing,thatIthoughtIcouldbeomorevalueto

thewareortintheservice.Hecontactedthe

dratboardandtoldthemwhatkindowork

weweredoingatDamesandMooreandhow

importantthatwas,andthedratboardissuedatelegram.Igotacopyothetelegramthey

senttotheNavysayingtheywouldntletme

go.TheyeltIwasmorevaluableincivilian

work.SoIdidntgo.

AtthetimeIwasveryunhappyaboutit.It

turnedout,however,thatthiswasoneothe

greatestthingsthateverhappenedtome,

theactthatIdidntgointotheNavy.Itwas

gettingneartheendothewar,andtheguys

whohadbeeninthelongest,justiablywere

beingreleasedtheearliest.Theyhadthepoints,

youknow.Iwouldhavegoneinattheend,andwouldprobablyhavesatatadesksomewhere

orseveralyearsaterWorldWarII.

Scott: DidTrentDamestakethesestepson

hisown?

Crandall: Yes,hedid.Hedidnttellmeabout

ituntilthewordcamethrough.Ialmostquit,

Iwassoupsetaboutit.Youcouldntleaveajob

inthosedays,andyoucouldntgetanyraisesoranything.Thejobmarketwascompletelyrozen.

Scott: IguessDameseltmorallyjustied,in

thathebelievedhehadmoreimportantbusi-

nessoryoutodo?

Crandall: Yes,andhedidntwanttoloseme.

IguessIwasprettygood.Youcouldhardly

getengineersatthattime.Itheygraduated

throughtheV-12programs,2orwhateverelse

2. TheV-12NavyCollegeTrainingProgram,

begunin1943,wasdesignedtoprovidecollege-

educatedocersorthewareort,contending

withtheproblemthatthedratageormales

was18andpreventedthemromattendingor

graduatingromcollege.V-12studentswere

technicallyalreadyintheserviceandunderwent

somemilitarytrainingwhilestudyingyear-

round.Upongraduation,V-12studentsweresenttoNavyorMarinetrainingprogramsand

becameocers.


35/140


18

theywerein,theywentrightintotheservice.

IwasprettymuchresponsibleorrunningthewholedarnDamesandMooreshootingmatch

inLosAngelesatthattime.Eventhen,Trent

hadbigideasaboutstartinganinternational

organization,andopeningocesintheresto

theworld.

Scott: Andhedidntwanthislocalorga-

nizationallingapartwhilehisattentionwas

ocusedelsewhere?

Crandall: Hewantedtobereetoplanthese

otherthings.Itwasthewayheoperated.Iwas

veryangryatrst,butIsawthewarwaswind-

ingdown.Theatomicbombsweredropped

onJapanaboutthattime,endingthewar.Soit

turnedouttobeagoodthingorme,although

IneverdidgettobeintheNavy.AsImen-

tionedearlier,inhighschoolIhadaspirationsogoingtoAnnapolis,sotheNavywasstilla

matterointeresttome.

Postwar Work

Crandall: NowImustrelateastorythat

happenedaterthewar,whencivilianworkwas

startingupagain.DamesandMooresentme

onabusinessdevelopmenttriparoundquiteabitotheUnitedStates.Iremembergoingto

NewOrleans,Houston,St.Louis,Chicago,

placeslikethat,tosoundouttheattitudeo

peopletowardsoilengineering.Laterthiswas

edintoTrentDamessmentalcomputerasto

whetherornothewouldtrytoopenanoce

insomeotheseareas.

Inthosedayssoilmechanicswasbrandnew.DamesandMoorewassomethinglikethe

secondorthethirdrminsouthernCaliornia

todosoilwork.Mostengineersandarchitects

thoughtitwasalotobaloney.Theyhadde-signedoundationsoryearsbygoingoutand

pushingtheirheelinthegroundandsaying,

Thatsgoodor4,000pounds[4,000pounds

persquareoot]orgettinginormationroma

buildingnextdoorandapplyingthat.

Scott: Inthosedays,then,onlytheparto

thestructureromthegroundupwasconsid-

eredimportant?

Crandall: Yes,romthegroundup.Theat-

titudewas:Whocaresaboutoundations?You

justpouredconcreteintothegroundandit

usuallybehavedokay.

IllneverorgetoneexperienceIhadinSeattle.

Iwouldgothroughthephonebookandnd

architectsnamesandaddresses,andengineers,

andstructuralpeople,andthenbeatontheir

doorsandtrytotellthemhowgreatsoilengi -

neeringwas.Shouldnttheybeinterestedina

soilengineering,soilmechanicsrm?

Well,thisoldarchitectlistenedtomystory,

andnallysaid,Listen,son.Idontknow

anythingaboutyourbusinessatall.ButIknow

this.Ninetypercentothebuildingsareheld

upbyrictionandthegraceoGod.Hesprettyclosetoright,Ithink.Thatalwaysstuck

withme.

ButoneolderstructuralengineerinChicago,

wholistenedtomepatientlyandwastryingto

sweepmeundertherug,nallytoldmewhat

hedid.HehadtheRaymondConcretePile

Company,whichhadadrillingbusiness,go

outtothesiteandtakesoilsamplesintheirlittlesampler.Theyputtheresults,whathe

calledratturdstheywereprettygood-sized


36/140

19


ratturdsinaglassbottle.TheRaymond

Companywouldsendthebottlestothisguy,toseewhathewantedtodesignhisoundations

or.Hehadaroomulothesecardboardboxes

withtheselittlebottlesosoilsamples.

Hesaid,Yes,Ijusttakethesampleoutand

squeezethesoilandIdecidehowgooditis.

Thenhethoughtoraminuteandsaid,You

know,theresonething,though,IguessIm

gettingweakerinmyoldage,becauseImgiv-inghighervaluesnoworthesamesoil.Some-

thingthattenyearsagoIwouldgive10,000

poundsto,nowImgiving20,000pounds.

Hethensaid,Maybewedoneedsomething

alittlemorescientic.Buthedidnthireme

oranything.

Scott: Howotendidyoudothesetours?

Crandall: Justperiodically.Itmusthavebeenabout1950.Thewarwasover,ocourse,and

Iwasapartneratthattime.IletDamesand

Moorein1954,inmid-year1954.Soithadto

beprobablybetween1951or1952,somewhere

inthere.

Selling the Discipline

of Soil MechanicsCrandall: Atthattimetheproblemwasto

sellsoilmechanicsasbeinganimportantele-

mentodesignandbuilding.Nowadays,soil

mechanicsisaccepted.Hardlyanythingisbuilt,

atleastinsouthernCaliornia,withoutsoil

mechanics.Westartedouttryingtosellthe

disciplineosoilmechanicstoclients,andlater

hadtoselltheideathattheyshouldhireus

ratherthanalltheotherrmsthatstartedup.

Scott: Thereisnowanawarenessthatthings

canreallygowrongidesignersdonotunder-standtheperormanceandtheweight-bearing

capacitiesothesoil?

Crandall: Youhadtogetacrosstheideathat

wecouldprovidesomeuseulinormation.Be-

causemostpeople,whenyoucomealongand

trytosellanewconcept,theyeeltheyhave

gottenalongnewithwhattheyhadbeore.In

eect,youretellingthem,Yourenotdoingthingsaswellasyoushouldhavebeendoing

them.Ittookagoodmantostandupandsay,

OK,letsseewhatyouhave.Maybeyoucan

teachmesomething.

Trent Dames and Bill Moore

Crandall: Dameswasnotthesalesmantype.

Hewastheadministrator.Agoodtechnicalman.Helovedmanagement.Alonewol.He

alienatedmoreclientsthanhegot,rankly.I

thinkherealizedthat,andhegotoutothe

wayoclientrelations.IguessIwasbetter

handlingordealingwithpeoplethanhewas,so

clientcontactsbecameoneomyassignments.

Scott: OperatingoutoLosAngeles.

Crandall: Yes.

Scott: BillMoorealsodidalotmoreclient

contactwork,Iguess,buthewasoperating

moreoutotheSanFranciscooceabout

thattime?

Crandall: BillalsowentovertoSaudiArabia

orStandardOiloCaliorniaandAramco,

theArabianAmericanOilCompany,andworkedatgettingthemunderwayonbuild-

ingreneriesthere.ItsmentionedinBills


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20

EERIoralhistory.3Heshippedthesamples

backtoLosAngelesandwedidthetesting.Weworkedoutacodesystemorsendinghim

dataromLosAngeles.Whenhegottesting

equipmentoverthere,Billranthetestsandby

codewouldsendtheresultsothetest.Wed

drawupthelogsandotherthingsromthe

datathathesent.Itwasexpensiveanddicult

togetmessagesbackandorth.Wetriedto

keepitshortandsweet.Aramco,Iguess,wasabletogetthecodeacrossbyradiotelegraph,

orsomethinglikethat.Also,Billwasbusier

thanabirddoginSanFranciscodoinghis

ownbusinessdevelopment.Uptherethe

architectsandengineerswerealotmorepro-

vincialandlessprogressivethantheywerein

LosAngeles.

In1947IbecametherstpartneroDames

andMoore.Wewereapartnershipthen;it

wasntacorporation.Ihadresponsibilityor

whatwascalledtheLosAngelesregionalo-

ce.Atthattimetherewasalsoanocein

SanFrancisco,andBillMoorewasheading

that.TrentDameswasinwhatwewouldnow

reertoasthecorporateoce,butbackthenit

wascalledthegeneraloce.

Thegeneralocetookcareothetotalbusi-

nesspicture,andwasworkingtowardestab-

lishingotherocesinotherareas.Laterthis

wasdoneinNewYork,Seattle,Portland,and

areaslikethat.Itwasthemainunctionothe

generaloce.TheLosAngelesregionaloce

wasresponsibleorallosouthernCaliornia,

3. Connections: The EERI Oral History

Series William W. Moore: StanleyScott,interviewer.EarthquakeEngineeringResearch

Institute,Oakland,Caliornia,1998,p.35.

plusmuchotheoreignworkthatwedid.

ThatwasmyresponsibilityinLosAngeles.

Postwar Surge in CivilianConstruction

Crandall: Followingthewar,inabout

1947,thebasicworkwascommercial,lling

ademandorthebuildingsthatcouldnotbe

builtduringthewar.Therewasagreatsurge

oprivatework,ascomparedwiththeprevious

deenseandwar-relatedwork.Wewerevery

ortunateinbeingabletomovealmostwithout

anyhitchesromgovernmentdeenseworkto

privatework.Inotherwords,alloureggswere

notinonebasketanymore.

Scott: Youdidnthavetoretooltheoce?

Crandall: Right.Themaineortwasonschoolsandmunicipalpublicbuildings,whose

constructionhadbeencurtailedduringthe

war.Then,ocourse,therewasthegeneral

privatesector,suchasbuildingsorthetele-

phonecompanyandgascompany.

Refneries

Crandall: Renerieswerebeginningabig

buildingprogramaboutthattime.Wewere

doingmuchworkwithgroupslikeUnion

OilandwhatwasthenRicheldandlater

calledARCOthroughoutnotonlysouth-

ernCaliornia,butthroughoutthesouthern

UnitedStates.WedidworkinTexas,or

example,andalsoinKansasCity,Chicago,and

otherareasotheUnitedStates,orreneries

designedandbuiltbyC.F.Braun,inparticular.HeadquarteredinAlhambra,Caliorniainthe

LosAngelesarea,C.F.Braun&Co.wasone


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21


otheoutstandingpetrochemicaldesign-and-

buildrmsatthattime.

WehadanerelationshipwithC.F.Braun,

anddidthesoilengineeringworkorallo

theirprojectsthroughouttheUnitedStates.

Wemusthavedoneteenortwentymajorre-

nerieswithC.F.Braun.Unortunately,they

arenolongerthelead.Someyearsbackthey

wereacquired,andthecharacterotheirbusi-

nesshaschanged.Nobodysbuildingreneries

nowadays,butatthattime,theywereamajor

partoourwork,involvinglargeprojects

aroundthecountry.

Coastal Facilities

Crandall: Therewerealsosomeinteresting

oshoreprojects.OneexampleistheHyper-

ionsewerline,aninterestingproject.Wedid

thesoilstudyortheve-mileoutallsewer

thatextendsotheLosAngelescoast.

Scott: Thatmusthavebeenamajorproject.

Crandall: Andamuch-neededdevelopment.

Theefuentwastakenvemilesouttosea,

andtheneverybodythoughtitwasne.Nowa-

days,however,theyhaveoundthatsludgeaccumulationiscausingproblems,andtheyre

doingthingsalittledierently.

Wedidseveraloshoreprojectsothattype.A

numberopierswerebuilt,suchastheVenice

pier.InSanDiego,therewasanoshore

outall,andtwoorthreeotherpiers.Somarine

workwasgoingstrong,includingharbor

departmentworkinLosAngelesandLongBeach.Therewasabacklogodevelopmentto

bedonebecauseothewar.

SanDiegobegantoboom,andwewerethe

primesoilrminconnectionwithmajorde-velopmentsinSanDiegoortheNavy.Many

otheirshoreacilitieshadbeenlimitedduring

thewar,andtheybegantoexpand.Thoseare

justaewprojectsthatcometomindatthe

momentasbeingrathernoteworthyinthat

period.Theygaveusthechancetoexpandour

techniquesandknowledgeintootherareas.

Development of theDrilled Friction Pile

Crandall: Thedrilledpilewasonedevelop-

mentinthoseearlydaysthatwasaveryimpor-

tantoundationtechnique.Aholewasdrilled

intotheground,andthenlledwithconcrete.

Scott: Thatwasdone,insteadodrivingthe

piledownintothesoilwithapile-driver?

Crandall: Yes,insteadodrivingapileinto

thesoil,whichwasoneothestandardpro-

ceduresusedormany,manyyears.Insouth-

ernCaliornia,adrilledpilewasotenvery

economical,anditheconditionswereright,

muchmoreeconomicalthanadrivenpile.O

course,wheretherearesandysoilswithshal-

lowwaterconditions,theholewontstayopen,makingadrilledpilehardtoinstall.Butwhere

therearedryconditions,andthesuracema-

terialsarenotsuitableorconventionalspread

ootings,thedrilledpilewastheanswertoa

maidensprayer.

Thisdevelopmentwasprettymuchpioneered

insouthernCaliornia,usingwhatwasthen

calledacesspoolrig.Itwasusedactuallyorthatpurpose,drillingcesspools.Theydrilled

aholeinthegroundthattheylinedwithred-


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22

wood.Forthedrilledpile,thatsamebucket-

typedrillingequipment,asitwascalled,wasusedtodrillaholeintheground,andconcrete

wasputintothehole,andarictionpiledevel-

opedinthatashion.

Ithadtobeproventopeoplethatyoucould

developrictiononthesideoaholethatwas

merelylledinwithconcrete.Theythought

thattodevelopriction,thepilehadtobe

beatenintotheground.Soseveraltestsweremadeintheearlydays,someowhichwere

priortomyevencomingtoLosAngeles.

Theyputadrilledpileintheground,and

thendrilledanotherholealongsideit,sayve

orsixeetaway,bothtothesametipelevation.

Thentheytunneledunderthedrilledpileto

removethesoilrombeneathitstip.Thepile

wasthenloadedtoprovethatthetipwasnot

carryingtheloadinsteaditwastherictiononthesidesthatcarriedtheload.

Oncethatprinciplewasestablished,people

begantobelieveit.Mostengineershadelt

thattheloadwasgoingallthewaydownto

thetip,andthatyoucanonlyloadthatpile

uptowhatevertheeighteen-inchdiametertip

areawouldsupport.Butthatwasnotthecase,

andthedrilledpilewouldtakeconsiderablygreaterloadsthanthat.Thedevelopmento

thedrilled,cast-in-placeconcretepilewasa

pioneeringeortinsouthernCaliornia.We

gotthattypeooundationpermittedinthe

buildingcode,andinthisareaaverylarge

numberobuildingshavebeenputinthatare

supportedonthiskindopiling.

Parting with Dames and Moore

Crandall: Ihadaverynerelationshipwith

bothBillMooreandTrentDames.Things

wentverywell,althoughthereweresome

businessdierences.TrentDameswasinter-

nationallyminded,multi-oceoriented.In

thatregard,Ihadsomereservations,purely

romabusinessstandpoint.Wehadseveral

discussionsaboutwhatwasgoingtobedone

andhow.

Scott: Youhadreservationsabouttheopen-

ingootheroces,orsolicitinglotsowork

awayromhomebase?

Crandall: Iwasconcernedaboutpossiblee-

ectsonthequalityothework,ioceswere

openedwithoutsuitablytrainedpersonnel.

Trenthaddierentideasonthat.

Scott: Inotherwords,hethoughtthequality

problemcouldbehandled,orhewaseageror

thebusiness,ormaybeboth?

Crandall: Expansionwashismiddlename.

BillMoore,Ithink,waslessorientedthatway.

Butatthattime,intheearly1950sasIrecall,

therewasanexecutivecommitteeconsisting

omysel,BillMoore,andTrentDames.The

matterwasdiscussedinthecommittee,andit

wasobviousthatIwasnotintunewithwhat

theotherswantedtodo.

Scott: Youeltitwouldbebettertostick

withtwoorthreeoces.

Crandall: Oratleastincreaseinsizemore

gradually.Thiswasapartnership,youwill

recall,andeachpartnerwasvulnerableorwhateverhappenedinanyotheroce.Oneo

myconcernswasthat,iweopenedanoce


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23


inanotherarea,wecouldallbeaectedithat

ocedevelopedsomeliabilityproblems.Un-derapartnership,thoseproblemscouldaect

usall.

HereIwas,aairlysignicantpartnerinthe

legalentityoDamesandMoore.Whilenot

richbyanystretchotheimagination,any-

thingIhadwouldbeexposedtowhatever

actionsorclaimstheworkothepeoplein

otherDamesandMooreocesmightgener-ate,evenbyunintentionalthings.SoIwasless

enthusiasticaboutbeing,shallIsay,inbed

withotherocemanagersoverwhomIhad

verylittlecontrol,andaboutwhoseabilitiesI

hadlittleknowledge.

Irecognizedthatmythinkingrancontraryto

whatDamesandMoorewerecontemplating,

andinairnesstoboththemandmysel,Ielt

thetimehadcometoseparateromtherm.

Ialsosensedthattherewassomethingoa

corporatebureaucracydeveloping,inwhich

headquartersstatellsalltheworkerswhatto

do.Thelinepersonnel,theproessionals,can

becomesecondary.Thesethingsdidnttmy

ideaohowtorunacompany.Notthattheres

anythingwrongwiththatmodel,andDames

andMoorewentontobecomeoneothelargestrmsothistypeinthecountry,maybe

evenintheworld.Thatsnebutitwasnt

orme.Ididntseethatapproachasbeingmy

cupotea.Inearly1954Iconcludedthatwhat

IwasdoingwasnotgoodoreitherDamesand

Mooreororme.Itwasntrighttothem,to

havesomebodywhowasnotactivelypursuing

thepoliciesthecompanywasinterestedin.

Thenaldecisionwasmadein1954.Ihadan

oerromanotherrm,primarilyatesting

laboratory,whichwantedtodosoilengineer-

ing.ItwaslocatedinmyoldhometownoSanDiego,wheremywieandIhadbeenraised,

andwherewehadouramily(mybrother,sis-

ter,andparents).Sowethoughtaboutmoving

there.IregrettosayIhadpracticallyassured

theotherpartyoourintent,tothepoint

wherehewaskindocountingonmycoming

downthere.AtthistimeIhadadvisedDames

andMoorethatIwasplanningtoleave,and

thatIhadbeenaskedtocometoworkorthe

SanDiegorm.

Meanwhile,someothestructuralengineersin

townwhoweregoodriendsomine,andwith

whomIhadworkedasaDamesandMoore

partner,convincedmethatIwouldbebetter

otostayinLosAngeleswhereIhadallthese

contacts.Theyalleltthatmyserviceswould

bepreerredtowhoeverelsemightcomeand

takeoveratDamesandMoore.Ishallnot

namethem,butthereweretwoinparticular.

Scott: Twostructuralengineers,riendso

yoursinthisarea?

Crandall: Structuralengineers,yes,whovery

stronglyurgedthatIshouldstayinthisarea.

Scott: Weretheyyourpeers,chronologically?

Crandall: Somewhatolder,butonlybyour

orveyears.Thentwooourassociates,em-

ployeesatDamesandMoore,LeoHirscheldt

andFredBarnes,approachedme,sayingthey

wereinterestedinworkingwithmeiIstarted

myownrm.Neitherothemwasaregistered

civilengineer,buttheyhadbeenwithDames

andMoorealmostaslongasIhad,andoneevenlonger.Theyoeredtojoinmeinorm-

ingourownoceinLosAngeles.Weagreed


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24

thatthismightbeagoodthingtodo.Ihadto

telltheSanDiegocontactthatIhadchangedmymind.Hewasverygraciousaboutit,buthe

wasntverydamnhappy.IvealwayseltIlet

himholdingthebag.

Financingwasobviouslyaprobleminstart-

inganewbusiness.Allomyassetsweretied

upinDamesandMoore,inownershipand

inretainedearnings.InDamesandMoore

weoperatedonadrawingaccount,which,Ithink,atthattimewas$600amonth.Thats

whatyoulivedon.Thentheoreticallyatthe

endotheyearaterthebookshadclosed,

itherewasaprot,itwasdistributed.

Initially,14percentwasmyshare,butlater

thiswaschanged.Wedecidedthatwecould

probablylastorsixmonthsiwecould

comeupwith$10,000.

Scott: Youmean$10,000cashtotal,orthe

threeoyou?

Crandall: Yes.Weraisedthisnesteggrom

$5,000paidinbyme,and$2,500romeach

otheothertwo.Wedseehowitwent.Iwe

madeit,wemadeit.Iwedidnt,itwasdown

thetubesandweddosomethingelse.Wewere

kindoluckyinourtiming.BythenIhadad-

visedDamesandMoorethatIwasresigning.I

thinkIgavethemathree-monthperiodduring

whichIwouldstayon,andworkwithandtrain

myreplacement,averyneellownamedAl

Smoots,whowasgoingtotakeovertheoce.

Ididstay,andletaboutMay1,1954.

Priortomynishing,butaterthedecision

hadbeenmadethatIwouldgo,thesetwo

otherpartiesapproachedTrentDames,told

himtheywereplanningtoleave,andgavehim

amonth.Weeltthermdeservedamonth

notice.Fortunatelyorus,Damesdecidedhe

didntwantthemarounditheyweregoingto

leave,soheterminatedthemrightthen.That

timingturnedouttobethebestthingthatever

happened,becausewestartedgettingworkthedayweopenedourdoors.Withoutthem

Iwouldhavebeentheonlyonetodoallo

thiswork.Sotheothertwocameaboardright

away.Itworkedoutverywell.

Scott: WasyourpartingwithDamesand

Mooreamicable?

Crandall: ItwasntreallyamicablewithTrentDames.Inactwehadanancial

disputeoverthepayoutomyshareinthe

rmthatdraggedon.Icansaytothisday

thatmyrmdidnotgoandsolicitajobrom

someonewhohadbeenaclientoDamesand

Moore.Wedid,ocourse,sendoutannounce-

mentsaboutourrm,andwehaditputinthe

magazinethatLeRoyCrandallandAssociates

hadbeenormed,andthatsortopromotion.

Weendedupgettingabigjobinthemid-

1950sorurtherworkontheHyperionsewer

outall,butonlybecausethecityengineerhad

strainedrelationswithDamesandsoughtme

outorourservices.


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Chapter 5

LeRoy Crandalland Associates

25

We started the ofce with a card table, a desk,

a second-hand typewriter, one three-drawer

metal fle cabinet, and a drating table.

Crandall: Weopenedournewrmsdoorsin1954and

hadworkbeorewewereevenready.Wedidnthaveour

testingmachinesandotherequipment.Peoplecamein

andcalledusandwantedustodowork.Weneverhad

anyproblemswithobtainingwork.

Scott: Yourstructuralengineeradvisorshadcalledthe

shotsprettywellinrecommendingthatyoustayintheLosAngelesarea.

Crandall: Yes,theywereright.Manypeoplehelped

usverymuch.Onevery,veryneengineer,JimMont-

gomeryoJ.M.MontgomeryEngineers,calledearly-on.

Oneoourrstjobs,jobnumbereightitwas,wasa

reservoirintheLasVegasarea.Jimcalledandaskedi

wewoulddothework.Isaid,Gee,Jim,wedloveto.I

dontknowiwecannanceit,though.Itwasaprettybigjoborus,about30boringsandthingslikethat,

maybeitwasa$15,000project,whichwasabigeeor


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26

us.Isaid,Financingmightbeaproblem.

Hesaid,Look,LeRoy,dontyouworryaboutthat.Wellpayyouinadvance.Wewantyou

todothejob.Wehadsupportrompeople

likethat,whichreallymadeitworthwhile.

Scott: Heoeredtopayinadvance?

Crandall: Wedidntneeditithingsworked

outallright,butwehadonly$10,000total,

andwehadtohiredrillingequipment,andpay

themtooperateit.

Scott: Youhadacashfowproblem.

Crandall: Check.OnethingthatIwasproud

o,andIdliketobeatmydrumabout,was

thattherstthingIdidwhenweopenedthe

doorsandtookinsomehardcashwastojoin

theU.S.ChamberoCommerce,theCali-

orniaStateChamber,andtheLosAngelesChamber.Wevebeensupportiveothingslike

thatrightromthestart.Forwhateverthats

worth,Ieltwewereheretostay,andwewere

goingtomakeabusinessanddoourshareo

tryingtosupportprivateenterprise.

LikeIsay,thingswentwell.Icantrecallany

majorproblems.Wegrewromthethreeous

engineersandmywie,Eileen,thesecretary.Westartedtheocewithacardtable,adesk,

asecond-handtypewriter,onethree-drawer

metallecabinet,andadratingtable.We

rentedalittleocespaceonBeverlyBoule-

vardinLosAngeles.

Scott: Youstartedalmostonashoestring.

Crandall: Oh,wehadsandalswithoutshoe-

strings,Iguessyoucouldsay.Butthe$10,000wasadequate,alongwiththekindosupportwe

gotromourclients,whopaidquicklyandwell.

Hyperion Sewer System Expansion

Crandall: AsImentionedearlier,oneothe

bigjobsournewrmhadwastheexpansion

otheHyperionseweroutallsystemorLos

Angeles,aprojectonwhichDamesandMoore

wereconsultantsduringitsrstphase.The

cityengineer,amannamedAldrich,preerred

nottousethemagain,andalthoughtheproj-

ectwasastretchoroursmalloce,wetook

iton,todothesoilreportorthenewoutallsewer.Ithinkthetotaleewassomethinglike

$75,000.Thatsnotsobigbytodaysstandards,

butbackthenitwasahelloabigjob.

Scott: IremembertheHyperionoutall

debateandproject,whichwasnewsevenupin

theSanFranciscoBayArea.Itgotintosome

otheliteraturethatcameacrossmydeskin

myearlydaysattheInstituteoGovernmen-talStudies.AsIrecall,thatprojectwasavery

importantissueatthetime.

Crandall: Theoutallsewerwentoutsix

miles.Wealsohadtodrillsomeotherborings

tocheckthesewerinstallationandndoutthe

soilconditions.Thentherewasabout15miles

oonshoresewerlineatquiteadepth.Much

oitwasputinasatunnel,tunnelingunder

theLosAngelesairportandthatwholeareain

BaldwinHills.Itwasquiteajobandaeather

inourcap,believeme.Wediditwell.

Organization of the Firm

Scott: Howdidyouorganizetherm?

Crandall: Theothertwopartners,Leo

HirscheldtandFredBarnes,hadaquarterinterest,andIhadhal.Weselectedthename

LeRoyCrandallandAssociates,which


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27

Chapter 5LeRoy Crandall LeRoy Crandall and Associates

doesntshowmuchoriginality,Iguess,but

itseemstohaveworked.Thatwasthebestsellingapproach,Ithink,becauseIwasbetter

knownthantheothers.

Aewmonthsaterwehadopened,Russ

Weber,whoalsoworkedatDamesandMoore,

cameby.Russhadapproachedmeearlier

aboutstartingacompany,butatthattimeI

hadalreadycommittedwithFredandLeo.But

Russwasnowreadytojoin,andwetookhiminasanequalpartnertoFredandLeo.They

eachhadequalsharesandminewastwicetheir

individualshares.Thatcomesout40-20-20-

20thatis,theyeachhad20andIhad40.We

tookoonthatbasis.

Iwouldsaywithinaboutthreeorourmonths

wehadincreasedourstaromtheourous

toaboutsevenaltogether.OureortswereintheLosAngelesarea,ocourse,andpurelyin

soilengineering.Thatwasthewholethingat

thattime.Theeldenlargedinlateryears,but

initiallyitwasjustexploringandtestingthe

soiloroundationdesignpurposes.

CrandallandAssociatesgrewinsize.Ialways

hadeltthataboutsixteentotalpersonnel

wouldbewhatIconsideredidealorasmallconsultingrmthatbelievedinqualityservice.

ThatwasaboutthesizeIhadintheLosAnge-

lesoceoDamesandMoore,aboutsixteen

oreighteen.

Inthenewrm,however,wegottothatlevel

airlyquickly.Idonthavethenumbersinront

ome,butIguesswithintwoyearswewere

uptothatsizeototalpersonnel.IthinkmytheorywasgoodIstillbelievethatisagood

sizeoraprincipaltooperateandconducta

businessuptothepointwhereyoustillknow

almosteverythingthatsgoingon.

Scott: Beingintimatelyknowledgeableabout

everyjobyouaredoing?

Crandall: Yes,thatsit.Andthatwasthe

basisormyleavingDamesandMoore,asI

said.Alsoatthattimewewerebeginningto

beconsciousoliability,olawsuitsagainstsoil

engineers.Iwasnogeniusatmanagement,but

Iwassmartenoughtorecognizethatiyou

didnthavegoodcontrols,youcouldeasilyget

yourselintoalegalsituationthatshouldoth-

erwisehavebeenprevented,iyouhadknown

whatwasgoingonintimetotakesomeaction

beoreproblemsdeveloped.

Well,thetheorywasgood,butwecouldnt

holdtoit.Thatwasnotbecausewewereout

solicitingeveryjobthatcamealong.Butwe

haddevelopedaclienteleo,Iwillsay,thebest

architecturalandengineeringrmsinsouthern

Caliorniawhoreliedonusalmostautomati-

callyortheirsoilwork.TheygrewasLos

Angelesgrew.AndwhenarmsuchasDaniel,

Mann,Johnson,andMendenhallgetsbigger

andhasmorework,andtheywantyoutodo

theirworkagain,youdbetterbeprepared

todoitproperly,ortheyregoingtolookor

someoneelseandyouwonthaveanywork.

Thatsexactlywhathappened,sowehadto

keepgrowing.

Scott: Thatsinteresting.Thereispressure

onyoubecauseoyoursuccessandyourclients

success.Igatheryoualmostcantescapeit.

Crandall: Thatwasexactlyright.Wewereveryslowinsolicitingnewclients,becausewe

hadthecreamothecropandtheydeveloped


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28

alltheworkweneededorasmall-sizerm.

Buttheywouldgrow,andthen,ocourse,as

peopleletthosermsandstartedtheirown

rms,youwouldthenhavetwoorthreeor-

ganizationsthatstilllookeduponyouastheir

consultantinthiseld.

Incorporating in 1957

Crandall: Whenwestarted,itwasapartner-

ship.Thenateraboutthreeyearsweincor-

porated,andeachbecamestockholders.There

weresomebenetstothat.IIremember

correctly,LeoHirscheldtsearchedaround

andoundthatyoucouldoperateunderwhat

wascalledSubchapterS,whichpermitted

youtodivideuptheprotsasiyouwerea

partnership,butgaveyoumanyothebenets

oincorporation.

Scott: Also,Igather,itreedyouromsome

othevulnerabilityoapartnership.

Crandall: Thatisright.Atthattimeatleast

wethoughtlateritwasntquiteasimpor-

tantbutacorporationwaslessvulnerable

then.Inacorporation,theindividualswere

lessvulnerableintheeventoalawsuitor

somehorriblecatastrophe.Laterlitigation

indicatedthattheycouldpiercethecorporate

veilaslawyerslovetosay.Iyoureaproes-

sionalpersonandhadsigneddrawingsand

stampedthedrawingswithyourregistration

youcouldbeheldliableasanindividual.So

itdidnthaveallothatreducedvulnerabil-

ityaspectorverylong,buttax-wiseitwasa

goodmove.Later,wegotsobigthatwehadtodropSubchapterS.Iveorgottennow,but

youcouldonlyhaveXnumberopartnersor

stockholdersorwhatever.Therewasaloto

legalmumbo-jumboaboutit.

Sowehadtoexpand.Expandingmeantlarger

quarters.Werentedorleasedspaceorawhile,

andhaditaddedonto.Then,Ithinkin1965,

wedecidedtobuildourownbuilding.Iwas

notreallystronglyinavorothat,becauseI

eltthatwewerebetterotokeepourmoney

inourowneldandletsomebodyelseown

thebuilding,butitturnedouttobeadamnedgoodinvestment.Ithinkitwas1965.That

wouldhavebeen11yearsaterwestarted.

Scott: Inhindsight,thatwouldhavebeena

goodtimetobuildorbuy,seeingwhathap-

penedtotherealestatemarket.Itreallytook

o,startinginabout1964or1965.

Crandall: Yes.Itwasdumbluck.Leo

Hirscheldtwastheonewhomaneuveredusintothat.Leowasmoreoabusinessmanager

thanacivilengineer.Hewasagraduatecivil

engineer,buthenevergothisregistration.He

lovedthebusinessaspects.

Wehiredoneoourarchitecturalclients,ael-

lowwhohadbeenwithabigrmandlet,and

hedesignedwhatIeltwasavery,veryne

buildingorustooperateouto.Scott: Wherewasitlocated?

Crandall: At711NorthAlvaradoStreetin

LosAngeles,nearEchoParkLake.Theneigh-

borhoodwasnotveryclassy,butweeltitwas

goingtoimprove.Thatwastheonethingwe

werewrongon.Itdidntimprovemuchwhile

wewerethere,althoughnowithas,aterweve

soldthebuilding.WebuiltthatbuildingattheintersectionoAlvaradoandKentStreets,

sowecalledthecorporationAlvarado-Kent


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29

Chapter 5LeRoy Crandall LeRoy Crandall and Associates

Corporation.Webuilta10,000-or12,000-

square-ootacilitythatincludedstorageorourequipment,alaboratory,andourengineer-

ingoces.Itwasone-storyhigh,butwehad

designeditorasecondstory,sowecould

expandiwewantedto.

BythattimeIthinkwehadsixpartners.Jimmy

KirkgardandSeymourChiuweretheaddi-

tionalpartnerswehadadded.Wecalledthem

associates.Bothothemcamewithinroughlyayearaterwehadopenedthedooronthenew

building.SeymourwasromHongKongand

hadamastersdegreeromtheUniversityo

Texas.JimmyKirkgardwasaUCLAgraduate,

withamastersdegree.MartinDukesenthim

overtous.

Eachousinvestedinthebuildinginan

amountequivalenttoourownership.WeeltJimmyandSeymourhadtheabilitiesand

thetalentsandthequalitiesthatwewanted,

soweoeredthemashareothebusiness,

whichtheyaccepted.Theyboughttheirown

stock.Wedidntgiveanystockaway.We

permittedthemtobuyintothebusiness.So

whenwebuiltAlvarado-Kent,sixoushad

sharesinthebuildingme,FredBarnes,

LeoHirscheldt,RussWeber,JamesKirk-gard,andJamesMcWee.Lateron,Seymour

Chiu,whohadbeenwithusoraslongas

anybody,wasmadetheseventhassociate,

andaterthatPerryMaljianwasselectedas

theeighth.

Ieltverystronglythatweshouldmakethe

businessavailabletoourkeypersonnel,iwe

expectedtokeepthem.Iyougetgoodtalent,unlesstheyarepartotheaction,theyre

goingtoleaveaterarelativelyshortperiodo

time,atertheyveachievedeverythingtheyre

goingtoget.Itheyrejustworkingorasal-aryandabonus,itisntnearlyasinteresting

ashavingaportionoabusinessthattheycan

devotetheirtimeto.

Scott: YoumentionC.MartinDuke.Hadhe

workedwithyoubeore?

Crandall: Yes,hewasbythenaproessorat

UCLA,andwewereveryclose,andwecol-laboratedonacoupleothings.Illmention

himseveraltimeshereinthisoralhistory.I

haveorgottenwhetherwehiredMartinand

hegotpaid,orhewasworkingonaresearch

grant,buthedidearlyshearwavevelocity

measurementswithus.

Iguesswemovedin1966.Wenishedthe

buildinginlessthanayear.Wehadatwenty-

yearmortgage,andpaiditointenyears,so

thenweownedthebuildingreeandclear.

CrandallandAssociatespaidrenttoAlvarado-

Kent.Thatturnedouttobeanancialbless-

ingbecausewhenwenallysoldthebuilding

[in1986],wesolditoramilliondollars,and

Ithinkin1965wehadpaidacouplehundred

thousand,somethinglikethat.

Scott: Whydidyousell?

Crandall: Itwasrelatedtothenextphasein

theCrandallrm,whenwewereacquiredby

LawEngineering.

Acquired by Law Engineering

Crandall: LawEngineeringoAtlantaac-

quiredCrandallandAssociatesin1982.Atthattime,ourrmhadseventyoreightyemployees.

ThenameLawcomesromthermsound-


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30

andwoulduseconsultantgeologistswhen

weneededthattypeoinput.Forsometime

wedidthat,usingtwormsorthegeologic

work,JamesSlosson,andGlennA.Brown

andAssociates.

Thenitgottothepointwheremanyoour

competitorshadin-houseengineeringgeolo-

gists.Also,someoourclientsexpresseda

preerenceorarmthatdidntsubmittwo

reports,butwouldcombineboththegeology

andtheengineeringinonereport.Weusedto

haveareportwrittenbyourconsultant,lets

say,GlennA.Brown,andwewouldappend

thatgeologyreporttooursoilreport.We,o

course,usedtheinormationromit,buttwo

separatereportsweresenttotheclient.

Soinordertomeetourclientsdesires,LeRoy

CrandallandAssociatesmergedwithGlenn

A.BrownandAssociates.GlennBrownand

hissta,abouttenortwelvepeople,became

partoLeRoyCrandallandAssociates.Our

rmbeorethattimewasaboutortyorty

people.GlennBrownwasbroughtinasan

associateothecompany.Thatwasinthemid

1970s.Glennhadaverynereputation,and

wewereveryondohimandhiswork.

WeworkedoutnewithGlennBrown.We

acquiredhisrm,hisequipmentandappa-

ratus.HeacquiredstockinLeRoyCrandall

andAssociates,andbecameanotherco-

owner.Thermthenbecameanintegrated

operation,andweidentiedourselvesas

GeotechnicalConsultants,ratherthanjust

GeotechnicalEngineers.ThisincludedthegeologythatBrownwasinchargeounder

thatbroaderdesignation.

er,ThomasLaw.Weweretoparticipateinthe

earningsorprotsoverthreeyears,between1982and1985,withamaximumvalueequal

totheamounttheypaidorLeRoyCrandall

andAssociates.LeRoyCrandallandAssociates

becameasubsidiaryoLawEngineeringTest-

ingCompanyin1982butretaineditsormer

nameuntil1991,whenthenamechangedto

Law/Crandall.Lawdidntbuythebuilding,so

Alvarado-Kentstillownedit.

In1985theearn-outperiodended.Lawhasa

growthpolicy.Theywantedtobebig.Sowe

outgrewthebuilding,andAlvarado-Kento-

eredtoaddonthesecondstory.Buttheparent

company,LawEngineering,decidedthatrather

thanstayinthebuildingwhilethesecondstory

wasbeingadded,theywouldmoveoutand

leaselargerquarters.Thedecisiontoleaselarg -

erquartersletAlvarado-Kentwithabuilding

todisposeo,sincewedidnteelliketryingto

leaseitout.Bythattime,LeoHirscheldtand

SeymourChiuhadpassedaway,FredBarnes

hadretired,andRussWeberwasjustaboutto

retire.Soratherthantrytokeepthebuilding,

wedecidedtosellitin1986.LeRoyCrandall

andAssociatesthenoundquartersinGlendale

thatweremuchlargerthanwhatwehadbe-ore.ThemovetoGlendalewasmadein1986.

Then,duetoaneedorevenmorespace,in

1991anothermovewasmadetoanewlybuilt

two-storystructureintheCityoCommerce.

Geology and the Practice ofCrandall and Associates

Crandall: Thisbringsmetoapointabouttheevolutionomyrm.CrandallandAs-

sociateslimitedourselvestosoilengineering,


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Chapter 6

Development ofSoil Engineering

31

The model grading ordinance of the

City of Los Angeles and the tie-back

anchor are widely used foundation and

soil engineering approaches that were

pioneered in southern California.

Convincing Them WeHad Something Useful

Crandall: Ithinkmostbuildersanddesignproession-

alsthoughtwewereliketheguyswiththewaterwitchingtechniques.Itwasallmumbo-jumbowhoneededall

thatstu?Itwasaquestionoconvincingpeoplethatby

takingsamplesandrunningtestsanddoingengineering

analyses,youcoulddevelopgood,useulinormation.

Atthetime,theNavy,AirForce,andArmyseemedto

beconvincedthattherewassomemeritinthissortoa

thing.Thenpeoplebegantondoutthatwhenthings

wentwrongwithoundations,itwasconsideredthede-signersault.Butnowherewasanotherlayerthatwould

stepinandassumeresponsibilityortheuncertaintiesin


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32

constructionthatareprimarilycausedbythe

undergroundconditions.

Withresponsibilitywentrespect.Sowebegan

togetrespect,atleastasrepresentingabuer,

separatingthedesignerromsomeotheprob-

lemsoconstruction.Thedesignerthenhad

thesoilengineertotakethebruntotheattack

ianythingwentwrongwiththesiteorounda -

tion.Basically,itwasjustaquestionotheir

changingviews.Previouslytheyhadgottenalong,orthousandsoyears,withoutrunning

soiltests.SotheattitudewasWhathaveyou

gotthatsgoingtobehelpultome?

Thatskepticismgraduallychanged,asbuild-

ingdepartmentsbegantorelyonthesoil

engineersndings,andownersdiscovered

thattheycouldsaveconsiderablemoneyby

knowingtheexactdesignproblemsonasite,ratherthanjustarbitrarilyapplyingthepre -

scribeddesignvaluesinthebuildingcode.

Scott: Inotherwords,theycouldtailor-make

whattheydidintermsooundationandpre-

paratorywork?

Crandall: Thatsexactlyright.Youlearnthe

conditionsothesite,andsincebuildingcodes

areconservativedocuments,usuallyyoucansavemoney.Inotherwords,inmostcasesthe

actualsoilvaluedeterminedbytheconsultant

isbetterthanwhatthebuildingcoderequires

iyoudonthaveasite-specicstudy.

Youmightbeabletodesigntheoundationor,

say5,000poundspersquareootbearingpres-

sureinsteadothe2,000poundsthatthecode

mightotherwisesaywasthepresumedvalue.Agreatdealothanksisowedtothebuilding

departmentpeopleotheCityoLosAngeles

orrealizingthatearly-on,andorwritingthe

codeinsuchamannerthatdeviationsromitwerepermittedonthebasisoaqualiedsoil

engineeringreport.

Manyousinthesoilseldwereinstrumental,

workingwiththeLosAngelesbuildingdepart-

ment,ingettingtheinormationinthere.Soit

becamepossibletodeviateromthebuilding

codeonthebasisoanacceptablesoilstudy.

Leadership by theCity of Los Angeles

Scott: Inthisrespect,theCityoLosAnge-

leshastendedtobealittleaheadothegame?

Crandall: Ithinkthereisdenitelythat

actornotonlyinthequalityotheirplan-

checkingdepartmentandpersonnel,butalsoin

theira

Documents

15 LeRoy Crandall