Professor Emeritus Gerald Wempner has passed away at the age of 96 following a long career in academia that included groundbreaking research and published works in theoretical and applied mechanics.
After completing his undergraduate studies, Wempner earned a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. In 1957, he received his doctoral degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He spent a year at Stanford University as an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, a year at Ruhr University in Germany as a Senior Awardee of the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung, and a term at the University of Calgary as a recipient of the Gillam Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Over his academic career, Wempner held faculty positions at five major state universities: Illinois, Arizona, Berkeley, Alabama, and Georgia Tech.
In 1969, he presented his breakthrough “generalized arc method” at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) meeting in Chicago. Subsequently, he published it in 1971 in the International Journal of Solids and Structures as part of his paper entitled “Discrete Approximations related to Nonlinear Theories of Solids.” Wempner also wrote fundamental book chapters and books that contributed to the education and advancement of generations of researchers, faculty, and engineers.
Wempner retired from Georgia Tech in the early 1990s, dividing his time between Atlanta and Plains, Montana, where he found a home that reconnected him with his roots, offering the tranquility of rural America and inspiring him to explore his passion for sculpture.
Simultaneously, he dedicated himself to writing a new comprehensive book intended primarily for self-study and reference, focusing on the basic concepts that provide the foundations of modern structural analysis methodologies in the Mechanics of Solids and Structures.
When taking a break from the world of structural mechanics, Gerry turned his creativity toward sculpture. His meticulous works reflected both his precision and imagination. He donated many pieces to museums, including three sculptures gifted to the Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art in David City, Nebraska. These sculptures inspired the museum's 2017 exhibition, “The Great American Draft Horse,” demonstrating Gerry’s artistic vision and profound connection to agrarian themes.