Bramlette McClelland: Offshore Geotechnical Engineering Pioneer

Bramlette McClelland started his pioneering journey in 1946 to help develop the technical practice of offshore geotechnical engineering. The offshore industry's state of knowledge was in its infancy in the areas of offshore engineering geology, site investigation methods, laboratory testing methods appropriate for marine sediments and analytical methods available for foundation design. In the tradition of other early pioneers, he brought to bear ingenuity, leadership skills, a zest for knowledge and determination in the development of simple, logical and innovative solutions for a wide range of extremely complex offshore problems. My admiration for Bram, as he preferred to be called, started the day that I joined McClelland Engineers, Inc. His lack of pretention, devotion to his fellow man and dedication to our profession were his guideposts and a source of inspiration to all. Bram was an excellent speaker, writer, educator, artist, visionary, researcher and, of course, engineer who motivated hundreds of geotechnical engineers to pursue excellence while applying sound, practical approaches to our engineering practice. He possessed an uncanny skill for listening attentively to all people, while motivating them to develop their own solutions to problems that often seemed overwhelming to them. He was a remarkable person with a broad range of interests and hobbies, and was totally devoted to his family, church, community and profession. He and his beloved wife for 60 years, Virginia, had five children - Darcy, Tom, Terry, Jeff, and Martha - as well as seven grandchildren. A founding member of Emerson Unitarian Church in Houston, he served as president of the board of trustees for several years, and was also active as a leader in the Boy Scouts and numerous other civic and community activities. He was a founder and President of McClelland Engineers Inc., a geotechnical engineering company based in Houston, Texas.