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IN MEMORIAM
FREDRICH ERNST GIESECKE
Fredrich Ernst Giesecke, retired professor
of architecture, died on June 27, 1953. He was 84.
Professor Giesecke was born on January
28, 1869, in Latium, Texas. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees
from Texas A&M University in 1886 and 1890, respectively. He earned
another bachelor's from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in
1904 and a PhD from the University of Illinois in 1924.
From 1886 to 1912 Dr. Giesecke taught
at Texas A&M University. He joined the faculty of The University
of Texas at Austin in 1912 to head the new Department of Architecture.
In 1928 he resigned from the University to return to Texas A&M as
college architect and chairman of the Department of Architecture. Between
1895 and 1940, when he retired, he designed, or supervised the design
or construction of, more than twenty buildings at Texas A&M University.
Professor Giesecke's articles on water-heating
systems, published in Heating and Ventilation Magazine, were
considered groundbreaking. His experiments on rodding concrete led to
the widespread use of ready-mixed concrete and his writings on the subject
led to the acceptance of reinforced concrete structures. In 1936 he
coauthored Technical Drawing, a highly-regarded publication used
in many colleges in the nation.
Professor Giesecke belonged to numerous
professional associations, including the American Institute of Architects,
the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers. He was also a charter member of the American Society
of Engineering Education.
Professor Giesecke was a fellow of the
American Society for the Advancement of Science. In 1941 he was awarded
the F. Paul Anderson gold medal for his pioneering research in the science
of heating and ventilation.
<signed>
John R. Durbin, Secretary
The General Faculty
Biographical sketch prepared by Teresa Palomo Acosta
and posted on the Faculty Council web site on January 18, 2001.
Additional biographical sources can be found in the Barker Texas
History Center and the New
Handbook of Texas, Texas State Historical Association,
1996.
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