| Notes |
- From FindaGrave:
Mildred's husband, Herbert James Gilkey, was born in 1890, and did his bachelor's work in civil engineering at Oregon State (then Oregon Agricultural College), graduating in 1911. After working as an assistant engines on state and private surveys in Oregon and California, and on the Tumalo Irrigation Project in Portland, Ore., he took additional coursework at MIT and Harvard, earning bachelor's degrees in civil engineering from both institutions in 1916. "He then worked with the Pennsylvania Railroad on track relocation in Chicago, where they raised the grade of rails to above street level," his son Herbert recalls having been told.
Gilkey-Talbot wedding, 1923.
During World War I, he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, first in the United States along the Mexican border and in Virginia, in connection with the U5. Geological Survey. "When he was in the Southwest, he'd have to shake out his boots every morning to make sure a rattlesnake hadn't got in them," his son Herbert claims. He then served in France, where he organized the map and drafting department of the American Relief Administration under Director General of Relief Herbert C. Hoover.
Returning from the war in 1919, he joined A. R Lord Engineering Co. (later Tate and Lord) in Chicago as a structural engineer, becoming involved with reinforced concrete design. In 1921, he became an instructor in theoretical and applied mechanics at UIUC, where he met Arthur Newell Talbot's daugher, Mildred. As noted previously, the University's nepotism rule kept Herbert from staying on at Illinois after they were married, and in 1923 the newlyweds moved to the University of Colorado, where he began teaching civil engineering.
Mildred and Herbert Gilkey with their two sons
"At that time, he began his association with the Bureau of Reclamation and the design of Hoover Dam," his son Herbert explains. "And I recall, even at that very young age, his being away occasionally to take a trip down to what I later realized was the proposed dam site. There was a question of exactly where they wanted to build it. It was always called the Boulder Canyon project but the dam was actually constructed in Black Canyon, because Boulder Canyon wasn't quite as suitable a site as Black Canyon."
To this day, Hoover Dam remains one of this country's most ambitious construction projects. There is an immense amount of concrete in the dam, and Herbert James Gilkey "was involved in the content of the concrete mix and how it was to be placed and that sort of thing," his son says. "My dad was given a scale model of the Hoover Dam which I now have. It is cast aluminum and shows the canyon, the dam and powerhouse, the intake towers, emergency overflow structures and canyon-wall outlet works. The diversion tunnels used during construction and the 30-ft steel penstocks within the canyon walls are modeled, and the names of consultants, Bureau of Reclamation officials, and major construction contractors are shown."
Another Talbot son-in-law, H. Malcolm Westergaard, was also a consultant on the design of the darn. "My uncle Malcolm was much more theoretical -- early for theoretical types in civil engineering," Herbert Talbot Gilkey says. "My dad was concerned with the strength of the concrete mix and its placement within the structure." "Both of their names are on plaques at Hoover Dam," Warren Goodell Jr. notes.
Portion of the bronze wall plaque on the Arizona elevator tower at Hoover Dam
It was during their years at Colorado that Mildred gave birth to their two sons: Herbert Talbot Gilkey, born in 1924, and Arthur Karr Gilkey, born in 1926. In 1931, Herbert James Gilkey accepted a teaching position at Iowa State, and the Gilkeys moved to Ames. Gilkey later became head of the TAM Department at Ames, a position he held for many years.
In addition to teaching and administration, Herbert James Gilkey continued research on concrete and activity in technical societies. He wrote more than 150 technical papers and bulletins, two textbooks, and edited sections of civil engineering handbooks. He served as president of the American Concrete Institute and was awarded the Wason and other medals for his research. He was active in and served as vice president of the American Society for Engineering Education, and was a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and an honorary member of the American Society for Testing and Materials.
"Several years ago Dad was honored in conjunction with the dedication of a new engineering building at Iowa State," his son Herb notes. "I was asked to speak at the ceremony. It was very rewarding to know how many there still were in Ames who remember both Mother and Dad, and their many years of being a part of the University and the Ames communities. There were many expressions of admiration and respect for both, but a special fondness for Mother and her behind-the-scenes life as a faculty wife and leader, one who cared on a very personal level. Dad was warm and liked being among people, but, even though not as reserved as Grandfather Talbot was, he was not one to pin civic or social organizations. It was nice to go back home, and to see and visit with so many who had been friends of Mother and Dad during their many years in Ames."
Construction of Hoover Dam, June 1934.
Contributor: Susan Eberz Emery (47421841) • susan6906@hotmail.com
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1890 - 1976 (86 years)
