William G. Godden, University of California, Berkeley Professor Emeritus, passed away on April 6, 2012 in Bellingham, WA. Godden joined the Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials faculty at UC Berkeley in 1964 and he retired from active teaching in 1991.
His legacy to teaching and engineering includes the Godden Structural Engineering Slide Library that has been archived in the National Information Service for Earthquake Engineering (NISEE). Godden built the Structural Engineering Slide Library over the period 1950 through 1980 as a visual resource for illustrating structural systems in undergraduate courses in structural analysis and design. Godden found that images of structural systems were an invaluable resource to supplement the rigor of engineering analysis with applications to real life.
He will be remembered by his friends and colleagues for his achievements in engineering and teaching, his contributions to the life of University of California, and his accomplished painting, music, and photography. A memorial service will be held at UC Berkeley in the coming months.