Dr. Lynn S. Beedle (December 7, 1917 – October 30, 2003) was an American

structural engineer Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research List of structural elements, structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants. Their work takes account mainly of ...

, the founder and the director of the

Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is an international body in the field of tall buildings, including skyscrapers, and Sustainable design, sustainable urban design. A non-profit organization based at the Monroe Building in ...

, and known for his design and building of

skyscrapers A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

.New York Times:Lynn S. Beedle, 85, Dies; An Expert on Tall Buildings;By DAVID TULLER; November 01, 2003
/ref>National Academy of Engineering:Memorial Tributes, Volume 11 (2007) LYNN S. BEEDLE;BY JOHN W. FISHER
/ref>Lehigh Heritage:Beedle, Lynn
/ref>Lehigh University;Distinguished Alumni;Lynn Beedle 52
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' has called him "an expert on tall buildings". Beedle is also credited with making

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton and Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Bethle ...

a center of research for civil and structural engineering because of his "groundbreaking studies on the properties of steel structures".

Early life and education

Beedle was born in

Orland, California Orland is a city in Glenn County, California. The population was 8,298 at the 2020 census, up from 7,291 at the 2010 census, making Orland the most populous city in Glenn County. Orland is located north of Willows, at an elevation of . Interst ...

. He graduated from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, with a B.S. degree, and joined the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

where he commanded underwater explosion research at the

Norfolk Naval Shipyard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility ...

in Virginia and served as Deputy Officer in Charge of the Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll in 1946. In 1952 he received his doctorate from

in structural engineering after 5 years of graduate studies and working there as an instructor.

Awards

Beedle was elected to the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

in 1972 "for contributions to steel structures research and design practice, especially plastic design and residual stress effects." The

honored Beedle with creation of the Lynn S. Beedle Achievement Award. Structural Stability Research Council;Beedle Award
/ref> Beedle was a recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the

American Society of Civil Engineers The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is a tax-exempt professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, it is the oldest national engineering soci ...

. He received

Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and a center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and wikt:statesman, statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin ...

’s Frank P. Brown Medal, and the

John Fritz Medal The John Fritz Medal has been awarded annually since 1902 by the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) for "outstanding scientific or industrial achievements". The medal was created for the 80th birthday of John Fritz, who lived bet ...

, the Berkeley Engineering Alumni Society Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award, and was named Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering by

References

External links

Lynn Beedle's tribute
to

Fazlur Rahman Khan Fazlur Rahman Khan (, ''Fazlur Rôhman Khan''; 3 April 1929 – 27 March 1982) was a Bangladeshi-American structural engineer and architect, who initiated important structural systems for skyscrapers. Considered the "father of Tube (structure) ...

on the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) {{DEFAULTSORT:Beedle, Lynn S. 1917 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American engineers 20th-century American inventors American structural engineers Engineers from California Lehigh University alumni Lehigh University faculty Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering People from Orland, California UC Berkeley College of Engineering alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II