September/October 2022 - 7

MICHAEL H. WYSOCKEY, PH.D., P.E.,
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Leading With Purpose
We' re approaching our annual
conference, DFI47, with the theme
" Leading with Purpose, " taking place in
National Harbor, Maryland, from
October 4-7. The organizing committee
is led by Conference Chair Sebastian
Lobo-Guerrero, American Geotechnical
and Environmental Services, and
Technical Program Co-Chairs Hannah
Iezonni, Keller North America, and
Chris Woods, Densification. If you've
met Sebastian, you understand how this
theme suits him perfectly. His passion
for the deep foundations industry and
the people in it will be the driving force
for a memorable experience. Hannah
and Chris have put together a strong
technical program that, in true DFI form,
has a range of topics from highly
technical advancements to fundamental
case histories. There is truly
something for everyone.
Some highlighted speakers include,
Giovanni Bonita, Ph.D., GEI Consultants,
presenting " An Underground
Movement - Evolution of Ground
Imp ro v emen t Sy s t ems i n t he
Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area; "
Sissy Nikolaou, Ph.D. , Nat ional
Institute of Standards and Technology:
" A Glimpse into the Geologic Splendor
and Hidden Risks that Lie Beneath
Washington, D.C.; " and Kris Zacny,
Ph.D., Honeybee Robotics: " Space
Mining Robots for Solar System
Exploration. " Hearing about mining
space robots is a perfect way to head to
the welcome reception.
An annual highlight of the conference
is the Hal Hunt Lecture on
Communications, which was established
in 1989 to recognize notable communicators
in the deep foundations
industry. The lecture was named in
honor of Hal W. Hunt, one of the initial
organizers of DFI. In 2015 DFI trustee
James Johnson had the idea to have a
sponsored lecture to benefit the DFI
Educational Trust, inviting Billy Beane to
the conference in Oakland, California.
Every third year the Women in Deep
Foundations (WiDF) Committee has
chosen the lecturer, and this year we will
hear Steph Davis, world renown climber
and author. She's also a
wingsuit base jumper -
you don't want to miss this!
Other conference highlights
include the 5K Fun
Run & Walk, benefitting
the Trust, and the Women
in Deep Foundations networking
reception. If you
have been to a DFI Annual
Conference, you understand
how important the
event is. Sebastian and the
team will certainly bring it
home with a purpose.
Speaking of leading
was, he was an even better person. It's
been said about many people, but I can
think of none more appropriate than
Clyde. His advice and perspective
transcended whatever issue you were
deal ing wi th. His integri ty and
p r o b l em- s o l v i n g s k i l l s we r e
unmatched. He had patience for young
engineers and mentoring in an
inspiring way, which is often hard to do
for other greats (or even those who just
think they're great).
Clyde Baker (left) with Tom and Mike Wysockey
with a purpose, I need to mention the
passing of Clyde Baker (see page 127). He
was one the most important mentors in
my life, and the lives of many others. I'm
so lucky to have grown up in the Chicago
area, a city the greatest foundation
engineer of our time called home. I knew
him for more than 35 years through his
relationship with my father, Tom
Wysockey, and activities of the Chicago
Committee on High Rise Buildings.
I can't avoid the often-used expression
- that as great of an engineer as he
At one point he had designed (or at
least peer reviewed) 8 of the 10 tallest
buildings in the world. Getting Clyde's
approva l made eve ryone from
structural engineers to building
officials feel much better about things.
He reviewed and discussed my doctoral
dissertation before I defended it, which
both made it better and made me more
confident to tell professors that Clyde
was OK with it. He ran 60 miles on his
60th birthday to raise money for
Alzheimer's research. Clyde led with
purpose. Rest in peace.
Contact Michael H. Wysockey at mwysockey@thatcherfoundations.com
DEEP FOUNDATIONS * SEPT/OCT 2022 * 7
September/October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September/October 2022
