Editor’s Note:

Omer W. Blodgett turns 90 on November 27, 2007. To celebrate, a few of his many friends and colleagues have taken over his customary space in these pages to share with readers the ways in which Mr. Blodgett has influenced their careers and their lives.

In my 35 or so years in the steel fabrication business, I’ve considered the names Omer Blodgett and Lincoln to be synonymous with welding expertise. When my partner and I started STS Steel 24 years ago in a rented 7000 sq. ft. warehouse, our one piece of equipment was a used Lincoln welder. When we ran into a weld cracking problem on some tricky triangular (three pipe chord) trusses a decade later, it was Omer we turned to. He then taught us about carbon equivalents and the corresponding required preheats.

But more than any particular discussion or problems Omer helped us to solve, I think of him for his down-toearth lectures. It is difficult to come away from one of Omer’s talks without having learned significant lessons – lessons about life from a man whose humble demeanor displays the utmost in Christian integrity and work ethic, and lessons in engineering from a master with the ability to explain things in a practical, understandable way.

Omer always challenges you to think through a problem and not jump to a foregone conclusion. For example, I recall Omer describing a problem a manufacturer was having with a cracked lever arm of some sort. Rather than fill up the screen with a bunch of complicated formulas (which, of course, he easily could have done) Omer suggested that we consider “Where are the stresses really going?” The solution then became apparent.
James A. Stori, PE
President, STS Steel Inc.

I met Omer Blodgett at my first AWS D1 Structural Welding Committee meeting in 1980. Being employed by Reynolds Aluminum at the time, I was “an aluminum guy” and a “rookie” member of the aluminum subcommittee of D1. Omer, on the other hand, was a respected veteran, having joined the committee back in the early 1960s.

Omer was an ideal committee member. He brought to the table considerable theoretical understanding, along with a well-established practical element. Whenever he committed to an assignment, he accomplished the task in a timely manner and with excellence.

Omer served as vice chair of the D1 committee in the late 1970s when the late Joe Biskup was chair. However, he never became committee chair.

He thought his energies would be better used in making technical contributions, rather than diluting his energies with the administrative and organizational challenges associated with chairing the committee. And, having watched Omer in committee meetings, I can attest that he made significant contributions, projecting a presence at these meetings that allowed him to achieve a great deal without creating conflict.

Through his years of service, Omer Blodgett made significant contributions to the AWS D1 codes. All of us who develop and use these standards are grateful for his contributions, and for his example.
Donald D. Rager, PE
Consultant
Chair, AWS D1 Structural Welding Committee

Most structural engineers think of Omer as an icon in the field of structural engineering.

The amazing fact is that most do not realize that Omer was not educated as a structural engineer. He studied mechanical engineering and metallurgy. He is, however, a truly gifted engineer, and his contributions to the AISC Specification are invaluable.

In 1983, Omer received the AISC T. R. Higgins lectureship award, one of the highest honors given by AISC to individuals that have contributed to the structural steel industry.

I was excited to be in the audience to see him accept the award, and to hear his lecture. The most memorable part of the event was his acceptance speech. I could not believe how such an icon could be so humble in his accomplishments. This is something we should all emulate.

I consider Omer’s book Design of Welded Structures to be a classic text for structural engineers. I learned and solved many structural problems because of information in the text. Omer, please continue to participate in all of your technical activities. We need you!
James M. Fisher, PhD, PE
Chair, AISC Specification Committee
VP, Computerized Structural Design

One of the major problems facing engineers today is a need for the practical knowledge that is essential to safe and adequate structural design. In my experience in Massachusetts, Omer Blodgett made a significant contribution to providing such knowledge through an onsite training seminar.

Without this kind of input from senior engineers like Omer, young engineers would be left with only the basics received in engineering schools, lacking the specific application experience so critical for success.

In his Design of Welded Structures Omer wrote: “There remains…a considerable task of education and simple dissemination of information to achieve maximum efficiency in the application of welded design.” Unlike some, Omer did more than just write about this need; he committed himself to making it happen.

The benefits of the seminar Omer provided to my staff in Massachusetts more than two decades ago are still being felt.

Many of the engineers who attended are now senior structural design engineers for leading design firms. Others have chaired major technical committees. All this is a result of the interest created by Omer having personally sharing his knowledge. I will continue to remember Omer Blodgett as being available when problems arose and ready with solutions, as well as for his inculcation of welding knowledge. This is his legacy.
Paul J. Sullivan, PE
Bridge Engineer (Retired), Mass. Highway Dept.
Past Chair, AASHTO Technical Committee for Welding

Shortly after I started to attend the AWS D1.3 meetings as a young engineer, I was working on an arc spot weld task group.

To my surprise, Omer Blodgett decided to attend the meeting. I had previously heard of Omer (how could you not?) and was shocked when he came up to me at a break.

He said, “You seem to have a lot of knowledge in this area,” and he proceeded to “pick my brain” on the subject.

I was totally taken by surprise that a man of his experience and stature would be interested in talking to a young guy like me. He was so down-to-earth, practical and a joy to talk to.

I have never forgotten that moment.

It reinforced to me that learning never stops and that you can learn from anyone no matter what your position, experience or stage in life. I do not know if Omer ever learned anything from me that day, but I certainly did from him.
Douglas R. Luciani, MBA, PE
President and CEO, Canadian Welding Bureau

I first encountered Omer Blodgett when he conducted the Annual AWS Educational Seminar in Pittsburgh, back in the 1950s.

In the first seven minutes, it became obvious that Omer was brilliant and I was not!

In subsequent visits to Cleveland, I had a chance to get better acquainted with Omer, and started to understand some of the simpler concepts he taught.

I have really enjoyed his contributions to Welding Magazine, which I can actually understand, and I delight in passing his columns along to the next generation at my company. We all hope he’ll continue to teach us for a long time.
Herb Cable
CEO, Weld Tooling Corporation

When I met Omer Blodgett, I was fresh out of college and Omer was already so well known that he could be definitively identified by his first name only.

Shortly thereafter, the Northridge earthquake and meetings of the SAC Steel Project gave us another regular opportunity to collaborate.

I still treasure memories of the time I hosted Omer as the speaker for an AISC breakfast meeting in Chicago, and interviewed him afterward. From the talk and the interview, a creative colleague produced a video that was like a PBS special. To watch it, go to www.aisc.org/blodgett.

Omer’s mix of stories from his youth, combined with tales of practical experience and advice for life, made welding and steel come alive.

“Design with your head, not your heart” conveyed not only a lesson about designing weldments, but also wisdom about how to live a good life. What a privilege it was to be there that day!
Charlie Carter, SE, PE
Chief Structural Engineer, AISC

Early in my career, I looked upon Omer Blodgett, as many people did and still do, as the ultimate authority in welding. I used his books religiously on the job.

Yet when I was introduced to Omer at an AWS D1 meeting in 1987, he seemed genuinely pleased to meet me and started to ask all sorts of questions about me and my work!

Subsequent meetings, seminars and many telephone conversations formed my opinion of Omer as a person who is respected not only for the work he does but also for how he does it.

Omer always treated me as a professional equal, even though the chasm between our levels of experience and welding knowledge could not have been greater. Over the years, though I did learn many technical things from Omer, what I think of first is how he taught them, in an unassuming manner, and usually with a story.
Mary Grieco, PE
Metals Control Engineer, Mass. Highway Dept.

The first time I heard of Omer Blodgett was over 40 years ago when I was a young AISC Regional Engineer.

After I moved into the structural steel fabrication industry, I was given a copy of Omer’s then-new book, Design of Welded Structures. It was like a graduate school program in structural design, metallurgy and welding, all in one incredible volume.

I immediately started using it to design practical details like crane runway brackets, crane girders, and various weldments subject to torsion.

When I started the connection design for my first major high-rise building, a full steel frame 42 stories high, the book became my guide to the design of major connections. The sections on built-box columns and design of moment connections to box columns were an invaluable help.

When I finally met Omer, we of course talked about his early years in Minnesota. He was especially proud of having worked as a teenager on the historic aerial lift bridge in the Duluth Harbor.

He told me that his formal engineering education started with Professor Joe Wiese of the University of Minnesota, who taught an extension division structural class in Duluth.

Omer was hooked, and he began a lifelong quest for knowledge. He left Duluth for the University of Minnesota with a train ticket and a few dollars in his pocket. Working his way through school, Omer ended up with a double degree in mechanical engineering and metallurgy.

The great thing about Omer is not just his thirst for knowledge and experience, but his dedication to sharing what he has learned with everyone in the construction industry. We Minnesotans are especially proud of Omer Blodgett, who exemplifies what we like to call “Minnesota Nice.”
Larry Kloiber, PE
VP, Engineering, LeJeune Steel Company

Omer Blodgett, Lincoln Electric and arc welding—the three have been inseparable for more than eight decades. Omer struck his first arc on his grandfather’s Lincoln welding machine at the age of ten, in 1927. During World War II, as Welding Superintendent at Globe Ship Building, he used Lincoln machines and electrodes to construct 29 ocean-going ships for the war effort. After the war, he joined Lincoln Electric, and he continues to work for us today as a consultant. Last December, I had the great pleasure of presenting Omer with a pin representing his 60 years of distinguished service to our company. I suspect there are few, if any, other CEOs who have an employee who has used their products for over 80 years! Further, I doubt there are many individuals who have known every CEO who has ever led a 112-year-old company, yet Omer can make that claim (Lincoln has had seven chief executives since its founding). Believe it or not, I personally celebrate on Omer’s birthday every year, because he and I share the same birthdate…mine just came a few years after his. Since the mid-1950s, the Blodgett Design Seminars have brought more than 15,000 engineers and designers from all over the world to the Lincoln headquarters in Cleveland. Here, Omer teaches them how to design safe, economical and dependable welded connections for a broad range of applications. At Lincoln, we like to say “we are welding the world together.” We ALL learn how to do that from the “Dean of Welding,” Omer Blodgett. John M. Stropki Chairman and CEO, The Lincoln Electric Company