John Augustus Blume (April 8, 1909 – March 1, 2002) was an American structural engineer born in Gonzales, California. He first decided he wanted to study earthquake engineering when he witnessed the Santa Barbara earthquake of 1925. In 1929, he went to Stanford University, where he later received his A.B.degree, his graduate degree of engineer and his doctorate.
Blume's career included major contributions to dynamic theory, soil structure interactions, and the inelastic behavior of structures, earning him the title of the “Father of Earthquake Engineering.” Blume died at the age of 92 at his Hillsborough, California home on March 1, 2002. John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center John A. Blume provided funding to found the John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering center at Stanford University, which began operations in 1975.
Blume Center Directors YearsDirectors or Co-Directors2002-CurrentGregory G. Deierlein1995-2002Anne S. Kiremidjian1988-1995Helmut Krawinkler and Anne S. Kiremidjian1985-1988James M. Gere and Helmut Krawinkler1974-1985 Haresh C. Shah and James M. Gere See also George W Housner Maurice Anthony Biot
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Further reading
Blume, John A. Interview with Stanley Scott. Connections: The EERI Oral History Series. Oakland, CA: Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. 1994. ISBN 0-943198-44-5.
John A. Blume 1909-2002, National Academy of Engineering Memorial Tribute.