Ralph E. Fadum was born on July 19, 1912, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Niagara Falls, New York. He received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1935. He received two degrees in Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering from Harvard University; a M.S in 1937 and a Sc.D. in 1941. He spent eight years teaching as an Instructor and Faculty Instructor at Harvard in Civil Engineering from 1935-1943. Fadum was a Professor of Soil Mechanics at Purdue University from 1943-1949. He came to North Carolina State College (later North Carolina State University) in 1949 as a Professor and Head of the Department of Civil Engineering, holding this position until 1962. Dr. Fadum became the Dean of Engineering on July 1, 1962 serving the University until his retirement in 1978.
Fadum was a long-time member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). He received the Distinguished Civil Engineering Alumnus Award from the University of Illinois, an honorary doctorate in engineering from Purdue University, and an Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award from the North Carolina Society of Engineers. He was an ASEE fellow and was elected an honorary member of both ASCE and ASEE. In 1975, he was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for his pioneering work in soil mechanics and foundation engineering. In 1978, he was named a National Honor Member of Chi Epsilon, the honorary society of civil engineering. Shortly before his death, he was honored as a member of the charter class of fellows by the Professional Engineers of North Carolina.
Fadum was an adviser to many government agencies including the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of the Army, U.S. Air Force, National Science Foundation, and U.S. Department of Transportation. As a consultant, he was involved in solving many complex geotechnical problems, such as the construction of airfields in Greenland; the Alaska pipeline; launch facilities for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Apollo Project; the development of the road test program of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; landslide stabilization for the Panama Canal; the construction of underground ICBM missile silos that could withstand nuclear blast effects; and the development of foundation requirements for radar stations in the North American Defense System.
Fadum also had a strong interest in athletics. He served twice as president of the Atlantic Coast Conference, and a four-year term as vice president of District 3 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
From the guide to the Ralph Fadum Papers, 1937-1983, (Special Collections Research Center)
