William Joseph Hedley (November 6, 1902 – September 10, 1989)J.A. Meyerhoeffer.
Memoir: Wiiliam J. Hedley
" ''1989 Proceedings of the annual convention,'' American Railroad Association, 1989. p. 437 was an American

civil Civil may refer to: *Civic virtue, or civility *Civil action, or lawsuit * Civil affairs *Civil and political rights *Civil disobedience *Civil engineering *Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism *Civilian, someone not a membe ...

and

consulting engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

, chief engineer at Wabash Railroad, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1966, and recipient of the 1973

Hoover Medal The Hoover Medal is an American engineering prize. It has been given since 1930 for "outstanding extra-career services by engineers to humanity". The prize is given jointly by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Institute of Min ...

Biography

Youth, education and career

Hedley was born in 1902 in St. Louis as son of Charles Henry Hedley and Elizabeth Frances (Smith) Hedley. He obtained his BSc from Washington University in 1925. After his graduation Hedley started as draftsman at the Mississippi Valley Structural Steel Co., but soon moved to the Wabash Railroad where he would spend a 42-years career. He started as a draftsman and inspector, and moved up to resident engineer and then bridge designer. In 1957 he was appointed chief engineer, and the last three years from 1963 to 1967 he was assistant vice president of the Wabash Railroad. After his retirement for Wabash in 1967, among others, he was consulting engineer for

Sverdrup & Parcel Sverdrup & Parcel was an American civil engineering company formed in 1928 by Leif J. Sverdrup and his college engineering professor John I. Parcel. The company worked primarily in a specialty field of bridges. The company's headquarters was l ...

and the US Department of Transportation.

Other activities and acknowledgement

In 1949 Hedley published an AREA report, entitled "The Achievement of Railroad Grade Crossing Protection," based on extensive studies of accidents. This rapport draw national and international attention, and let to suggestions for structural provement, for example in the Netherlands. Hedley was elected director of the

American Railway Engineering Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

(AREA), served as its 97th president in 1956,"ASCE Names Hedley President," in: ''Engineering News-record,'' Volume 175, Nr. 2. McGraw-Hill, 1965. p. 51-52. and was elected honorary member in 1965. In 1966 Hedley was elected president of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Washington University awarded him a alumni citation in 1966, and six American societies of engineers awarded him the

in 1973. In the city of

Clayton, Missouri Clayton is a city in and the seat of St. Louis County, Missouri. It borders the independent city of St. Louis. The population was 17,355 at the 2020 census. Organized in 1877, the city was named after Ralph Clayton, who donated the land for the ...

he was elected mayor twice.David De Armond March. ''The History of Missouri, Volume 4,'' Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1967. p. 155

Selected publications

* Hedley, William J. (ed.). ''Proceedings, American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association,'' Vol. 53, Chicago, Illinois, 1952. * William J. Hedley
Interprofessional Council on Environmental Design. ''A positive interprofessional approach to the environmental impact statement sponsored by the Interprofessional Council on Environmental Design: summary and recommendations of the conference at Airlie House, Airlie, Virginia, November 28-30, 1972''
American Society of Civil Engineers, 1972. * Hedley, William J.
Railroad-Highway Grade Crossing Surfaces
'' Washington, DC: Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, August 1979. ;Articles, a selection * Hedley, W. J. "The Achievement of Grade Crossing Protection." ''Wabash Railroad'' (1949). * Hedley, W. J. "The Achievement of Railroad Grade Crossing Protection." ''AREA Proceedings.'' Vol. 50. 1949. * Hedley, Wm J.
Highway-Railway Grade Crossing Protection
" (1950). p. 181-196 * Hedley, William J. "Obtaining the best crossing surface." ''Railway Track and Structures'' 76.5 (1980).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hedley, William Joseph 1902 births 1989 deaths American civil engineers Washington University in St. Louis alumni People from St. Louis