Dedication TK lF k To Karl Frank - Ferguson Structural Engineering ...

Dedication 

To Karl Frank 

…professor 

…researcher 

…mentor 

…friend 

Presented during STEER 2010, March 4-5

Chapter 1: Frank’s Students

STructural Engineering Education Reunion 2010 

Photo 

provided by Catherine Hove 

ll 

Current Ferguson Laboratory employees and advisees 

Catherine Hovell 

MS 2007 

Jeremiah Fasl Anthony Battistini Vasileios Samaras 

MS 2008 MS 2009 

MS 2009 

Janghwan Kim 

Luca Magenes 

James Kleineck Brian Petruzzi 

Stephen Pool Jason Stith 

Craig Quadrato Andrew Wahr 

Frank’s Students 

2


John Pass 

MS 1982 

Lynn Eaves 

MS 1978 

Susanne Gealy 

MS 1990 

Truc Tran 

MS 1992 

©Google – Map data ©2009 Tele Atlas 

Mitch Currah 

MS 1993 

Todd Helwig 

MS/PhD 1994 

Vincent Dolan 

MS 1995 

Jon Richter 

MS 1998 

Heather Gilmer 

MS 1999 

Kazuo Endo 

MS 2000 

Chris Bilich 

MS/PhD 2002 

David Lubitz 

MS 2005 

Jamie Farris 

MS 2008 

David Platten 

MS 1980 

Thomas Tansil 

MS 1991 

Bradley Shuey 

MS 1996 

Willy Ramirez 

MS/PhD 1999 

Joey Dowd 

MS 2001 

Lisa Woof 

MS 2002 

Jennifer Ridd 

MS 2004 

Matthew Bean 

MS 2006 

Craig Rios 

MS 2007 

Loyl Bussell 

MS 1997 

Amy Barrett 

MS 2009 

Hyeong Jun Kim 

MS/PhD 2007 

Geoff McDonald 

MS 2009 

Gurvis Post 

MS 1988 

Thomas Anderson 

MS 2007 

Terry Kohutek 

PhD 1986 

Jeffrey Moore 

MS 1989 

Darin Riggleman 

MS 1994 

James Light 

MS 1993 

Francisco de Garagorri 

MS 1990 

Brian Farris 

MS 1991 

Michael Harville 

PhD 1993 

Kyle Woodward 

MS/PhD 1980 

Farrel Zwerneman 

MS/PhD 1985 

Liang Yu 

PhD 2006 

Dennis Wittry 

MS 1993 

Christy Schluter 

MS 1989 

Blanca Velazquez 

MS 1998 

Nicolas Cocavessis 

MS 1978 

Arthur Colwell 

MS 1981 

Andrew Shuh 

MS 2008 

Amanda Palmatier 

MS 2005 

David McIlrath 

MS 1999 

Guzhao Li 

PhD 2002 

Yavor Cekov 

MS 2006 

Omar Espinoza 

MS 2007 


3


Michael Lopez 

MS 1999 

Erik Soderberg 

MS 1994 

Travis Richards 

MS 2005 

Rene Vignos 

MS 1994 

Bryce Neuman 

MS 2009 

Joe Ales 

PhD 1994 

Brian Chen 

MS/PhD 2002 

Joshua Mouras 

MS 2008 

Justin Brown 

MS 2006 

John Eggers 

MS 2003 

David Sanders 

MS/PhD 1990 

Michael Wehr 

MS 1995 

Joanes Gerard 

MS 1992 

Lisa Orgren 

MS 2003 

Timothy Jaquess 

MS 1998 

David George 

MS 1990 

James Weeks 

MS 1987 

Gregg Reese 

MS 1983 

Kenneth Miller 

MS 1999 

Andrew Stam 

MS 2009 

David Jauregui 

PhD 1999 

Scott Barney 

MS 2000 

William Kittleman 

MS 1992 

Conrad Paulson 

MS 1982 

David Horos 

MS 1989 

Karl Pennings 

MS 1999 

Ann Fiechtl 

MS 1987 

Peter Hoadley 

MS/PhD 1984 

Neil Glaser 

MS 1993 

John Joehnk 

MS 1982 

Kurt Swensson 

MS/PhD 1986 

Mark Koenigs 

MS 2003 

Peter Schonwetter 

MS 1999 

Ben Cheplak 

MS 2001 

Michael Stallings 

PhD 1988 

Tim Barnard 

MS 2006 

Jim Sutton 

MS 2007 

Firas Ibrahim 

PhD 1995 

James Ricles 

MS 1980 

Ronnie Medlock 

MS 1998 

Joe Spadea 

MS 2002 

Reagan Herman 

MS/PhD 2001 

Nicholas Richman 

MS 2009 

James Lamb 

MS 1985 

Mikkel Hansen 

MS 1980 

Peter Dean 

MS 2005 

Timothy Overman 

MS 1984 

Scott Dykers 

MS 1984 

Trey Hamilton 

PhD 1995 

David Winget 

MS 2003 

Matthew Memberg 

MS 2002 

Thomas Pechillo 

MS 1993 

Kenneth Hinsch 

MS 1986 

Mark Venti 

MS 2000 

Pedro Galvez 

MS 2004 

Gun Up Kwon 

PhD 2008 

Joseph Muscarella 

MS/PhD 1995 

Christopher Gilcrist 

MS 1997 


Scott Montgomery 

MS 1987 

Ananda Bergeron 

MS 2003 

Robert Dexter 

MS/PhD 1992 

*Deceased 


4


Humberto Mendoza 

MS 1989 

Micah Florea 

MS 2005 


Thomas Boone 

MS 1982 

Bert Shelton 

MS 1981 

Michael Gilroy 

MS 1997 

Michael Gilroy Keizo Otsuka 

Marcel Poser 

MS 2001 

Ahmet Yakut 

PhD 2002 

Taichiro Okazaki 

PhD 2004 

Chong-One Bak 

PhD 1992 

Keizo Otsuka 

MS 1995 

Nobuyuki Matsumoto 

MS 1985 

Adrian Laffitte 

MS 1979 

Apostolos Drolias 

MS 2007 

Ramadevi Duraisamy 

MS 2005 

Yonggang Zhang 

PhD 1997 

Matthew Albert 

MS 2006 

Hsin-Yang Chung 

PhD 2004 

Yajai Promboon 

MS/PhD 2000 

Tokul Kanchanalai 

PhD1977 

Jung-June June Cheng 

PhD 1984 

Chan-Ping Pan 

MS/PhD 1986 

Shih-Hsiung Wang 

MS 1997 


5


Some more about the contributors… 

Provide ed by Ben Cheplak 

Prov vided by Amy Barrett 

AMY BARRETT 

MS 2009 

P.E. Structural Consultants, Inc. 

Austin, TX 

BEN CHEPLAK 

MS 2001 

Structural Engineer 

Walter P. Moore and Associates 

Atlanta, GA 

Anthony Battistini 

Provided by 

ANTHONY BATTISTINI 

MS 2009 

Graduate Research Assistant 

Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory 

University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 

Provide ed by Mitch Currah 

NICOLAS COCAVESSIS 

MS 1978 

VP Engineering & Construction 

LDH Energy 

Houston, TX 

MITCH CURRAH 

MS 1993 

Engineering Supervisor 

Lower Colorado River Authority 

Austin, TX 

Contributor List 6



Provided by Jos seph Dowd 

JOSEPH DOWD 

MS 2001 

Walter P. Moore and Associates 

Dallas, TX 

ar Espinoza 

Provided by Om 

OMAR ESPINOZA 

MS 2007 

Standard Renewable Energy 

Houston, TX 

Provide ed by Jeremiah Fasl 

JEREMIAH FASL 

MS 2008 


Ferguson Structural 

Engineering Laboratory 

University of Texas at Austin 

Austin, TX 

GEOFF MCDONALD 

MS 2009 

Frank Lam & Associates, Inc. 

Austin, TX 

MICAH FLOREA 

MS 2005 

Staff Structural Engineer 

eMi america latina 

Atenas, Costa Rica 

Provid ded by Chris Gilchrist 

CHRIS GILCHRIST 

MS 1997 

Post-Doctoral Research Associate 

Department of Biomedical Engineering 

Duke University 

Durham, NC 

Contributor List 7



usanne Gealy 

Provided by S 

SUSANNE GEALY 

MS 1990 

Portfolio Manager 

Teacher Retirement 

System of Texas 

Austin, TX 

Provided by 

Trey Hamilton 

H.R. (TREY) HAMILTON 

PhD 1995 

Associate Professor 

University of Florida 

Gainesville, FL 

Photo by Ro onnie Medlock 

HEATHER GILMER 

MS 1999 

Engineer 

Texas Department of Transportation 

Austin, TX 

TODD HELWIG 

BS/MS/PhD 1994 

Associate Professor 


Austin, TX 

Pro ovided by Todd Helwig 

Contributor List 8



Prov vided by Catherine Hov vell 

CATHERINE HOVELL 

MS 2007 





Austin, TX 

DAVE LUBITZ 

MS 2005 

Project Manager / Project Engineer 

Aguirre & Fields LP 

Austin, TX 

JAMES KLEINECK 





Austin, TX 

hao Li 

Provided by Guz 

GUZHAO LI 

PhD 2002 

Engineering Manager 

MMI Engineering, Inc. 

Houston, TX 

TERRY KOHUTEK 

PhD 1986 

Senior Lecturer & Director 

Undergraduate Student Services Office 

Zachry Department of Civil Engineering 

Texas A&M University 

ed by James Kleineck 

Provid 

Prov vided by Farrel Zwernem man 

FARREL ZWERNEMAN 

MS 1990 

Technical Authority 

Offshore Civil / 

Structural Engineering 

Mustang Engineering 

Houston, TX 

Contributor List 9



Provided by Bryce Neum man 

BRYCE NEUMAN 

MS 2009 

Degenkolb Engineers 

San Francisco, CA 

CRAIG QUADRATO 




raig Quadrato 

Provided by Cr 

Provided by Marcel Poser 

MARCEL POSER 

MS 2001 

CEO 

BBT VT International Ltd 

IMMIN CHUNG POSER 

PhD 2003 

Prov vided by Karl Pennings 

KARL PENNINGS 

MS 1990 

Senior Structural Engineer 

KJWW Engineering Consultants 

Naperville, IL 

STEPHEN POOL 




Austin, TX 

Contributor List 10



Provided by Tr 

avis Richards 

Provided by Vasilis Samaras 

TRAVIS RICHARDS 

MS 2005 

Transportation Engineer 

TJKM Transportation Consultants 

San Francisco, CA 

VASILIS SAMARAS 

MS 2009 




Provided d by Andrew Schuh 

ANDREW SCHUH 

MS 2008 


Mustang Engineering 

g 

Houston, TX 

JOSHUA MOURAS 

MS 2008 

Structural Design Engineer 

Magnusson Klemencic e ccAssociates 

Seattle, WA 

RONNIE MEDLOCK 

MS 1998 

VP Technical Services 

High Steel Structures 

Lancaster, PA 

ERIK SODERBERG 

MS 1994 


Liftech Consultants, Inc. 

Oakland, CA 

by Erik Soderberg 

Provided 

Contributor List 11



Provided by Jo oseph Spadea 

Provide ed by Jason Stith 

JOSEPH SPADEA 

MS 2002 

Project Development Manager 

Modjeski and Masters, Inc. 

Harrisburg, PA 

JASON STITH 





Austin, TX 

ANDREW STAM 

MS 2009 


Martin/Martin 

Denver, CO 

Provided by Paul Summers 

PAUL SUMMERS 

MS 1982 

Principal 

MMI Engineering, Inc. 

Houston, TX 

Provide ed by Andrew Stam 

LIANG YU 

PhD 2005 

Senior Researcher 

and Engineer 

DeepFlex, Inc. 

Houston, TX 

JAMES SUTTON 

MS 2007 

Modjeski & Masters, Inc. 

Poughkeepsie, NY 

Pro ovided by James Sutto on 

Contributor List 12

Chapter 2: Memorable Moments 

What is your most memorable 

experience with Dr. Frank


teach·er: 

one whose job is to instruct 

My most memorable experience is a toss up between the barely visible 

plaque, “Neatness is a sign of a sick mind,” I saw on his desk the first day I 

met him and the “C” I received in Fracture Mechanics at the end of my first 

semester in grad school. The latter hovered over me like the Sword of 

Damocles until I made it up and graduated, d while the former is something that t I 

have taken to heart. 

- Nicolas Cocavessis 


My most memorable experience was when I took Karl’s fracture mechanics 

and fatigue course in a semester when he tried to quit smoking. Needless to 

say he was not in the best of moods some days but the class took it in stride 

because we knew how tough it was on him to kick this habit. It turned out to 

be one the best and most useful courses I took at UT. Although it was several 

years later, everyone who cares about Karl is glad that he was finally able to 

quit smoking. 

- Terry Kohutek 

Memorable Moments 14


re·search·er: 

one who finds the solution to a problem 

by Ronnie Medlock 

Provided 

IfIh I had dto pick one thing about tDr. Frank 

that I liked most, I think it would be the 

hands on approach that he took as a 

research advisor. I had more meetings 

and conversations with Dr. Frank on the 

lab floor than I ever did in his office. 

- James Sutton 

I have had several memorable experiences with Dr. Frank, but one of my favorites is: 

When I asked Dr. Frank why I was selected to work on his research project, he told me 

that I was selected because I was one of the larger entering students and that I looked 

like I would be good at moving the many concrete blocks onto and off of our steel deck 

test diaphragm. I could never tell if he was joking, but I am pretty sure he wasn’t. 

- Erik Soderberg 

My favorite 

memories are sitting 

around with Dr. 

Frank, Nick and 

Andrew at our 

fatigue meetings. I 

had so much fun 

talking, debating and 

of course joking 

during those 

meetings. 

- Geoff McDonald 

ided by Vasilis Samara as 

Prov 



ex·per·i·men·tal·ist: 

one who dabbles in the unknown 

Having started a bending fatigue test, Dr. 

Frank commented: “If you want to be a 

real fatigue tester, you need to always 

push the setup to run at the highest 

frequency possible.” So we did, and a 

few days later we spent a whole day 

cleaning the lab floor after two barrels of 

hydraulic oil had been spilled because 

the hydraulics broke! At the annual lab 

BBQ this got me the “cleaning prize” and 

afreemop 

mop… 

- Marcel Poser 

There were a lot of positive experiences 

but, unfortunately, my most memorable 

experience is a negative one. A fatigue 

experiment was being conducted on a 

small weldment at the south end of the lab 

behind the reaction wall. Overnight, a slow 

hydraulic leak developed around an o-ring 

in a servo-control. Because the leak was 

slow, the system was able to maintain i the 

load on the weldment so it did not shut 

down on a load error. Because the system 

was under high pressure, hydraulic oil was 

released as a fine mist tens of feet into the 

air. Overnight, multiple gallons of hydraulic 

oil were sprayed into the lab until the pump 

finally shut off due to low oil. There was a 

big mess to clean up in the lab the next day 

and there probably is still hydraulic oil 

hiding in crevices high in the lab. The 

problem was with the equipment (right, 

bottom). 

- Farrel Zwerneman 

Provi ided by Farrel Zwernem man 

Provide ed by Farrel Zwernema an 



euman 

Provided by Bryce N 

My most memorable experience 

with Dr. Frank was when I broke 

off a slugger bit into a steel plate. 

The broken bit was stuck in the 

plate and the lab techs, other 

students, and I came up with 

some very elaborate and time 

consuming methods to get the bit 

out. Dr. Frank takes one look at 

it, grabs a hammer and some 

pliers, and has the bit out in 

under a minute. 

- Stephen Pool 

My research involved corrosion protection systems for stay cables. I learned quite a bit 

from Karl about testing techniques, instrumentation, test fixtures, and general structural 

laboratory knowledge. One of my memories of Karl is that he used to (probably still does) 

wander through the laboratory looking at the test setups under various stages of 

completion. I think he feels more at home in the laboratory than the office or 

classroom. Sometimes he would linger at a test setup looking at it very closely. He might 

ask the grad student what they are doing. This was back in the day when he smoked, so 

he might light up a cigarette and take a few thoughtful puffs while the grad student waited 

in a terrified state for the verdict. He would then make some off hand comment regarding 

the setup like, “It'll never work because..." Of course, this would ruin the graduate student's 

entire day and sometimes send him back to the drawing board. But Karl was right on the 

mark with his assessment and his advice would lead to an improvement in design or safety. 

- H. R. (Trey) Hamilton 

Provided 

by Catherine Hovell 



A few months after arriving at UT, our 

project group poured concrete for the base 

of one of the two piers for the big bridge 

outside. Unfortunately, we hadn’t properly 

accounted for the amount of pressure three 

feet of concrete would create, and the forms 

began to bulge out and split down the 

middle. While we three masters students 

were lost about what to do, Dr. Frank simply 

had Blake get the forklifts and position them 

to hold up the forms until the concrete had 

set. I still wish we’d convinced him to use 

his truck on one side, however. 

- Catherine Hovell 

Provided by 

Catherine Hov 

vell 

Provided by James Sutton 

Prov 

ided by Catherine Hove ell 

Provided by Catherine e Hovell 

by James Sutton 

During the pour of the concrete slab for 

the bridge at FSEL, seeing Dr. Frank 

pour test cylinders and rod them was 

classic. 

- Omar Espinoza 

Provided 



Provided by Bryce Neuman 

My most memorable experience with Dr. 

Frank was when we spent a cold 

December Sunday to finish the 

reinforcement mat of the foundation pad, 

which would support the jack system. It 

was amazing to see Dr. Frank in action 

and how he was arguing with Bryce 

Neuman for who would get the best rebar 

tying tool. By the end of the day (after 

sunset) the reinforcement mat was ready, 

and all of us with low back pain. 

- Vasilis Samaras 

My first semester at the Ferguson lab 

working under Dr. Frank we 

performed a test on a full scale twin 

box girder bridge, intending to 

simulate a sudden fracture event in 

one girder. To simulate the fracture 

we were using an explosive attached 

to the underside of one girder, which 

was intended to trigger a failure up 

the entire box girder. We prepared 

for months, instrumenting the bridge 

and building the apparatus to attach 

the explosives, and then invited 

numerous people from the supporting 

organizations to watch the test live at 

the lab. After setting up and installing 

the explosives everyone gathered in 

the lab to watch the test via camera 

(for safety). Dr. Frank was 

commenting over the speakers, and 

after a count-down he triggered the 

explosives. We watched as a cloud 

of dust filled the screen, then 

resolved into an image of the bridge, 

intact, oscillating on the camera. Dr. 

Frank (and the rest of us) was so 

surprised by the outcome that all he 

could say was “It didn’t fracture the 

web!” The test did yield useful data, 

but certainly didn’t go as anyone had 

expected. 

- Joshua Mouras 

Provided by Bryc ce Neuman 

Provided by Vasilis Sa amaras 



Provided by Amy 

Barrett 

field·test·er: 

one who monitors structures t for analysis 

My most memorable experience with Dr. 

Frank was instrumenting the bridge in 

Dallas that was the subject of my 

research. Dr. Frank joined me and three 

other students for two, very long, hot 

days as we instrumented and tested the 

bridge. 

- Amy Barrett 

Provided by Amy 

Barrett 

Any field experience with Dr. Frank was 

memorable. During the erection of the 

US 71/SH 130 director connector, Dr. 

Frank ridiculed us for bringing fold-out 

chairs and an ice chest to watch the 

process. A couple of hours after 

accusing us of “tailgating the bridge 

erection,” he was comfortably enjoying 

a seat with the rest of us. 

- Andrew Schuh 

Dr. Frank, Dr. Helwig, Jeremiah Fasl, 

Andrew Schuh, Seong Yeong Yang, and 

myself spent the day at a bridge 

construction site just east of Austin- 

Bergstrom International ti lAirport. They 

were constructing the direct connector 

form eastbound SH71 to northbound 

SH130. We made the event something 

like a tailgate with easy chairs and 

cameras. We watched and took notes 

of events while the girders were being 

lifted. We had “lovely” conversations 

with the ironworkers. Quite the day! 

- Jason Stith 

by Andrew Schuh 

Provided 



Another interesting trip was one to Dallas for Amy Barrett’s research project. We 

left on Sunday afternoon and were scheduled to come home on Wednesday. I 

drove with Dr. Frank in the lab truck while the other three students rode in another 

car. On the drive to Dallas, it took us over 8 hours to get to the hotel due to an 

accident along the way. Though it was a stressful situation, Dr. Frank remained 

calm and lighthearted. It also gave me a chance to talk to him (which I thoroughly 

enjoyed) about my research interests and possible topics for a PhD. Due to the 

traffic that night, we got into the hotel well after 1am, yet we were off to the jobsite 

by 8am the next morning. We worked all day putting up gages and did the live 

load tests t at night. On the second night of tests, t we inadvertently tl put one of our 

string pots (to measure deflection) on a cardboard (due to the flat surface) below 

the bridge. In the middle of the test, a homeless guy pulled out the cardboard, his 

“bed,” and ruined the string pot. Both Dr. Frank and I were shocked. Some 

“intriguing” comments were made, but we later shared a laugh due to the comedy 

of the situation. But an important lesson was learned: “You cannot plan for 

everything at a field study, so you must be flexible”… or maybe it was: “Don’t 

disturb a person’s habitat!” 

- Jeremiah Fasl 

Prov vided by Amy Barrett 

I recall being on the inside of a half-completed steel box-girder 80 feet in the 

air on a Houston overpass, attaching strain gages with Dr. Frank, Reagan 

Herman, and Todd Helwig. It was in the middle of the night on what had to be 

one of the colder nights in Houston history (or so it seemed). In spite of my 

fear of heights and the loss of feeling in my feet and hands due to the cold, I 

remember it fondly. Not sure why exactly. 

- Chris Gilchrist 



trav·el·er: 

one who wanders the world 

The Curved Girder Hirschfeld field trip was a fun one. On our way to San Angelo, Dr. 

Frank explained to Andrew Schuh and me some of the significant sites along the way 

(such as the bald eagles nest). Though, as we noticed more and more “historical” 

markers, Dr. Frank mentioned that many of those signs along Texas highways were due 

to massacres between settlers and the native Indians. He concocted a (very funny) 

story that put us on alert for incoming attacks. We spent a good portion of the trip 

discussing possible attack strategies, while always being on the watch for smoke 

signals. Then, each subsequent time I traveled to Hirschfeld, he made sure I was 

observant and watchful for smoke signals. But back to the Curved Girder trip, when we 

arrived at Hirschfeld, the original plan was to be there for two long days. However, 

because Dr. Frank had heard rumors about how fast we were at field studies, he 

challenged us to finish in a day and half. If we did, then he promised to have us over to 

his house once we got back to Austin to celebrate a successful field study. So, when 

Andrew and I explained the contest to the other students (Jason Stith, Jamie Farris, and 

Craig Quadrato), they quickly jumped on board to the challenge and we were easily 

able to install all of the sensors and perform the tests within the time limit. When we 

made it back to Austin, we enjoyed a trip to Dr. Frank’s house where a variety of 

beverages and snacks were prepared for us! 


During the 1999 International Scanning Tour, sponsored by FHWA, our 18 member 

American blue blazer team visited Japan and Europe to see how steel bridges are 

fabricated over there. Highlights: 

- Riding in the back of the bus with Dr. Frank, Alex Wilson (Mittal Steel), John Fisher 

(Lehigh University), Dennis Mertz (University of Delaware) and others talking steel, 

cars, and beer (except that Dr. Fisher offered no beer comments). This was before 

Dr. Frank learned that his great grandfather was a saloon keeper in old San 

Francisco. 

- Lunch with the team in Venice on 

the Grand Canal in view of the Rialto 

Bridge, with Il Papa (Dr. Frank) at 

the head of the table, toasting our 

success in our limited Italian 

vocabulary: “Brutto! Brutto!” 

- In England, trying to be gracious 

guests to our host at Cambridge, the 

local pubs, the hotel bar, and our 

colleague from British Steel (we 

probably outlasted him). 

- Ronnie Medlock 

Provid ded by Micah Florea 



card·shark: 

a card player that gives you the false 

feeling you have a chance to win 

Fasl 

Provided by Jeremiah 

Because I am still working for Dr. Frank, there are still 

many experiences that are memorable, and they range 

widely: from playing spades over the summer and 

listening to stories about classic rock and great blues 

musicians, to observing Dr. Frank’s attention to safety 

and accuracy while not getting bogged down in overly 

detailed scenarios and solutions. 

- James Kleineck 

I also remember scintillating games of Spades out at 

Ferguson during lunch. I had quite a nice winning streak 

going at one point. 

- Karl Pennings 

Over the last few years, I have 

had a lot of memorable 

experiences with Dr. Frank. 

From deciding whether rockers 

or rollers were more appropriate 

for a fatigue setup to playing 

spades (and finally winning 

once!) to project meetings, 

there are quite a few to choose 

from. 


Dr. Frank, Dr. Helwig, & Blake during the 2009 Welcome BBQ 

Provided by FSEL 

In addition to similar taste in music, we also have had a lot of fun over the years playing 

cards at lunch. One great memory from our card playing is that time when he beat me at 

Spades. It was so great seeing the elation on his face after achieving something that he 

had worked so hard at for so many years. Ever since that one time, I have noticed a 

gleam in his eye when we play Spades and I can tell that it is the hope that one day he 

might be able to beat me again. I think that hope has been a driving force that has 

helped make him so successful in so many aspects of his life – and I’m Im justgladthatI 

that was able to provide that spark. 

- Todd Helwig 



ref·er·ee: 

one who always ensures a 

competitive game 

Dr. Frank’s ridiculous twoheaded 

coin toss in the annual 

2nd year vs. 1st year flag 

football game. 


Dr. Frank with stripes and a 

whistle acting as referee for the 

annual flag football game at 

Ferguson Lab. 

- Ben Cheplak 

mar Espinoza 

Provided by O 

2006 Football Challenge 

ovided by FSEL 

Pro 


Pro ovided by FSEL 



Prov vided by Todd Helwig 



cook: 

one who prepares a meal 

I attended Dr. Frank’s 

Thanksgiving Day feast on two 

occasions. It was so generous 

of him to open his house for 

people who did not have family 

in the area to celebrate. 


BBQ’s on the veranda at Dr. 

Frank’s house. 

- Immin Chung Poser 

rovided by Vasilis Sam maras 

Pr 

Another memorable experience with Dr. Frank was when he invited his research 

students to his house for Thanksgiving dinner in 2008. He and his wife opened their 

home to about 6 grad students and cooked a delicious meal. 

- Amy Barrett 

by Dave Lubitz 

Provided 

Some other good memories 

took place during the holidays 

when Dr. and Mrs. Frank were 

kind enough to open up their 

home to grad students in need 

of a friendly place to hang out. I 

remember a wonderful 

Thanksgiving dinner and some 

great Halloween pumpkin 

carving too. 

- Andrew Stam 



golf·er: 

one who attempts t to play golf 

During one of the golf tournaments, Dr. Frank, Todd Helwig, myself, and a fellow 

named Brian were a team. Brian had rated himself as a category “1” player, i.e., 

someone very skilled at golf. Supposedly being our team champion, we let Brian hit 

first off the first tee. On his first drive, he severely sliced the ball into the trees. I will 

always remember Dr. Frank slowly shaking his head and saying that it was going to be 

a long day. Our team came in over ten strokes behind the second worst team. After 

that, it seemed as though Dr. Frank was a little harder on Brian in our Fracture 

Mechanics class. 


At the FSEL golf tournament in 

2008 we were in a group behind 

Dr. Frank. We would consistently 

hit our shots so they would roll up 

on his group. I guess he got tired 

of this so on one hole he moved 

the pin into some bushes where 

we could see it, but not see the 

green. So we all shot at the pin 

and ended up in the bushes. And 

don’t you know that was my 

closest shot to the pin all day! 

- Craig Quadrato 

Provid ded by Punchet Thamm mark 

My most fun experience 

was playing golf with Dr. 

Frank in the annual 

Ferguson Lab golf 

tournament. 

- Mitch Currah 

Provide ed by FSEL 



dri·ver: 

one who maneuvers a vehicle, often at 

high speeds 

Provide ed by Anthony Battistin ni 

Racing my truck against his Ford F- 

150 Lightning to get downtown to 

TXDOT. Ok, so he didn’t actually 

acknowledge that we were racing…But 

once we got there, he suggested that I 

had “one heck of a heavy foot” (with a 

grin of course). 

- Joe Spadea 

Provided by Anthony Battistini 

There is also one other memorable and somewhat more recent experience. 

Karl and I went to dinner one evening when he was in College Station to 

participate in a TxDOT short course. Afterwards he took me for a ride in his 

Ford Lightning which he had just recently purchased. I must say it was an 

unexpectedly exciting ride! 


Someone was taking his name in vain on a construction project, so I called him 

for clarification, and he showed up on site and set everyone straight. I think they 

mostly listened to him because his truck was bigger than everyone else’s. 

- Heather Gilmer 



The Thing! Driving it to 

Ferguson with the top 

down – or maybe the top 

was permanently down 

by then! 

- Susanne Gealy 

I worked on the Fred Hartman Bridge cable-stay fatigue project with Dr. Frank and 

others. I always enjoyed working around Ferguson Lab with him. He is never afraid to 

get dirty with his grad students. I really enjoyed traveling with him on the trips down to 

instrument the Fred Hartman Bridge. I recall one instance where he had his fire engine 

red Ford F-150 Lightning parked on the side of the bridge, and the two of us needed to 

go to the local convenience store for a snack or a restroom break. Under the guise of 

“needing to get into the flow of traffic quickly,” Dr. Frank floored it - engaging full use of 

the truck’s 360hp. The grin on his face, though, revealed that he was just having fun 

showing off his toy. 

- Joseph Dowd 

Provided 

by Joseph Dowd 

Provided d by Joseph Dowd 



friend: 

one who is there for you when 

you need him 

Dr. Frank has got to be one of the most affable and friendly professors I’ve ever had. My 

most memorable experiences with him joined two of my (and apparently, his) favorite 

pastimes: good conversation and good beer. Dr. Frank has excellent taste in beer, and I 

can think of numerous occasions where we sat around together waxing philosophic on 

music, sports, and (of course) engineering while enjoying some great pints of brew. And 

as a sort of surrogate dad, he was always giving us much-needed advice too: 

academics, careers, cars, you name it. 

- Andrew Stam 

Although I have had the 

pleasure of working with Karl on 

a number of research projects 

over the years, my best 

memories are probably 

spending time with him away 

from work. We’ve had several 

great experiences that revolved 

around music. Listening to 

Doyle Bramhall at Symphony 

Square the night of my PhD 

defense with Karl, Jeanne, and 

my wife Karen is a great 

memory. Being one of (what 

seemed like) four people along 

with Karl and Jeanne that 

stayed around to watch Doyle’s 

show at “Beams, BBQ and 

Blues” 15 years later was fitting 

– there’s nothing like a personal 

show. Organizing the music for 

the event with Karl was a lot of 

fun. Another great music 

memory was shooting pool at 

Buddy Guy’s Legend’s Club in 

Chicago with Karl and Robert 

Dexter. 


Provided by Omar Espinoza 




Dr. Frank was always very supportive of his students at FSEL. Prior to my 

leaving Austin to work in Raleigh, NC, Dr. Frank and his wife came out to 

cheer me on (a sign included!) at the 2005 Capitol of Texas Triathlon. 

- Dave Lubitz 

h Florea 

Provided by Micah 

I studied as a Ph.D. student under Dr. Frank’s supervising from 2001 to 2006. 

These five years gave me a lot of memorable experiences. When I close my 

eyes, I can still see the days when we drove around Austin suburbs to 

investigate the off-system bridges, when we built the first high temperature 

steel connect test rig, when we bought the digital camera and programmed in 

LabVIEW to track target, and when we stood on 183 mounting accelerometers 

and strain gages to the overhead sign bridge. I know these memories will stay 

with me all my life and they will be passed on to my kids as stories. 

What I got from Dr. Frank in these 5 years is not only his advice on my study, 

but also his support to my life. When we did not get the funding for the study of 

bolted connections under fire in 2003, I lost my way to support myself in the 

school. It is Dr. Frank who helped me get TA, grader, and computer lab 

technician positions, which covered my tuition. I have to say without his help, I 

could not finish my degree. 

- Liang Yu 



life·of·the·par·ty: 

the one who makes any event memorable 

One of the most memorable experiences I had with Dr. Frank was one of the first 

moments I had with him. It was at the Welcome BBQ and we were standing outside 

near the shade. I was talking with his wife when he walked over and proudly 

introduced me as a fellow Lehigh alum. Next thing I know, he was giving g me a hard 

time because I was drinking a bottle of water and not beer. When I told him that I 

am not a big fan of beer, he asked me if I was sure I had gone to Lehigh… so much 

for a good start. 

- Anthony Battistini 

Samaras 

Dr. Frank always hogging 

the kegs at social functions. 


Provided by Vasilis 


I planned a raging kegger 

at my place for, among 

other things, a 

celebration of the second 

big test on our bridge. Dr. 

Frank and Mrs. Frank 

joined us for a good hour 

plus on their way home 

from a show downtown. 

Dr. Frank made that 

party for a lot of our 

friends. I hope he and 

Mrs. Frank had fun too! 

- Bryce Neuman 



There is one memory that, for whatever reason, really stuck with me. I was attending the 

fall barbeque at the lab where the new graduate students were being introduced, and I 

brought along my girlfriend, Anna. I introduced Anna to Dr. Frank, and really did not 

expect much more than a, “It’s nice to meet you,” and perhaps a bit of pedestrian small 

talk. Instead, Dr. Frank, perhaps after hearing me talk about her so frequently over the 

summer, showed a real interest in what she was studying and carried on a nice 

conversation with her. I was shocked to see that he cared to spend that much time talking 

with the girlfriend of a graduate student who really had not spent much time doing 

research with him at this point. In many ways, despite my work at Ferguson as an 

undergraduate student, I still felt new to the program in many ways, and certainly not 

important enough to warrant such attention to that aspect of my life. 

This moment characterizes much about the way Dr. Frank has managed his graduate 

students, and a reason why I respect him so much. He has always encouraged us to do 

what is necessary for research, and to do it well, but also to develop as a whole, taking 

interest in our lives apart from academics. Working for someone who cares for his 

employees in this way has been a great joy and privilege. 


Provided by Omar Espin noza 

When I look back at my time at UT, some of my fondest memories are not from the 

classroom or lab floor, but rather the BBQs at the lab, the flag football and softball games, 

and just hanging out with the other graduate students and faculty members in a nonacademic 

atmosphere. Dr. Frank was not only hands on when it came to research, but he 

also ran many of the social events at FSEL. I certainly cannot imagine my time at UT 

without those things, and I cannot imagine what my time at UT would have been like 

without Dr. Frank. 



Chapter 3: Most Memorable Project 

What is the most memorable project 

you have worked on


“There are too many [memorable projects] to 

mention, extending to six continents.” 

Sports Arenas 

-Nicolas Cocavessis 

A testimony to Dr. Frank’s obvious impact on the world 

Provided 

by Blake Marvin 

Dallas Cowboy Stadium 

The most memorable project I have had the privilege to be a part of since graduating 

from UT is the new Cowboys Stadium. I was a primary design engineer for the roof 

structure that includes twin quarter-mile long arch trusses, making it the longest roof 

span in the world. 

- Joseph Dowd 

The Sprint Center Arena is 

a multipurpose arena in 

downtown Kansas City 

featuring 333ft-long steel 

trusses. 

- Ben Cheplak 

ed by Ben Cheplak 

Sprint Center Arena 

Provid 

Most Memorable Project 34


Bridges 

Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Dallas 

by Santiago Calatrava. 


Provided by He eather Gilmer 

Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas 

vided by Marcel Poser 

Prov 

Construction of Serreria Bridge in Valencia 

(Spain), designed by engineer and architect 

Santiago Calatrava. 


I-70 Mississippi River Bridge in St. Louis 

Provide ed by Joseph Spadea 

Following graduation from UT Austin, I sought employment at Modjeski and Masters. Dr. 

Frank also used to work there (a long, long time ago). Nearly a month after starting as a 

green engineer, I was assigned to assist in the design of the First Proposed I-70 

Mississippi River Bridge in St. Louis – a 12-lane cable-stayed bridge design featuring a 

2000-ft main span. 

- Joe Spadea 

Most Memorable Project 

35


My most memorable project is probably a TxDOT research implementation project we 

did a few years ago on lean-on bracing. There were a number of reasons it was 

memorable. 

Getting to spend a lot of quality time with an excellent group of students 

t 

instrumenting the bridge in Lubbock was a great experience (mainly due to the company 

and not the location). However, the main reason the project was memorable was the 

anxiety associated with wondering what would happen to my career if the bridge 

collapsed during concrete placement because we had removed too many braces. 


19 th Street Bridge in Lubbock, Texas 

Fracture Critical Tub Girder Project 

I left Texas / TxDOT before the Fracture critical tub girder project was complete, but it 

was a remarkably unique and definitive work demonstrating the robustness of steel 

girder bridges. The original plan was to blow the bottom flange in the field (Interstate 10 

in Houston just north of the Galleria, average daily traffic in that area is about 250k), but 

the contractor told me that he, “didn’t want some crazy professor and his students 

blowing up bridges on his project.” So we brought the girders back and Dr. Frank blew 

them at FSEL. 


Offshore Applications 

My most memorable project involved being the Liftech project engineer overseeing the 

structural review of ten container cranes for the Port of Oakland. On a concurrent 

project, I was the design engineer for the 3000 ft long wharf that the cranes operate on. 

To be involved with the Port on the two projects made the whole experience more 

rewarding. 

Continued on next page 

Provided by Todd Helwig 


36


Continued from previous page 

For me, the crane project was more memorable because I travelled to Shanghai on 

multiple occasions to perform fabrication and seafastening review of the cranes, and I 

made several boat rides out to the Golden Gate Bridge to celebrate the arrival of multiple 

crane deliveries. I enjoyed my trips to China because I was able to experience a very 

different land, see amazing construction facilities, and to interact with people of a very 

interesting culture. After the initial crane deliveries, I visited the wharf as construction 

progressed, which gave me the opportunity to spend time on the wharf and the cranes. 


Provided by Andrew Sc chuh 

Crane working on 3000’ long warf 

Crane working on 3000’ long warf 

rberg 

Provided by Erik Sode 

Chevron’s Tahiti offshore platform in the Gulf of 

Mexico. Floating spar hull supporting a 20,000 

ton topsides facility and the capability to produce 

125,000 barrels of oil and 70 million cubic feet of 

natural gas per day. 


Prov vided by Farrel Zwerne eman 

Deck for drilling and production spar 

My most memorable post-graduation project is 

the design of a deck for a drilling and production 

offshore spar. 

I was project manager for the 

structural portion of the work. The multiple deck 

lifts were among the biggest in the Gulf of 

Mexico. The engineering and design staff for the 

deck structure peaked at about 30, but there 

were hundreds of people at multiple companies 

involved in the design of the overall facility. 



37


Office Buildings 

ngs 

Provided by Karl Penni 

Trump Tower in Chicago 

While working at SOM, I was 

responsible for the design of 

the lateral system for the 

Trump Tower in Chicago. 

The building is a 92-story 

reinforced concrete structure 

with a core and outrigger 

lateral system. 


A five-story concrete and 

steel office-retail building 

in Ft. Worth, TX was my 

most memorable project. 

It was my first major 

project that I completed 

with little assistance 

including design, 

construction 

administration and 

project management. 


Provided by Om mar Espinoza 

Other Applications 

Six Story Concrete and Steel Office-Retail Building 

In my engineering career – it was the post-Northridge earthquake building 

inspections (days immediately after the initial quake). This was real transmission of 

engineering knowledge to people who were afraid and in need of information from 

the assessment of their residences / offices. 



38


One unique and memorable project 

involved the installation of driven 

steel sheet piles to protect the 

foundations of a self-supporting steel 

lattice transmission line tower that 

was being compromised by the 

Guadalupe River near Seguin, 

Texas. Floating barges were 

installed across the river to provide 

equipment and personnel access to 

the tower site. 


Foundation of Steel Lattice Transmission Line 

Provided by Mitc ch Currah 

Provid ded by Chris Gilchrist 

Green Eggs and Ham 

After graduating, one of my first 

projects at Walter P. Moore was 

working on Seuss Landing, the Dr. 

Seuss-themed park at Universal 

Orlando. There isn’t a straight column 

or beam in the entire place. The first 

structure I helped design was the ham 

from Green Eggs and Ham. 

Eventually, I switched to studying 

mechanics at much smaller length 

scales (i.e. within living cells and 

tissues). 


Pro ovided by Chris Gilchris st 

Second Helping 

Living Cells and Tissues 

ided by Chris Gilchrist 

Provi 


39


Provided by Liang 

Yu 

Flexible Reinforced Pipe 

After I graduated in 2006, 

I joined the oil and gas 

industry in Houston. I 

started as a structural 

engineer, analyzing and 

monitoring deepwater riser 

systems in multi offshore 

areas including Gulf of 

Mexico, West Africa and 

South East tAsia. Then I 

moved into the design and 

manufacture of flexible 

fiber reinforced pipes for 

offshore oil and gas 

transportation. 

- Liang Yu 

Lightbox 

My most memorable project to date has been designing the lightbox superstructure 

surmounting the City Creek project in Salt Lake City, Utah. The steel superstructure 

was extremely intricate, perched on top of a 30-story tower in a high seismic zone, and 

it supported a large, mobile roof crane for exterior building access. The unique 

geometry and supported equipment required numerous custom-designed connections 

and a detailed account of the load path. I drew heavily upon knowledge gained from my 

research under Dr. Frank to design the structure. 


oser 

Provid ded by Immin Chung P 

“Muse de Piano” 

My most memorable 

project was the 

concert tour in 

Europe with “Muse de 

Piano;” a group of 

four pianists, playing 

on two pianos with 

eight hands. 

- Immin Chung Poser 


40


Union Square Ice Skating Rink 

ce Neuman 

Provided by Bryc 

This winter was only the second since the ice skating rink was put in Union Square. 

The rink requires some heavy refrigeration equipment, which they need to park on 

the ramp into the five level parking garage beneath the plaza. Last year, someone 

improvised spreaders beneath the load. This year, they hired us to check it out. It was 

a quick and unremarkable evaluation, but we decided we agreed: the spreaders were 

a good idea. 



41

Chapter 4: Career Influence 

How has Dr. Frank influenced 

your career


He taught me a lot about steel design as well as good research practice. He helped me 

to see the value in interpersonal relationships as well as number crunching. He also 

helped me to realize that someone with the first name of Karl could be a successful 

structural engineer. 


My time spent working with Dr. Frank 

provided me with a much better 

understanding of the serious 

responsibilities that come with being a 

Civil Engineer. His guidance during my 

college days gave me the ability and 

confidence to address these 

responsibilities. Dr. Frank, to this day, is 

always available to provide his expert 

advice whenever I need it. 


by Mitch Currah 

Provided 

Karl was my adviser for both my MS and PhD. He 

was the professor in three courses I completed 

while at UT. Most of what I do now is based on 

what I learned then. Immediately after graduation, 

the research I conducted at Oklahoma State was a 

continuation of my graduate research. 


Provided by FSE EL 

He’s provided me with invaluable perspective p on 

the industry. How it operates. What to expect. 

Real world applications – the type of stuff that can’t 

be taught from a textbook. 

- Joe Spadea 

In many important ways: He set 

demanding and high expectations that I 

strive to live up to. He is readily available 

to discuss and help with steel bridge 

performance, manufacturing, or material 

problems. As he grew from professor to 

mentor and friend, he helped me see that 

you could work well and effectively and 

also have fun along the way. 


Provided d by Ronnie Medlock 

Career Influence 43


I remember one Friday afternoon at 

Ferguson Lab when Dr. Frank sought out 

Marcel Poser (my research partner) and 

me to check on our progress. Being two 

young motivated graduate students eager 

to impress our superior, we outlined what 

we had done and what we were going to 

do over the weekend to have ready for the 

following Monday. Dr. Frank took it all in, 

said it sounded d like a good plan, but that 

t 

we should remember to “take it easy” over 

the weekend and take time for ourselves. 

Basically, Dr. Frank taught me to take it 

easy. Regardless of how much there is to 

do professionally, take some time to enjoy 

other activities. 

-Joseph Dowd 

Dave Lubitz and Travis Richards at the Gates Project 

(New York City) 

Provided by Mic cah Florea 

Dr. Frank challenged me to take the more difficult path, no matter the consequences. 

It is something I practice and likewise urge colleagues and my children, students at 

UT, to do. 


“Dr. Frank’s success in the 

steel industry has encouraged 

me to follow a similar path.” 

Dr. Frank has been an excellent 

testament to the old saying, “In 

engineering, the simplest solution is 

the best solution.” He has been quick 

to take my sometimes overly 

complicated ideas and help me 

narrow them down to a much more 

appropriate and practical way of 

approaching a problem—be that in 

presentations or applications. This is 

a lesson that I will carry forward into 

practice (and I expect that many other 

engineers will be happy for me to 

have learned it prior to the start of my 

career). 


I hope to teach and influence 

other students as he has, and 

conduct useful research to benefit 

the structural engineering field. 


rovided by James Klein neck 

Pr 

Career Influence 44


The thing I remember most 

about Dr. Frank was his interest 

in, and dedication to, his 

profession and field of study. 

His interest in solving real 

problems facing the profession 

and to making a difference in 

the field have always been an 

example for me, regardless of 

changes in my career path. 


Provided by 

Chris Gilchrist 

Dr. Frank provided me the opportunity to work on the I-35W bridge collapse. I 

completed a 3-D finite element model of the structure at the time of collapse and 

varied the boundary conditions and possible failure mechanisms to determine the 

immediate behavior after collapse. This was an exciting project to work on and I 

greatly appreciated the opportunity. 

- Jason Stith 

He demanded from me a higher level of thinking and quality of 

work that others in my career prior to my studies at UT had 

not. There is no doubt I am a better engineer and classroom 

instructor because of him. The most notable example of Karl’s 

non-compromising attitude about quality of work is my 

dissertation. After working on my PhD at UT for five years I 

had prepared what I thought was an acceptable dissertation 

based on the research I had conducted the previous three 

years. Karl disagreed completely – he thought I had prepared 

a satisfactory final report for our project but it was certainly not 

up to the standards of a UT dissertation. He told me that I had 

at least three to six months of work ahead of me to produce 

work worthy of publishing in a PhD dissertation. This was the 

last thing I wanted to hear and left without finishing my 

dissertation to go to work. After two years of being angry I 

decided there was no way I was going to waste five years of 

work and decided I would do whatever was necessary to finish 

my dissertation. I spent the next year doing just that and 

produced a dissertation that I am proud of and that met Karl’s 

expectations. I am not ashamed to admit that Karl was 

absolutely right in doing what he did. 


“There is no 

question that 

Karl 

influenced my 

career by 

changing the 

way I 

approach and 

evaluate 

problems as 

an engineer 

and faculty 

member.” 

Career Influence 45


Immin likes fast cars even en more 

after having been to Dr. Frank’s 

garage - the picture with Immin 

driving the Ferrari speaks for 

itself… 

He got me into stay cables when I 

started grad school and ever since 

I remained with these cables… 

-Marcel Poser 

Now let’s race Dr. Frank…Ready, set, go! 

Provided by Imm min Chung Poser 

He has certainly convinced me to take more steel than concrete classes. 


During my master’s degree, Dr. Frank provided a tremendous amount of help on my 

research, despite not specifically being on my project. This impressed me a lot, 

highlighting the team environment that makes FSEL so successful and a fun place to 

work, and has influenced me to help out on many projects around the lab. His technical 

knowledge is so vast that he could help out on almost any project (even those silly 

concrete projects!). Yet another key quality was his ability to create an upbeat, relaxed 

environment, in which complex work could be performed and enjoyed. I have found this 

type of environment to be the most productive and hope to take this quality into the next 

phase of my career, as I develop my technical knowledge. 


Provided d by Amy Barrett 

My career has been very short, but 

Dr. Frank definitely helped to start it 

by giving me the opportunity to work 

on a research project. Employers 

showed a lot of interest t in the project 

when I was interviewing for a job. 

When I needed references, Dr. Frank 

was happy to speak with employers 

and I think his recommendation went 

a long way in helping me find a job. 

- Amy Barrett 

Career Influence 46


Provided by Joshua Mouras 

I was hired by my project 

director, so my thesis 

project with Dr. Frank led 

directly to the career I have 

now, and why I am on the 

materials/fabrication/ 

construction side of things 

rather than the design side 

of things. I continue to rely 

on his technical knowledge, 

but it’s his practical side 

and grip on reality beyond 

the theory that most 

influence the kind of 

engineer I am trying to be. 


Countless ways: I started out as an undergraduate research assistant on the “charpy 

project” – how many thousands did I produce! Then onward to master’s graduate 

student on the charpy project working for Dr. Frank - 1990. Loma Prieta gave me the 

opportunity to apply UT’s leadership in seismic earthquake design research and 

coursework to career opportunities in San Francisco. Dr. Frank helped me personally by 

getting me set up temporarily in his mother’s home outside of San Francisco until I could 

find a place to rent and get on my feet living in a new state at the beginning of my career. 

Thank you! 

When a lifetime career in engineering didn’t seem to be my calling, Dr. Frank wrote 

references for me for business school. I’ve had a career in New York since graduating 

from the University of Chicago and moved back to Austin just a year ago. I appreciate his 

support in this transition, the switch was right for me. And now it seems that I am 

responsible for Dr. Frank’s pension as a portfolio manager with the Teacher Retirement 

System of Texas. So I am back to working for Dr. Frank again! 


Dr. Frank gave me a relatively free hand for my research, helping me to develop 

independent management skills to assemble the tools I needed and get my work done 

on time. He also encouraged pro-active problem solving; whenever I came to him with a 

question he would turn it around and ask me what ideas I had to answer the question. 

“He always encouraged his students to find their own 

solutions, which he would build upon, rather than 

simply doling out answers to us. ” 


Career Influence 47


Provided by Ronnie Medlock 

Dr. Frank taught me so much about figuring things 

out. In my experiences with his classes and our 

research I was always pushed to go do the research 

myself. It has been a valuable tool in industry where 

there are so many things to learn, both related and 

unrelated to my discipline. I hit the ground running on 

my research project, in fact the project had already 

started before I arrived in Austin, so I had to learn as I 

went. That really helped me prepare p for a job in 

consulting where it is rare that you take a project from 

start to finish. 

- Geoff McDonald 

Dr. Frank taught me how to quickly break down complex engineering problems and to 

determine effective ways of communicating their results. 

- Ben Cheplak 

Dr. Frank saved me countless hours in the lab by offering great 

advice based on his experience. His recommendations on 

experimental methods and laboratory operations were 

invaluable. Also, Dr. Frank met with me each week in our 

weekly research meeting highlighting how accessible he made 

himself to students. What a great example he has been for 

those of us who hope to continue their careers in academia. 

- Craig Quadrato 

“Dr. Frank 

saved me 

countless 

hours in the 

lab.” 

Provided by 

FSEL 

Before I left UT this 

past summer, Dr. 

Frank was my career. 

That hasn't entirely 

faded, yet. 


Dr. Frank taught me the value of questioning and rationalizing solutions. This continues 

to help me learn and develop the technical side of my career. 


Career Influence 48


Provide ed by Todd Helwig 

Karl’s influence on my career goes well beyond supervising my PhD work. His influence 

on me actually started before my doctoral studies when I went through a period of my life 

where I was confused and worked for the Dark Side on ‘the material that must not be 

named.’ The research included cyclic loading of post-tensioned beams. We had lengthy 

delays on the project due to problems with the closed loop hydraulic system. Even 

though he had no ties to the project, Karl spent several hours working to solve the 

problems with the closed loop system. Being somewhat of a self-centered graduate 

student, my initial focus in working with Karl (actually all I did was stand around and 

watch him work) was simply py to get the system fixed so I could get on with my research . 

The more we worked on getting the problem solved, the more I appreciated his 

dedication and unselfish nature. Over the months that followed I began to notice that 

Karl provided assistance on several projects of which he was not one of the supervisors. 

“While it didn’t catch on at the time, I think he is still 

holding out hope that pink socks and a pink shirt will 

begin to make its way into football fashion.” 

Since I wanted to get experience in the steel area 

for my PhD, I was very pleased to get the 

opportunity to work with Karl when he had a 

research project focused on bracing of steel bridge 

girders by metal deck forms. Karl is the strongest 

and most well-rounded researcher that I have 

encountered and I was pleased to have the 

opportunity to learn from him. During my PhD 

work, Karl generously allowed me the opportunity 

to work on a number of side studies that exposed 

me to a wide variety of problems. The exposure to 

these problems made me much more well-rounded 

and better prepared me for entering my first 

academic position. 

I also find that I try to emulate Karl’s approach to 

student supervision. Karl has a very “hands-on” 

approach towards research. He really enjoys 

getting out in the lab or going out in the field to 

work with students and I find that I have adopted 

that same approach. 

While Karl’s unselfish nature and approach towards research have had a dramatic effect 

on my career, his approach towards fashion has also impacted me deeply. Perhaps it 

isn’t really his approach towards fashion, insomuch as his bold attitude and lack of fear 

of fbeing a fashion pioneer. 


Career Influence 49


In addition to being very supportive while 

I was attending the University of Texas, 

Dr. Frank has helped me throughout my 

career by providing me with technical 

advice on a variety of topics. The most 

significant influence was the advice on 

what job to take coming out of school. 


Provided by Erik Soderberg 

Dr. Frank influenced my career in pushing and teaching the boundaries of practical 

engineering. He did an excellent job at providing a theoretical understanding of 

engineering, but then turning that information in practical real-world applications. His 

guidance on my research project was a major influence on my strong problem-solving 

li 

and time management skills. 


therine Hovell 

Provided by Cat 

Dr. Frank has had a great influence 

on my engineering career. It was 

during my time working with Dr. Frank 

at UT that I realized I wanted to 

branch off into bridge engineering, 

and it was Dr. Frank that encouraged 

me to apply for and accept my current 

job at Modjeski and Masters. 

Modjeski and Masters has been a 

wonderful fit for me, and although I 

only have a few years of experience 

under my belt, I have already worked 

on many interesting projects that 

have allowed me to apply the skills 

that I learned at UT. 


An important skill I learned (and am still learning) from Dr. Frank is the great value of 

engineering intuition. Engineers call it “getting a feel for things.” Dr. Frank has worked 

long enough in the fields of structural engineering and academic research that he just 

knows when something doesn’t look right, be it a loading frame in a test setup or the 

complex output from an FE model. I want to come to the point where I can do that too. 

Just the same, I’m learning more and more how important it is to trust my own gut 

intuition, even if it is relatively undeveloped. In our day, with major advances in computeraided 

analysis and design, it is all the more important that engineers make use of their 

intuition to judge and examine the design output from computers. 

-Andrew Stam 

Career Influence 50


Provided d by Liang Yu 

The most valuable knowledge that I 

learned from Dr. Frank during the five 

years work and study at Ferguson Lab is 

how to apply basic engineering principles 

to solve problems in reality. That is build 

up the model, design the test, analyze 

test results, and calibrate the model. I 

found this to be the most useful guidance 

when I entered the oil and gas industry, 

which is quite different from traditional 

civil engineering. With the experiences in 

Ferguson Lab with Dr. Frank, I found 

myself very confident in facing the challenges that I have not seen from textbooks 

before. Thanks to the advice from Dr. Frank, I had a quite good start on my career. 

- Liang Yu 

Provided d by Vasilis Samaras 

y Vasilis Samaras 

Provided by 

Career Influence 51

Chapter 5: Useful or Funny Advice 

What is the most useful/funny advice 

that Dr. Frank has given you


Encouraging me (at 5’-6”, 135lb) to join the 

UT-Austin Rugby team. 

- Ben Cheplak 

To sum up my experience with Dr. Frank, I 

just really enjoyed working with him on a 

personal level. I never told him this, but he 

was like a “cool uncle” to me during my time 

at UT. “Cool Uncle Karl” taught me a lot 

about structural engineering, but also a lot of 

other random things that I consider just as 

valuable. 

- Joseph Dowd 

rovided by Ronnie Med dlock 

Pr 

Provided by Oma ar Espinoza 

Students tailgating before UT football game (2006) 

Most useful advice given by Dr. 

Frank: don’t bet against UT 

athletics. 


“I don’t like Orlando. I think Disney 

World is just kiddie Vegas.” 

- Jason Stith 

In a research meeting, we were discussing an upcoming trip to Lubbock and the 

excitement that generally entails adventuring to a new place. All of the grad students 

were eager for the chance to get out of the lab, work in the field, and visit an exciting 

place. Dr. Frank ruined that for us when he started smirking and reminded us of the 

lyrics from a Mac Davis song: “happiness is 

Lubbock in your rearview mirror.” Though 

the first few trips were fun, the words developed 

into true sentiment after months of 6-hour road 

trips, dealing with unpredictable weather (i.e. 

storms that dropped 18-in. of water/hail into the 

jobsite in a two hour period), and the general lull 

of the city (though the food and company was 

always nice). 


Pro ovided by Jeremiah Fas sl 

Postcard for Dr. Frank after he “skipped” out on 

Lubbock field study 

Useful or Funny Advice 53


The most useful advice that Dr. Frank has given me was on how to choose a future 

employer – something I’m still very much grateful for to this day. Nothing funny (well, 

maybe the pink socks that he used to wear for the annual senior/freshman lab football 

game). 

- Joe Spadea 


Provided by Ronnie Medlock 

1993 First-years vs. Old-timers Football Challenge 

I do not remember any advice Karl may have offered me – it’s just been too many years 

ago. However, the way he conducted himself as a faculty member set some examples I 

try to follow. These include: 

• Take your work seriously and always conduct 

yourself in a professional manner. 

• Be confident in your abilities and speak up when you 

disagree with others. 

• Know when to stop talking. 

• Do not use “weasel” words in verbal or written 

communications. 

• If you are going to teach at the highest level you 

must have the same level of understanding of the 

fundamental principles of those who write the codes 

and specifications. 

• Some of the most significant results in research 

come from what might at first seem to be a failed 

experiment. 


If at first you don’t succeed, use a bigger explosive. 


Neatness is a sign of a sick mind. 


Don't post too much information about yourself on Facebook. 


Provided d by Joshua Mouras 



Project meeting with Dr. Frank and Dr. 

Wood: 

Dr. Frank: “Do you already have a 

girlfriend in Austin” 

Marcel Poser: “Yes, a girl doing her 

doctoral in Piano performance at 

UT.” 

Dr. Frank: “A pianist, are you really 

sure about this… we need to talk 

about this…” 

Dr. Wood: “How do you meet a 

pianist” 

Marcel Poser: “Well, socializing…” 

One year later, Dr. Frank was on Immin’s 

committee for her doctoral degree in piano 

performance. 


r 

r & Immin-Chung Poser 

Pro ovided by Marcel Poser 

Provide ed by Micah Florea 

Dave Lubitz, Micah Florea, & Travis Richards 

During one of our weekly Maglev 

guideway project meetings, I was in the 

process of going through a rather 

extensive list of detailed questions I had 

for Dr. Frank when he politely interrupted 

to say, “Travis, you need to start thinking 

for yourself.” The feedback was simple 

and well deserved. Five years later, it is 

still the most honest and helpful 

constructive criticism I have ever received. 

Thanks Dr. Frank. 

- Travis Richards 

Through all these years Dr. Frank gave me a lot of 

advice. The funniest one is when he was trying to 

correct my accent of the word “garden-hut.” Coming 

from Greece, it didn’t make any difference to me the 

pronunciation of the words hat and hut. So, his advice 

to correct the way I was pronouncing the word “hut” was 

to try to “bring” the first syllable deep from my throat like 

I was angry. That was very funny for me, because I was 

never able to pronounce it correctly, and he was always 

trying to correct me. 


by Vasilis Samaras 

Provided 



When deciding where to work, I had several 

offers including a very strong offer from a 

company in Houston and a very good offer 

from Liftech Consultants, in Oakland 

California. Due to the cost of housing, taking 

the offer in Houston would have allowed me 

to immediately buy a house and was 

favorable in some other ways. However I 

wasn’t sure I would like Houston, while I knew 

I would like the Bay Area. Dr. Frank advised 

that working for a good company for good pay 

in a place I may not like may result in a 

difficult dilemma, so I accepted the offer in 

California. In hindsight, I believe this was a 

great decision for me as I am happy with my 

career and life. 


Due to the 2007 “incident,” Dr. Frank must be 

closely watched during the annual golf 

tournament, as evident in two tournament 

directors playing with him in 2009. 

Provided by Jeremia ah Fasl 

Never rely only on computer output. Be able to explain the results that it gives you. 


“This isn’t a high school literature 

paper. Cut out the hand waving 

and present the results.” 

I’ve used this advice in all 

of my technical writing and 

design reports since. 


Finish your dissertation before you start a job. I didn’t quite make it, but it’s still 

excellent advice. 


Provide ed by Jeremiah Fasl 

When playing spades, do not try to 

save the spade King to the last 

hand, because the spade Ace will 

very likely be there too. 

-Liang Yu 

Don’t jump to the conclusion that 

the most obvious solution to a 

problem is the correct one. Be 

sure to consider all of the evidence 

available and keep an open mind. 




Whenever the goal for a project was clear, but maybe nobody knew 

yet how to get there, the meetings were closed with Dr. Frank’s 

statement “ok then, make it so. ” Now I am in the comfortable 

situation to end meetings with the “make it so” statement towards 

my staff and surprisingly, people do make it work or with Dr. Frank’s 

words, “make it so.” 


“Ok then, 

make it 

so.” 


ASCE Structures Congress 2009 Conference Dinner at FSEL 

The most useful has been his advice on Austin’s various “bests” such as best burger, 

best music venues, best bands, best place to drink a beer…this guy could seriously 

write a book. Our meetings rarely lasted under an hour and a half, though we usually 

only talked about project related topics for 15 minutes. 


Provided d by Amy Barrett 

Ican’t think of any specific bits of wisdom I gleaned 

from Dr. Frank, but that isn’t to say I learned little 

from him. I think the most important thing I took 

from my time with Dr. Frank was how to approach 

problems, be them engineering, or for that matter, 

life problems. 

When presented with any sort of dilemma or 

obstacle in the laboratory, Dr. Frank’s tried-and-true 

method of analysis was to take a step back, gulp a 

swig of coffee, and get a big picture view of the 

whole situation. He was rarely hasty or narrowsighted 

in his thought-process, and usually devised 

an out-of-the-box solution that we hadn’t even 

remotely considered. To this day, I try to emulate his 

thoughtfulness and calm deliberation when 

presented with whatever problems I face. 

- Andrew Stam 



Any student that has come through the lab is aware of Karl’s skills at fixing cars. 

Because of this mechanical knowledge, he is always a good person to ask for advice on 

how to fix an automotive problem. Early on in my PhD studies, I was experiencing some 

difficulties with our 1986 Honda Accord. In the spring of 1991, the car developed a 

major water leak causing the floorboard to be covered with standing water in even a 

relatively minor rain storm. Since the lab is such a large open space, one evening I 

pulled the Honda in and started to remove the interior of the car including the seats, 

carpet, and center console to dry out the car and to facilitate finding the leak. As I was 

removing the interior, Karl came by and imparted his sage advice on how to fix the 

problem. Years earlier, his father had the same problem with his car, so Karl was familiar 

with the difficulties in locating and fixing leaks. While his advice was highly technical and 

required significant specialty tools, I thought there was probably a more efficient way to 

locate the leak and to fix the problem. 

Provided by Todd Helwig 

Todd Helwig, Karl Frank, and Erik Frank 

Therefore I proceeded to remove the interior of 

the car and to stand on my head while my wife 

held a water hose on the windshield of the car 

so that I could locate the source of the water 

leak. After spending 1.5 weeks and maybe 60 

hours trying to locate the leak, I decided to 

follow Karl’s advice. I spent 5 minutes drilling 

a few small holes in the floor board to allow 

water than leaked into the car to drain out. 

After reinstalling the interior, i we drove that t car 

for 9 more years without any more water 

problems. 

I was pleased to be able to share some of my 

own expertise with Karl and his son Erik when 

they visited Houston to see the Houston Grand 

Prix. I’m Im confident that they have probably 

tripled the design life of their stereo speakers 

with the advice and training that I gave them 

on how to fix speaker woofers with packing 

tape. With good technique and high quality 

tape, outstanding sound can be maintained 

with little-to-none of the original connection 

between the woofer and the surrounding 

speaker. 


Some of the best advice Dr. Frank has given me stems from discussions about 

restaurants. Now don’t get me wrong: he gives some excellent advice about steel 

structures as well, but so far, I have been very pleased with the food at Iron Works and 

the Elite Grill in Waco. I’m Im really going to have to try some of his other 

recommendations. 




Provided by FS SEL 

ASCE Structures Congress 2009 Conference Dinner at FSEL 

Words of wisdom as I was faxing off my 

insurance claim after my fiddle got run 

over by a bus. 


I recall Dr. Frank admonishing 

me for giving up playing the 

saxophone and instead liking 

The Derailers (an Austin country 

band at the time) and twangy 

country music. In the years 

since, I’ve sold my saxophone 

and bought an electric guitar to 

play in a country band. So I 

didn’t really listen to him, but I 

always knew he’d give me his 

honest opinion. 


“You shouldn’t throw 

your fiddle under a bus” 

Provided by 

Ronnie Medlock 

He taught me to be precise – to consider a broader spectrum of input to get the most 

correct answer to problems instead of going with a quick, less informed solution. 


“Don’t 

build 

an ugly 

bridge.” 

In our steel bridge class, Dr. Frank spent a few lectures on bridge 

aesthetics and how including certain details can greatly improve the 

appeal of the structure without significantly increasing the cost. These 

lectures have stayed with me and I now critique all the bridges I 

encounter and think of ways the designer could have made the bridge 

compliment its environment. 



Chapter 6: Additional Comments


I have been very fortunate to have worked with Dr. Frank during both my master’s and 

PhD degrees. His passion for research has inspired me and his help on the projects is 

outstanding. It always seems that he has neat little ideas that really help to clarify 

certain aspects of the research. I also associate him with being able to quickly 

determine whether or not an idea will be successful. The amount of experience he has 

is amazing, and whenever he gives one of these tidbits, I am sure to write it down. 

Most important of all, he has been very kind to me and I could not ask for a nicer 

advisor. Lucky for me, I am still working with him. 

Dr. Frank is also known for his excellent flag football refereeing, complete with the ever 

fair coin toss. 



During the 2009 Football Challenge 







Additional Comments 61


I returned to UT after 20 years of “real world” experience as a “nontypical” 

student, which means my previous UT transcript was in the 

basement of the Tower and I was older than many of my professors. 

I was fortunate to have Dr. Frank for a steel design class and he 

invited me to work on one of his research projects at Ferguson Lab 

while I was completing my Master degree. I would even get paid – 

is this a great University or what 

Is this 

a great 

University 

or what 

Day One at 

the Lab 

Dr. Frank showed me around the lab and introduced me to my 

graduate student leader, Todd Helwig and the regular lunch spades 

game – is this a great deal or what 

The research project that I would be working on would require a test setup 

on the large reaction slab. The tunnels under the slab would need to 

be cleaned out and lucky for us, Todd and I were just small enough to fit 

into the tunnels. The tunnels were full of dust, equipment, dust, debris, 

dust and spiders – fortunately no snakes. We finished the clean out on 

day six and I was beginning to wonder if I would ever be able to get the 

dust out of my nose. Anyway, we were done and things were looking up. 

Day Two 

through 

Day Six 

Day Seven, 

Eight, and 

Nine 

And beyond… 

Turns out that the steel test frame we were to use needed to be 

sandblasted and painted. The lab had a painter to do the 

painting, however, Todd and I would have the enviable task of 

sandblasting the frame. Since neither Todd nor I had ever done 

this before, it sounded like great fun. Of course the work had to 

be done outside and we had to wear this heavy suit, not to 

mention that it was about 98 degrees and we had to sandblast in 

the open, in other words no shade – good grief, what have I 

gotten myself into Turns out the three days of sweating bullets 

was just what I needed – all of the dust in my nose was now gone. 

The next few semesters consisted of classes, 

running many tests, collecting and evaluating the 

data and writing my thesis. Dr. Frank was 

always there to assist with any problems and I 

have never met a man who could recall so much 

knowledge from his undergraduate student 

years. I was and continue to be thoroughly 

impressed with Dr. Frank as a mentor. My 

experiences at Ferguson Lab are some of my 

fondest, even the first nine days. It was great fun 

thanks to Todd and Dr. Frank. 


ASCE Structures Congress 2009 Conference 

Dinner at FSEL 

Pro ovided by FSEL 



Provided by J 

Provided by Joseph Dowd 

oseph Dowd 

Joseph Dowd at the Fred Hartman Bridge 

Dowd 

Provided by Joseph 

rovided by Susanne Ge ealy 

Pr 

Bid Bridge cable stay fatigue project at 

Fred Hartman Bridge 

Susanne and her daughter in a restaurant in China 

(2009) 

Pumpkin carving party at Dr. Frank’s house (2004) 

Provide ed by Dave Lubitz 

While I am not a practicing engineer today, 

I can honestly say that the critical analysis 

and thinking skills of an engineer are used 

every day to invest the TRS pension. 

Engineers understand the difference 

between precision and accuracy. This is a 

crucial difference, whose nuance is lost on 

many an investment professional. 

Dr. Frank, about 3 years ago I adopted a 

little girl from China. She’s 4 years old and 

we visited China last October. 




Happy with the results 

As his graduate ate student I worked with Karl on a couple of consulting job. For one of 

them, I was sent to Chicago to take data and photographs of two railway tank cars. This 

was back in the late 1970’s or early 1980’s well before the time of digital photography. 

On this trip I took two film cameras – one to take black and white photos and the other 

to take color slides. When Karl was preparing for a deposition he wanted to have some 

of the color slides from my trip made into 8 x 10” color photos. This was not something 

that could be easily done and would require special equipment at a photography p shop, if 

it could be done at all. As a resourceful graduate student I perused the yellow pages of 

the phone book (this is well before PCs and the internet) and found a listing on Manor 

Road of a business operating as: “Austin Prints from Slides.” This seemed like the 

perfect solution and most importantly it should please Karl. 

It was my job to deliver the slides and meet with those doing 

the work to tell them exactly what was needed. Karl would 

pick up everything when completed in a week or so and pay 

the bill. As it turns out and very much to my surprise, this 

business was located in a gated, “clothing-optional” apartment 

complex! I must say it was a surreal experience when I arrived 

and discovered what I had gotten myself into (and yes, there 

were people everywhere wearing nothing but a smile). 

“He’s an 

adult so let 

him find out 

for himself 

about all the 

other 

things!” 

“People 

everywhere 

were wearing 

nothing but a 

smile” 

Fortunately, the people running the business were clothed and 

conducted themselves professionally and seemed to know what 

they were doing. I decided to leave the slides with them. When I 

told my wife of this experience I expressed how concerned I 

was about it and wondered how could I possibly tell Karl about 

this place I was also concerned that if these guys didn’t 

produce the quality of work expected by Karl that my days as a 

UT graduate student were over. I mean how much more 

irresponsible could I be by leaving these extremely important 

slides with people who don’t wear clothes My wife in a very 

calm tone said: “Tell him nothing about the place other than the 

directions to get there. He’s an adult so let him find out for 

himself about all the other things!” This is exactly what I did. 

I must say Karl had quite an interesting look on his face when I asked him about his 

experience at “Austin Prints from Slides.” Fortunately for me they did excellent work so 

Karl was pleased with the results. In fact, for many years other FSEL personnel used 

them when they needed prints made from their slides. I guess you don’t judge a 

business by the clothes they do, or do not, wear. To this day I am still not sure how Karl 

felt about doing business with these folks. I would have loved to have seen his 

expression as he entered their “shop” on that first trip. I do know he seemed happy with 

the results and that’s all that was important to me. 




A picture is worth a thousand words 

Provided by 

Omar Espinoza 

Thomas Anderson 

Provided by Bryc ce Neuman 

Dr. Frank lending a 

hand to celebrate 

Vasilis Samaras’ 

Birthday (2009) 

[BELOW] 

Provided d by 

James Sutton 

Dr. Frank’s hands on approach to research 

Tying rebar and making 

cylinders… does Dr. Frank 

have a secret love for 

concrete 


How engineering logic allows for safe eating choices (as related 

to street food in China): 

I estimated that anything pulled out of a vat of boiling oil wasn’t 

going to make me sick – no matter what it tasted like. These are 

WHOLE crabs (including shell) on a stick. [RIGHT] 

by Susanne Gealy 

Provided 



Karl is perhaps the best research engineer that I’ve ever met. He is able to quickly see 

the most simple and effective way to measure or capture the structural behavior either 

in the laboratory or the field. Karl has played a huge role in the success and capabilities 

of Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory over the past 30+ years. I think he sets 

the standard that we should strive towards in terms of dedication and sharing our 

expertise with our colleagues. While we have agreed to let him retire from official 

campus duties, I am glad that he has a 20 year contract to officiate at the fall old-timers 

versus new-timers football game – be sure to resurrect the (pink) socks. 


Prov vided by James Sutton 


Greatest Achievement 

One of Professor Frank’s greatest achievements was being 

a member of the winning team of the 2007 J. Neils 

Thompson Golf Tournament. There is mixed speculation 

as to the meaning of the asterisk next to his name. While 

some have suggested it was the use of performance 

enhancing drugs, allegations also surfaced of the illegal use 

of an arm wedge. Still others point to the donning of attire 

unbefitting the sport of golf – pink socks 

by FSEL 

Provided 



More than a mentor 

Working with Dr. Frank during my graduate studies has been a life experience. Dr. Frank 

has guided me and supported me throughout the past few years. His personal interest in 

my progress within and beyond research encourages me to improve myself. I remember 

the first day that I met Dr. Frank at his office to discuss possible research opportunities. I 

was feeling anxious because his picture on the department’s website made me think that 

he was a very strict and arrogant person. However, from the very first moment, Dr. Frank 

tried to make me feel comfortable. In fact, to make me feel better, he showed me a 

piece of rock from his recent trip to Greece and he started describing his summer 

vacations. At that point, I realized that his picture didn’t illustrate his true character. 

Thank goodness he recently changed the profile picture for a better one. 

Test Day: Redundancy of twin-box girder bridges (6/6/2008) 

ras 

Pro ovided by Vasilis Samar 

Project Team: Dr. Frank, Bryce Neuman, Vasilis 

Samaras, Amy Barrett, Dr. Williamson, & Janghwan Kim 

Dr. Frank inspecting the explosives 

maras 

Provided by Vasilis Sa 

Beyond research projects and 

coursework, Dr. Frank has always tried 

to advise his students about life 

through h the many stories from his own 

experiences. He is more than glad to 

host crazy pumpkin carving parties or 

formal Thanksgiving dinners, and he 

will be the “soul” of the party when 

invited to birthday and half-birthday 

parties. 

Pumpkin carving party at Dr. Frank’s house (2007) 

Further evidence of Dr. Frank’s great personality was showcased when I saw him being 

very emotional at an intimate gathering that was held at Ferguson Laboratory to express 

thanks to the family of Robert L. "Bob" Reed for their generosity and support to FSEL. 

My graduate years have been full of a lot of experiences, many of which Dr. Frank has 

contributed greatly and they will definitely be an unforgettable part of my life. Dr. Frank is 

more than a mentor to me. Thanks for everything Dr. Frank! 




Happy Retirement (for he is a jolly good fellow)! 

To a Great Professor, Dr. Karl Frank. We were delighted to have had the opportunity to 

study under your guidance, and we recognize the impact your work has had in the 

design and behavior of steel structures. For our industry to move forward, we rely on 

professors such as yourself to teach, mentor and motivate the next generation of 

engineers in this fascinating field and we wanted to take this opportunity to 

acknowledge your distinguished career. 

With best wishes for a long and healthy retirement! 

- Paul Summers & Guzhao Li 

Pro ovided by James Kleine eck 

Dr. Frank showing James how to hold the flame 

It has been a great pleasure getting to work 

with Dr. Frank. He has shaped the way that I 

look at engineering from not just a technical, 

but also from a personal perspective, and 

beyond that, in the process I have gained a 

mentor and a friend. I am most grateful to 

have worked with and learned from him. I 

wish him the best in his retirement, and that 

he finds as much happiness and fulfillment as 

he has imparted on the lives of those with 

whom he has worked through the years. 


Dr. Frank, thanks again for making 

structural engineering research so much 

fun. I think I’ve told you this before, but 

I was pretty lukewarm towards research 

when I started out. Unsure of whether I 

would like it, and afraid that I might be 

doing it wrong, I started off pretty 

intimidated. You put my fears at ease 

very early on, and I thank you for that. 

Now I’ve just got to figure out if I can cut 

it in the design world… 

- Andrew Stam 

Happy, healthy and fun retirement 

Wishes! 

- Joe Spadea 

Nick Richman & Andrew Stam helping out on other 

projects 

ded by Andrew Stam 

Provi 

Dr. Frank is a great guy, and I am grateful that he has been, and continues to be a part 

of my life. I am sad that he is retiring, but I wish him the best in his next stage in life. 




I truly believe that working with Dr. Frank at UT has helped me to become a better 

engineer. While I was at UT, I always tried to keep my ears open around him because I 

felt that I learned something new everyday. In fact the lessons that I learned from 

listening to his many stories and past experiences perhaps taught me as much as any 

lesson I learned in the classroom. Dr. Frank taught me how to use what I learned in the 

classroom to solve real world problems, and he taught me that complex problems do 

not always require a complex computer program or analysis. Rather I learned how to 

break down complex problems and solve them using a simplified approach. This ability 

has already served me well in my career. 

Thanks, Dr. Frank, for everything you taught me…it was a privilege to work with you. 


Even though it has been almost 

25 years since I finished my 

graduate work at UT, 

sometimes it seems like 

yesterday. I have visited ECJ 

and the lab several times since 

graduate school and they have 

changed, but not much. I have 

very fond memories of my 

classmates, professors, 

studying in my office, digging 

through the journals in the 

library, and playing cards in the 

break room at the lab. Karl has 

had a positive impact on my life 

and undoubtedly many others. 

I hope that he enjoyed his time 

at UT and will enjoy even more 

his time after UT. 


Dr. Frank’s during the 2007 J. Neils Thompson Tournament 

Pro ovided by Punchet Tham mmarak 

by Catherine Hovell 

Provided 

Despite stories I have heard about how Dr. Frank was 

once a very stern, unforgiving advisor, he always 

seemed to take our errors in stride. While building the 

fracture specimen (big bridge) outside, it seemed like 

every other day something went terribly wrong. Tim, Jim, 

and I would walk into team meetings with our tails 

between our legs, ready for and expecting some kind of 

tongue-lashing or at least a “how could you” or two. 

Instead, Dr. Frank seemed to respond with a shrug, a 

smile, and a plan for how to move forward regardless of 

whatever er hadn’t gone as desired. 

- Catherine Hovell

Dedication TK lF k To Karl Frank - Ferguson Structural Engineering ...

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