Joseph B. (Joe) Franzini, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, professor emeritus of civil engineering at Stanford University and an expert on fluid mechanics and water resources, passed away April 15 in Palo Alto, California. He was 94.
Joe served on the faculty at Stanford University from 1950 to 1986, where he taught fluid mechanics and water resources engineering. He also served as the associate department chair from 1963-1980, giving invaluable service to the department. After retiring from Stanford, he was very active as an engineering consultant. He is co-author of the widely used textbooks, Water Resources Engineering and Fluid Mechanics With Engineering Applications. The water resources book, which is used throughout the world, is recognized as one of the most authoritative technical publications in its field.
Joe received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the California Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. from Stanford University. He was a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and a member of the American Geophysical Union, the American Society for Engineering Education, and the American Institute of Hydrology. He was also a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of California and has served as President of the San Jose Branch of the San Francisco Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. For over 30 years, Joe served as a special consultant to George S. Nolte and Associates, a civil engineering firm in San Jose. He worked on many water projects in the Silicon Valley and has served as a consultant to many government agencies and private organizations, both in this country and abroad.
Joe was a beloved teacher, mentor and advisor, and in his teaching, he always stressed practicality and professionalism. He encouraged his students to participate actively in professional societies, to pursue registration as professional engineers, and to employ the highest ethical standards. Many of us who had the good fortune to know him and to work with him benefitted enormously from his great knowledge, wisdom, and his great generosity and sense of humanity. In recognition of his professional achievements as well as his personal attributes Joe was elected in 1994 to the Silicon Valley Engineering Council Hall of Fame. In that same year Joe was awarded the Ray K. Linsley award by the American Institute of Hydrology. In accepting the award Joe reminded us of his great wisdom when he stated that "...we must not lose sight of the importance of the fundamental relationships of hydrologic processes, nor permit them to suffer at the expense of "software that solves all problems."" These are words that still form the basis of our teaching and research philosophy in the EFMH program today.
His obituary published in the online version of the Palo Alto Weekly can be found at http://www.paloaltoonline.com/obituaries/memorials/joseph-b-franzini?o=4259.
