William Fisher Cassie
Prof William Fisher Cassie (usually referred to simply as Fisher Cassie in his field and as Bill Cassie by his friends) FRSE CBE LLD (1905-1985) was a British civil engineer and academic. He was a noteworthy author on building structure. He was an expert on soil mechanics and a strong advocate of underground transport systems.[1]
Life
He was born in Monifieth in Angus on 29 June 1905, the son of William Cassie.
His early education was at the Grove Academy in Dundee.[2] He then studied engineering at the University of St Andrews, graduating in 1925. He continued as a postgraduate, earning a PhD in 1930 before spending a year in the USA in Illinois.[3]
From 1943 until 1970 he was Professor of Civil Engineering at Durham University. In 1965 he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Advisory Council on Road Research under Prof F.E.Jones.[4] Dundee University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1972 (LLD).[5]
He died on 20 April 1985.
Publications
- The Torsional Stiffness of Structural Sections (1948)[6]
- Structural Analysis (1954)
- Northumbria: A Selection of Photographs (1958) (foreword only)
- Structure in Building (1966)
- Fundamental Foundations (1968)
Family
He married Mary Robertson Reid in 1933. They had no children.
Recognition
The Cassie Building in Newcastle University is named after him.[7]
His portrait is held by the National Portrait Gallery, London.[8]
References
- Edwards, J. T. (4 December 2015). Civil Engineering for Underground Rail Transport. ISBN 9781483102542.
- Information, Reed Business (6 April 1961). "New Scientist".
- https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf
- http://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/17th-december-1965/27/advisory-council-on-road-research
- http://www.dundee.ac.uk/governance/university-calendar/honorary-degrees/
- https://www.istructe.org/journal/volumes/volume-26-(published-in-1948)/issues/issue-10/articles/the-torsional-stiffness-of-structual-sections-disc
- http://www.ncl.ac.uk/library/special-collections/exhibitions/current-and-past-exhibitions/so/university_buildings.php
- http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp72588/william-fisher-cassie