Upon graduating from Elkhorn High School in West Virginia in 1941 at the age of 16, Dan Frederick decided to study civil engineering because of his natural penchant towards mathematics and mechanics and a desire to apply these in the broadest way possible. After earning a bachelor ’s degree in civil engineering at the age of 19, followed by military service in World War II, he returned to Virginia Tech to earn a master ’s degree in applied mechanics in 1948. His master’s thesis was on the aerodynamic stability of bridges. His Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Michigan dealt with a study on the bending of thick plates. He became a Registered Professional Engineer in Civil Engineering in 1948.



Dr. Frederick served almost 45 years on the faculty at Virginia Tech, including more than 19 years as Head of the Engineering Science and Mechanics (ESM) Department. In June of 1974, he received the high honor of being named an Alumni Distinguished Professor. During 1990-92, he served as an IPA appointee in the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C., where he helped manage and administer the research program in energy engineering. During his professional career, he has made distinguished educational contributions in the field of mechanics through teaching, scholarship, research and effective leadership in professional societies and in departmental administration.



When Dr. Frederick retired in 1992, he had established the exemplary record of having taught at least one course in every quarter or semester of his 45 years on the faculty at Virginia Tech. In addition, he was a visiting professor at the National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Mechanics Institute held at the University of Colorado during the summers of 1962 and 1963. Later, he was invited to be a lecturer in the American Society for Engineering Education-NASA Summer Faculty Institute at the Langley Research Center in 1964 and 1965. During the summers of 1965-70, he served as director and lecturer in the NSF Conference on Continuum Mechanics held in Blacksburg. He also served as theoretical physicist in the Underwater Explosions Research Division of the Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, for three summers and as a consultant at the Pacific Missile Range, Point Mugu, California, during one summer. He supervised 44 Ph.D. students, co-authored two books and authored numerous other publications.



During his stewardship as the ESM Department Head, one of his significant achievements was the advancement of the sponsored research program into one of the top programs of its kind in the nation. Correspondingly, the ESM graduate student enrollment increased from 49 to 165. The faculty response was a high degree of productivity in important written publications. Subsequently, ESM faculty received numerous significant awards and honors at the national and international levels, and seven were honored with Virginia Tech Alumni Research awards. Dr. Frederick’s own research career is notable for the successful management of a U.S. Department of Defense THEMIS Research Center, which provided the foundation for the large and successful research program in composite materials at Virginia Tech.



As the ESM Head, Dr. Frederick placed major emphasis on excellence in teaching. The ESM Department conducted an effective teaching program each year, which was required of all new faculty, and encouraged experimentation with new methods of teaching aimed at improving the learning process of students. During the Frederick years, five faculty members won the Sporn Award for teaching Excellence, four won Wine Awards, five were admitted into Virginia Tech’s Academy of Teaching Excellence, one received the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia Outstanding Educator Award, and two received ASEE/SE Awards.



Dan was appointed for two terms to the U.S. National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and served as editor of the ASEE Journal of Engineering Mechanics. Also, he has served as President of the Society of Engineering Science, American Academy of Mechanics, and the Association of Chairmen of Departments of Mechanics. He has been the recipient of an American Society of Civil Engineers Huber Research Prize and the ASEE Mechanics Division Outstanding Educator Award, and was elected a member of the Academy of Engineering Excellence of the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech.



Dan continues to reside in Blacksburg with his wife of 52 years, Frances. They have four children and 11 grandchildren.