In the fall of 1956, James F. Haley and Harl P. Aldrich met for lunch to discuss the possibility of forming a partnership to practice soil mechanics and foundation engineering. Haley had been Deputy Chief of the Foundations and Materials Branch of the New England Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Aldrich was an Assistant Professor of Soil Mechanics in the Department of Civil and Sanitary Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). They recognized the financial risks involved since their professional practice would be the first in New England outside of consulting provided by members of the academic community. They were both married, each with five children. They agreed that their proposal and the risks of establishing a successful practice should be discussed with Dr. Arthur Casagrande, Professor of Soil Mechanics at Harvard University and the acknowledged leader in the discipline. They hoped that Dr. Casagrande would give them his blessing. They both knew Casagrande and had great admiration and respect for him. They had studied under Casagrande, receiving a Master of Science degree in the soils program at Harvard in 1940. They had taken Casagrande’s course in seepage, and during the 1955-56 academic year, Haldrich was a Visiting Lecturer on Soil Mechanics at Harvard when Casagrande took a sabbatical leave.
Dr. Casagrande agreed to meet them, and their meeting in his office at Harvard was very encouraging. Casagrande believed that a market for their services would develop and that their respective educational backgrounds and experience complimented each other. With Dr. Casagrande’s blessing and counsel, they founded the firm Haley & Aldrich, Consulting Soil Engineers, on 1 January 1957. At the time, few people knew what soil mechanics was, or what soil engineers did. The market was very lean. It took many years to establish the role of the geotechnical engineer as an important member of the design/construction team. Years later, both Haley & Aldrich realize that they were in the right place at the right time. New England, a region of complex geologic history with highly variable and challenging soil and rock conditions, was on the verge of major development. Mr. Aldrich now fondly remember his meeting with Casagrande before establishing their practice.
And what was the counsel Dr. Casagrande gave to them on that day in 1956? As they left his office, Casagrande said with a weiry smile, “Now, when dealing with your clients, don’t make it look too easy.”
