September/October 2023 - 41

EGENDS A Tribute to the Legends
Every four years, DFI and the DFI Educational Trust honor three practitioners - an engineer, contractor and manufacturer/supplier - who have
shown steadfast professionalism, character and integrity, and have made a broad impact on the industry with contributions that are pivotal today.
The 2023 recipients are being honored at the Legends Awards Banquet during the DFI 48th Annual Conference in Seattle on Thursday, November 2.
Engineer Legend
Samuel Clemence, P.E.
If you work in the
helical pile industry,
you have Sam
C l e m e n c e t o
thank. The modern
use of this
deep foundation
technique was
shaped by Sam. His research created one
of the most comprehensive data
collections of torque-to-capacity and
helix plate analysis in the industry. The
use of helical piles and tiebacks
advanced to a widely implemented
foundation tool and robust business
industry. Serving as the first chair of
DFI's Helical Pile and Tiebacks
Committee, Sam made it known that
these foundations have their place in
design standards.
As an assistant operations officer in
the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps, Sam
completed projects in some of the
world's most remote locations. Installing
deep foundations in crystallized coral
and constructing bridges using elephants
probably would not surprise you
if you are familiar with his creative
approach to engineering.
Sam had a unique way of relating to
young engineers while also preparing
them for the industry. He didn't have to
tout his accomplishments; you could
recognize them in how he taught. When
I meet other Syracuse University engineering
alumni, we always share a story
about Professor Clemence. A legend
always leaves a lasting impression on
those they meet. Sam's contributions
have made an impression on the deep
foundation industry and will continue to
do so through the students he has taught.
By: Matthew Conte, principal, Conte Company
Contractor Legend
Pete Nicholson
Creative, hardworking,
innovative.
Three words
that can describe
P e t e r ( P e t e )
Nicholson and the
c o m p a n y h e
helped to build.
Throughout his career, Pete has been a
driving force behind the introduction
and use of industry advancing concepts
in the U.S. The eldest son of founder
Arthur Nicholson, Pete evolved pile
driving contractor, Nicholson Pile, into
an earth retention trailblazer. Through
his leadership of the company that still
bears his family name, Nicholson Construction
(now part of Soletanche-Bachy)
advanced high-capacity tieback anchors,
tieback walls and soil nailing, grouting,
diaphragm walls, and soil mixing in the
U.S. His notable contributions to critical
infrastructure include the World Trade
Center and Boston's Central Artery Tunnel.
Pete has served as a spearhead in
industry projects and has also led federally
funded research that propelled
micropile and earth retention work
across the country. He inspired engineers
and operational practitioners that
continue to drive the American specialty
foundation industry.
Pete actively contributed to DFI,
especially in its early days. He also
staunchly supported the initial Recommendations
for Prestressed Rock and Soil
Anchors and Federal Highway Administration
research programs. This award
recognizes Pete's vision to import and
promote techniques, specialists and
processes that revolutionized the U.S.
earth support and foundation industry.
By John Wolosick, P.E., S.E., D.GE, F.ASCE, senior
advisor, Keller North America
Manufacturer/Supplier Legend
Ernst Friedrich Ischebeck
(posthumous)
As a young lad
graduating as a
mechanical engineer
from the University
of Hannover
in Germany,
I am sure that
Ernst Ischebeck had no idea that his
career would lead him to be remembered
as a legend in the deep foundation
industry. From 1964 he worked for the
family business and developed many
firsts in the concrete shoring and
forming industry. It wasn't until the
1980s that he developed the idea of the
hollow bar micropile.
This technique has grown in
popularity around the world, especially
in micropiling and soil nailing. I first
met Mr. Ischebeck in 2007 at the
International Society for Micropiles
(ISM) Workshop in Toronto. I had been
selling his product for a few years and
was intimidated to meet him. We were
at different places in our careers, him
towards the end and me just getting
started. As it turns out, I had nothing to
fear. Mr. Ischebeck was the humblest
and most soft-spoken gentleman I had
met. He talked for hours not only about
his products and ideas, but also about
my background and ambitions.
We met many times up to his passing.
He was a proud sponsor and participant
of ISM workshops. He would
moderate sessions with the precision
you would expect from a German engineer
with his apple timer. He would be
proud to know his legacy of honesty and
integrity lives on in his company today.
By Dan MacLean, P.Eng., senior engineer, Keller
North America
DEEP FOUNDATIONS * SEPT/OCT 2023 * 41

September/October 2023

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