John A. Blume

John Augustus Blume (April 8, 1909 – March 1, 2002) was an American structural engineer born in Gonzales, California. He first decided he wanted to study earthquake engineering when he witnessed the Santa Barbara earthquake of 1925. In 1929, he went to Stanford University, where he later received his A.B.degree, his graduate degree of engineer and his doctorate.

John A. Blume
Born	(1909-04-08)April 8, 1909 Gonzales, California
Died	(2002-03-01)March 1, 2002 Hillsborough, California
Education	Stanford University, B.A. Engineering 1933, Engineers Degree 1935, PhD 1967
Spouse	Jene Blume
Engineering career
Discipline	structural engineering, earthquake engineering
Practice name	John A. Blume Associates
Awards	Moisseiff Award, National Academy of Engineering

Blume's career included major contributions to dynamic theory, soil structure interactions, and the inelastic behavior of structures, earning him the title of the “Father of Earthquake Engineering.” ^[1] Blume died at the age of 92 at his Hillsborough, California home on March 1, 2002.^[2]

John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center

John A. Blume provided funding to found the John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering center at Stanford University, which began operations in 1975.

Blume Center Directors

Years	Directors or Co-Directors
2002-Current	Gregory G. Deierlein
1995-2002	Anne S. Kiremidjian
1988-1995	Helmut Krawinkler and Anne S. Kiremidjian
1985-1988	James M. Gere and Helmut Krawinkler
1974-1985	Haresh C. Shah and James M. Gere

See also

• George W Housner
• Maurice Anthony Biot