Todd Engineers

Although I was well acquainted with Dr. Todd's name through his works in the area of water resources, I had the opportunity to personally meet him only a couple of years back. Our meeting was only for about an hour but he left a permanent and very pleasant impression on me. We were about to take up a water project in India and I was very excited to work under his guidance but unfortunately it did not work and I lost the chance for ever. However, I will always remember the way he received me in his office and enlightened me with his thoughts on his favourite subject.

David and Rolly Todd were my landlords for nine years in Berkeley. In fact I lived in the apartment attached to their house. I never knew David was so accomplished in his life or so well regarded in his field. To me David was just a very genuine and a very caring person.

I suspected David was somewhat ‘esteemed’ when I would have occasion to briefly converse with friends of his who would visit his house for one reason or another. However, I never noticed anything even remotely like this in the man himself. David was always self-effacing, humble and friendly. Since I only knew him on the periphery of his life, I think it is a compliment to him that along with his extensive contributions to society as well as his distinguished achievements someone such as I could relate to him as an everyman. David Todd was an everyman who also happened to be a superman.

I will remember him with the fondest regards and I extend my sincere condolences to Rolly, Stuart, and Brian. He will be missed.

I had the privilege of working with David and the Todd Engineers gang in the late 80's when I first moved to California. I was engaged at the time, and was moving from the Illinois State Water Survey to join my future husband, Bob. David wanted to know where we would be living, which was on Harrison Street in Oakland. He told me he drove by it to be sure it was in a "safe" neighborhood, which thankfully he determined that it was!

I have many fond memories of working at Todd Engineers. It was exciting as junior staff to work on such exciting hydrogeologic projects. Everything was done with such grace and style. I remember traveling to Arizona with David and staying at the Arizona Inn in Tucson -- a lovely spot. The Stringfellow acid pits and surrounding environment was not as picturesque, but the Riverside Inn was quite nice!

I remember that we were not encouraged to work extra hours. At 5:00 p.m. a couple times David stood quietly by my desk with a look that said "time to go home."

My heart goes out to the Todd family as well as everyone at Todd Engineers. Your loss is shared by all who had the honor to know such an extraordinary gentleman and scholar.

It was a privilege and honor to have been part of David Todd's team for nine years. His passion for the field of groundwater hydrology was very inspiring. As a young hydrogeologist I could not have had a better mentor than David Todd. He is truly a pioneer in his field and I am deeply saddened by the news of his passing. I will always cherish my memories of working with Dr. Todd.

David Keith Todd was a kind, warm, wonderful person who will be sorely missed by all who knew him. My condolences to his family and colleagues at Todd Engineers. May David's spirit of unwavering enthusiasm carry you through this sad and difficult time.

David K. Todd was one of the giants of groundwater hydrology in the 20th century. His textbook, "Groundwater Hydrology," the first in groundwater since Tolman's, ushered in the modern era of groundwater hydrology. His years of teaching at Berkeley produced some of the finest groundwater hydrologists of our time, including Allan Freeze, John Cherry, Jacob Bear, and Shlomo Neuman. He retired from a successful university teaching career to found Todd Engineers, a successful engineering practice specializing in groundwater and related problems. About five years ago I had the honor of presenting him an award from the American Institute of Hydrology at a dinner meeting in San Francisco, and the respect and love that his colleagues had for him was very evident in the room. David K. Todd was a great man whose life's work touched the lives and careers of thousands of engineers and scientists throughout the world.

David,

I wish I had told you this before. I have a lot to say to you.

I wish I had known you long ago. Our paths began far apart. Midwest and New England.

I discovered you in 1959. I read your book.

In that book you taught me ground water. But you didn't know that.

And what you taught me, I taught to my students. But you didn't know that.

And what you taught me, I taught to my company. But you didn't know that.

But I knew that. And I wish I'd thanked you for it.

But it is not too late.

Because you built an entity -- Todd Engineers -- an entity

That emulates who you are and what you stand for.

And so to them I can express my thanks

And continuing support

To that which you created.

And that which you created

Will last a long, long time.

David was a great mentor to me as well as an employer and friend. About 20 years ago he helped me realize a career change into the groundwater business which has become central to my life's work. I'm so glad that he lived to see his great legacy "Groundwater Hydrology" revised and updated. That will get us through the next few decades.

Years ago, when my family experienced a serious loss, David responded with unexpected personal kindness and understanding that helped us survive the grief. For that alone, I will be forever grateful to him and his family. When I heard of his passing, I was saddened, but then also surprised that within minutes I felt encouraged at the recollection of his smiling face. David Todd had that kind of enduring effect on many people. His enthusiasm was infectious and his talent for interjecting a new and clear perspective was inspiring. He was a gentleman's gentleman who continually brought colleagues together on projects and helped many of us achieve educational and personal goals. Indeed, working at David Keith Todd Engineers was like earning an advanced degree in hydrogeology from an intimate small university.

I would like to extend my best wishes to David's family and friends at Todd Engineers.

In the spring of 1982, I first made personal contact with David while I was recently unemployed and on a mission to find employment or, if luck would have it, return to graduate school. At that time there were only a handful of companies in the U.S. devoted solely to groundwater issues. I had worked for 8 years with one of those small companies in Tacoma, WA. I sent David my resumé. He inquired about my willingness to go to Peru, South America for 18 months to install some 60 water supply wells for the City of Lima - I jumped at the chance. It seems that David had read an article about an engineering proposal to drill a hole (conduit) through the Andes Mountains and tap into the Amazon River watershed for a water supply. Instead, David proposed successfully, teaming with Engineering Science (ES; now Parsons ES), on an investigation of local groundwater supply sources. That was the year of the Falklands Islands (Malvinas) War between England and Argentina; Peru sided with Argentina. Needless to say that most U.S. contracts were canceled including this one and that was the end of that chapter.

My next encounter with David was 3½ years later when I again sent my up-dated resumé to Todd Engineers in 1986. It was January and David suggested that Todd Engineers could subcontract me to conduct a historical review of two municipal well fields for the Bodega Bay Utility District (imagine Bodega Bay as your first assignment, but in winter). The rest is history and I enjoyed working with David for the next 20 years on a variety of very interesting, stimulating, and important projects and different groundwater problems. David would encourage independent thinking and approaches while applying the same strategy for project management. If I had technical issues which I could not easily answer, or needed technical confidence, David's door was always open; and, he was always there for technical guidance and a methodical explanation with notepad sized sketches, a positive editorial pen, and, of course, eloquent public speaking skills. Because we shared the same first name, this led to some amusing memories and sometimes confusing conference calls. Finally, it took me five years (in late 1990) to have David autograph Groundwater Hydrology (First Edition, Sixth printing) that I had purchased for $15.50 from the publisher in 1975. David's book helped lay the groundwork for my career in groundwater. I have felt very honored to have a professional relationship with David over these wonderful years. I will miss him.

I was filled with deep sadness upon learning of David Todd's passing. I learned of his short but courageous struggle with acute leukemia the Tuesday following his death. Each day since, I have remembered how much he contributed throughout his career to groundwater science. He will always be among the giants who have influenced the lives and contributions of so many others working in the groundwater field.

Click on the card image to see a larger version

His contributions transcend boundaries of language and cultural differences and have had an indelible impact on educators, students, and the public's awareness of the importance of groundwater worldwide.

I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to know David for about 25 years. I continue to think of recent science conferences where he contributed, including at last year's Groundwater Summit in San Antonio and the University of California Groundwater Resources Associated co-sponsored Biennial Groundwater Conferences. I have always held him in high esteem not only as an engineer and scientist but also because of his endless kindness, generosity, good-natured ways, and his recounts of his global work and travel experiences. My prayers and deepest sympathy are with you in this sad time.

I hope you find peace and comfort from memories of all the work performed and contributions made that have made a difference and his pride in knowing that you will carry forward the legacy of the firm he began.

With deep sympathy,

I wanted to say that I am very sorry about the passing of David Todd. I appreciate the summary of his life and his life's work that you posted on the Todd Engineers' website.

I didn't meet Dr. Todd until just a few years ago (I think I first met him in some meeting about the Santa Clarita water purveyors and their perchlorate problems, so something good came to me as a result of their problem!) So reading the summary on your website was something I enjoyed and of course, was quite impressed with.

I am sure that you feel the absence of his guidance and experience in your professional lives, but you must also miss his personal combination of graciousness and intellectual curiosity.

But to borrow from West Wing (my form of escapism from the current American government) you now have a new acronym to rely on -- WWDTD (What would David Todd do?) -- when you are faced with thorny technical and managerial questions.

I think you are very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him and with each other for as long as you have. I know he will want you to keep up the good work!

Hugs to each of you -

I just wanted to let you know that many of us in the groundwater industry have held David in our highest esteem. His was the first "good" book on hydrogeology that I ever read -- back about 1962 -- and I had the pleasure of working with him, and opposite him, on a number of projects over the last 45 years. He was always a gentleman, and a professional of the highest caliber. We will all miss him.

I first became acquainted with David Todd in 1960 when I read his Groundwater Hydrology text. At that time I was an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at Oregon State University in Corvallis. On the basis of that book, I applied to the Ph.D. program at U.C. Berkeley and began my studies in 1962. I enjoyed the courses that I took from David and I conducted research under his direction. David gave me the idea for my Ph.D. dissertation and mentored my research until it was completed in 1966. He taught me at the very beginning of my research career to be an independent, creative researcher. David was not a micromanager, but he expected me to seek him out when I needed his help. During those meetings, I found him to be very knowledgeable in the field of groundwater with unique abilities to blend his practical and academic knowledge.

I last saw David in March of 2005, when we had lunch together. David was his usual self, full of energy and happy with his work. David's untimely death is a major loss to his students, friends, and family and to the science of hydrology and its engineering applications. He will be greatly missed.

Whenever I saw Dave - in front of Peet's Coffee on Domingo, or hiking at the Bohemian Grove, he would always greet me with an enthusiastic, caring, friendly smile.

He and his wife Rollie always seemed the perfect couple, and their success in child-rearing is evident in their fun-loving, creative & sensitive boys Brian & Stuart. Supportive parents who sent their kids to good schools and allowed them to be free thinking, artistic & expressive. They even disappeared for their kids' occasional party at their home on Avalon in Berkeley so the youngsters could enjoy a not-too-rowdy time in a safe environment. That's trust!

As I got to know him as an adult, Dave would always ask me how things are going with me in my life, deferring to my interests first-and-foremost. His pixie look will always be with me.

Near a spring on the shores of Mono Lake

After nearly 30 years, I have too many wonderful memories and anecdotes to choose to describe David Todd. Two remarkable traits were his inherent confidence and unfailing optimism, which he projected from the lectern as a professor, from the witness stand as a groundwater expert, and from his office as a consultant. These traits imbued his students, colleagues, and clients with enthusiasm and resolve. These photographs express David Todd: he loved his work.

It was a privilege to know him.

I am saddened to hear of David's passing. I am sure that all of you there will miss him greatly and you have my condolences.

As a young hydrologist just out of graduate school in 1979, my second project with the consulting firm CDM in Walnut Creek brought me into contact with Dr. Todd. He and Todd Consulting had been working for a year or more on an important contamination problem outside of Stockton. At some point, Dr. Todd concluded that a model-based investigation to complement his observational studies was warranted, and CDM was selected, with me as the primary modeler. I was much in awe of David, but was always impressed with the gracious way that he encouraged and nurtured my inexperienced efforts. In particular, when it came to telling the client that, despite all their hopes, that the modeling efforts were in no way going to suggest to the State that they weren't the source of the problem (contrary to the hope and opinion that the client had broadcast strongly to me and the public many times during the course of our investigations), Dr. Todd placed his considerable reputation and experience foursquare behind me. It was much appreciated and a show of great integrity.

I learned a lot from my early exposure to Dr. Todd about being a good scientist and being a gentleman. He will be missed.

Sincerely,

Dear Family and Friends of David,

I first learned of David in the early 60's, bought his new newly published book, and heard him speak before the Sacramento Geological Society. His book was the first one after Tolman and used by many university classes. When I moved to Hawaii, he became involved as a consultant to GE TEMPO in the late 60's. Then more recently, Todd Engineers did an important and successful model of the Honolulu Aquifer. I am using the third edition of his book at Hawaii Pacific University for a course on hydrogeology. This is how I came to know David.

Despite being an accomplished academic, David could appreciate the practical side and could see the value of the field workers and field experience. David was no snob and was approachable at all times for help or consultation. He left a legacy that will be difficult, if not impossible, to match. He will be missed by all of us who had the great fortune and experience of knowing and admiring him.

I am an old friend of Stuart and Brian from growing up in Berkeley. One time on a ski weekend with the Todds, we played scrabble with David. David was clearly very well read and traveled and he spelled a word that none of us could find in the dictionary. He claimed that it was a mountain range in Canada. There was only one problem and that was that David misspelled the word. The correct word is Kootenay and David had spelled it something like Kooneyai (kooneeyeah -- David's pronunciation). Of course, we would not challenge the learned professor, so Kooneyai became our secret keyword to communicate amongst ourselves while skiing at Alpine Meadows. We yelled Kooneyai at David every time we saw him from the chairlift and he always shot back his warm grin. Kooneyai then became our way of greeting each other at our high school.

With very fond memories of David and the Todd family.

David was a kind and considerate man, always patient, always ready to help.

I am thankful to him for so many things. He was my boss, a mentor, and a friend. I went to him for help and direction with diffficult hydrogeologic problems and even discussed with him my decision to marry many years ago when I wanted his perspective as a man married to one person for many years. David and Rolly opened their home to me and my husband for a wedding shower.

Just a couple of months ago we did a field project together on the beach in southern California. I will always remember that sunny warm day, his excitement over a challenging new project, and as ever, his encouragement to me to succeed.