Harold Walter Iversen, 1913-1973. Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

Harold Walter Iversen died on November 10, 1973 at the age of sixty, after a long and valiant struggle to overcome the effects of major cancer surgery. He is survived by his wife, Ruby Kahler Iversen, and two children, his son Jon and his daughter Karen Iversen Timm, both of Dixon, California.

Harold Iversen was born in San Francisco on September 1, 1913, the son of foreign-born parents-Carl Alfred Iversen, a native of Norway, and Martha Jorgensen Iversen, who came from Denmark. His parents moved to San Pedro, where his father, a former ship captain, found employment as Port Captain and Dock Superintendent. Harold spent his early years in San Pedro, where he acquired a familiarity with ships and with people who work in shipping which later proved important to him.

After completing his secondary education in the public schools of San Pedro, Harold studied at UCLA for two years, completing the pre-engineering program and qualifying for transfer to the Berkeley campus, which at that time had the only Engineering College in the University system. Before enrolling at Berkeley, he spent two years earning the money to finance his education. Most of the jobs related to the sea, ranging from bathhouse attendant to wiper and oiler in the engine rooms of tanker ships, the latter activity keeping him at sea for nearly a year.

Following receipt of the B.S. degree in Engineering after two years at Berkeley, Harold worked as a Mechanical Engineer for the Ingersoll-Rand Corporation in New Jersey, where his work involved the development and testing of compressors, blowers, pumps, and allied equipment. During the four-year period at this work, he rose from engineering trainee to responsible charge of the test work in the laboratory. This practical engineering experience contributed to his ability to later teach engineering subjects from a practical viewpoint.

Harold returned to the Berkeley campus in 1941 to teach in the general field of fluid mechanics and to qualify for the M.S. degree, which was awarded to him in 1943. He served in several academic ranks and was advanced to Professor of Mechanical Engineering in 1957. While he taught a variety of different courses in the laboratory and lecture room, his major interest was in the field of pumping machinery. The course in this subject, taught for a number of years, was a developing course, keeping pace with his research in the field. At the time of his death Harold was engaged in the compilation of his research and course notes into a textbook on pumping machinery.

Harold was in local charge of the engineering group sent to Bikini Atoll to measure the wave disturbance produced by the early atom bomb tests conducted there. He developed the recording instruments required for these observations and was able to improvise on the spot, as indicated by his use of empty tomato cans lashed to palm trees at various heights to determine the maximum heights of the wave crossing the atoll.

As a professional engineer, Harold was called upon to serve as a consultant on fluid mechanics problems, one of these being the problem of designing a dredge pump for use in Ghana, at a site where the sand contained diamond particles capable of eroding the runners of pumps quite rapidly. His design of a jet pump solved the problem, with laboratory models to support his conclusions. This preoccupation with models was also evidenced by his success in solving problems for the City of San Francisco, where the pump intakes in the waste treatment plants could not carry the load until revamped, following model tests carried on by Professor Iversen. He also used models to finalize the hydraulic design of the fountain at the Bank of America in San Francisco, a design which has been copied for other fountains.

Professor Iversen served as Associate Dean of the College of Engineering from 1964 to 1969. Here he worked with students and faculty members to improve the advising system of the College and to aid students in finding solutions to their problems of academic standing. He served as advisor to student organizations and exercised his hobby of cooking by serving as barbecue chef at the annual ASME student picnic.

Harold will be remembered by his colleagues and former students for his careful and time-consuming preparation for class presentations, his clear and concise reporting of research and design work, and his insistence upon the best performance of which the students were capable.

E. D. Howe

J. W. Johnson

P. B. Stewart