Henry J. Degenkolb

Henry John Degenkolb (13July 19139December 1989) was an American structural engineer in San Francisco, California, noted for his many contributions to earthquake engineering. He and John Gould formed a firm in 1956 that evolved into present-day Degenkolb Engineers, which has provided structural designs for many San Francisco Bay Area buildings. As an early pioneer in learning from earthquakes, Degenkolb visited many damaging earthquakes to share lessons with the profession. He served as president of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI).

Early career

Henry Degenkolb earned his B.S. Engineering degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1936. His first job (1936 to 1939) was performing analysis for the engineers preparing for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. One of those engineers was John J. Gould, Chief Structural Engineer for the exhibition. After the exhibition, Gould and Degenkolb worked on testing the timber trusses and building connections as the exhibits were dismantled.