WALBRIDGE:
A GUIDING LIGHT IN
FOREST ENGINEERING
BLACKSBURG,
Dec. 12, 2002 - Many
things change over
the span of a lifetime,
but even after 60
years Tom Walbridge's
passion for forest
engineering has never
wavered. Fondly known
as "Doc" to his colleagues,
Walbridge came to
Virginia Tech in 1973
to build the now renowned
Industrial Forestry
Operations Program
within the Department
of Forestry and taught
in Blacksburg until
his retirement in
1989.
After
receiving his bachelor's
degree from the University
of Washington in 1942,
Walbridge enlisted
in the Navy. When
World War II ended,
he taught at Montana
State University,
where he also earned
his Master of Science
and Forestry degree.
Walbridge left the
university in 1953
to work as a forest
engineer for Hiwassee
Land Company, the
woodlands division
of Bowater Paper Company
in Calhoun, Tennessee.
Returning to academia,
he enrolled in doctoral
studies at the University
of Michigan and received
his Ph.D. in 1960.
During
those early two decades
in industry and academia,
Walbridge was instrumental
in introducing mechanized
logging and forest
engineering to the
Southeast. His accomplishments
earned him the lead
position in the Harvesting
Research Project (HRP)
in 1968, an industry
cooperative of five
major pulp and paper
companies to research
new equipment. This
project served as
a springboard for
the current program
at Virginia Tech.
A discussion at the
Atlanta airport in
1972 started it all.
John Hosner, Virginia
Tech forestry department
head at the time,
set up a meeting with
Walbridge during a
layover he had in
Atlanta while on vacation.
"With his Ph.D., experience
in industry and research
expertise, Tom is
an extremely unique
individual," said
Hosner. "I knew of
him through his reputation
within the industry
and through his work
on the Harvesting
Research Project.
When I saw the project
drawing to a close,
I sought him out to
build our program."
Over the next several
months Hosner and
other supporters worked
to gain support of
several key companies
to help build Virginia
Tech's program. "We
explained to industry
leaders that the program
would continue the
needed research and
also graduate students
that would feed into
the forestry workforce.
With a respected name
in the industry like
Tom, we got the support
we needed," recalled
Hosner. And with that,
Tom Walbridge's Virginia
Tech career began.
"Machines,
money, men, and trees"
-- that's what forestry
boils down to for
Doc Walbridge. Seeing
the advent of hydraulics
and the change to
mechanized harvesting
has given him an expertise
few can claim. "We
managed to keep five
companies from the
original HRP, and
I had a great advantage
understanding exactly
what the industry
needed from our graduates,"
said Walbridge.
When
he first came to Virginia
Tech, there were 20
faculty in forestry
and wildlife division
and five of them,
himself included,
were brought in to
create the Industrial
Forest Operations
Program. Walbridge
worked with Bill Stuart,
also brought to Tech
from the HRP, and
began structuring
a curriculum and creating
the classes necessary
to educate forest
engineers. Walbridge
recalls how much he
enjoyed "making the
program come to life
and watching the reception
of industry to our
students." During
his 15 years with
the program, Walbridge
worked as a full-time
professor and researcher.
After
a brief retirement
to California for
five years, during
which he authored
The Location of Forest
Roads, a widely used
text in the field,
he returned to Blacksburg
to be with friends
and continue working
with students. Since
his return he has
remained an integral
part in the students'
education process.
For the past six years
of his retirement
he has continued to
guest lecture during
the fall semesters.
In the spring Walbridge
assists associate
forestry professor
Mike Aust two days
a week in the field.
"The
wonderful thing about
being retired," Walbridge
said, chuckling, "is
that you don't have
to do anything you
don't want to. There
is just nothing that
makes me happier than
to run out into the
woods, look at a piece
of land and assess
it. I am going to
continue teaching
as long as I am not
in the way." As for
his distinguished
career: "I've just
been doing my job
-- that's what I've
been paid for. I don't
understand all the
fuss."
