Roland Sharpe, 1924-2018

Roland L. Sharpe, the Supervising Engineer responsible for the original design and construction of SLAC, died on March 15, 2018 at 94. Sharpe was responsible for recommending both the current design (instead of the initially proposed two parallel tunnels design), as well as its present site. He later formed his own company and was in great demand internationally. SLAC reached out to Sharpe in 1994 and he served as a consultant for seismic work as well as new research facility construction.

Shepherding the building of a landmark facility

In 1959 the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) tasked Sharpe, who was with John Blume & Associates at that time, with reviewing the University’s proposal to construct a $107 million Two-Mile Linear Electron Accelerator research facility. Sharpe and his team completed a detailed feasibility study for the project with a cost estimate of $114 million. Upon Congressional approval and Stanford’s selection of Aetron-Blume-Atkinson to manage the project, Sharpe became the Technical Director, in charge of all engineering and architectural design and construction, except for that of the accelerator itself.

Sharpe worked closely with Panofsky and the physicists to develop an integrated workflow and schedule. A diplomatic manager, he insisted on written minutes “to avoid arguments later.” At SLAC’s formal dedication in September 1966, President Lyndon Johnson sent a telegram with "congratulations for completing the first major U.S. funded project within budget, on time, and works as predicted."

A testament to Sharpe’s designs, the original structures from the early 1960’s sustained only minor damage in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and were evaluated with high marks by independent structural engineering firms 30 years after their construction - in sharp contrast to many newer facilities deemed in need of serious strengthening..

Ongoing contributions to SLAC

In 1994, Sharpe to returned to SLAC as a consultant to reassess SLAC’s structures and. was recognized for his "intimate knowledge of SLAC, vast experience,… and intellectual curiosity [which enabled SLAC] to develop an innovative seismic assessment program." Beyond developing the Seismic Program, Sharpe contributed to other successful SLAC projects including the SPEAR3 project (dedicated in 2004) and the Linac Coherent Light Source – LCLS (dedicated in 2010).

Prolific author and mentor

Roland Sharpe was the author of over 200 technical papers throughout his career. He was also a valued member of many professional organizations:

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Distinguished Member

Structural Engineering World Congress (SEWC) Founder, Past President

Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Honorary Member

Structural Engineers Association of California College of Fellows and Honorary Member

Japan Structural Consultants Association (JSCA) Honorary Member

Association of Consulting Engineers India, Honorary Fellow Member

Memorial service arrangements and obituary details will be provided when available.

References:

Huggins, R. The Development of Seismic Guidelines for the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC-PUB-7248). Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, August 1996.

Sharpe, R. Engineering Design Summary Report for Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (ABA-107). Aetron-Blume-Atkinson, 1966.

Sharpe, R. 52-Year Application of Provisions to Major Research Facility. 14th U.S.-Japan Workshop on the Improvement of Structural Design and Construction Practices, December 3-5, 2012.