OBITUARY

Leonard Stevens died on 17/08/2018.

Emeritus Professor Leonard “Len” Kelman Stevens made major contributions to Australian engineering over his six-decade career.

After serving as a flying officer in the Pacific during World War II, Professor Stevens arrived at the Melbourne School of Engineering during a boom in student numbers. He was given the opportunity to study engineering thanks to a government reconstruction training scheme for those who had served in the war. He completed his Bachelor of Civil Engineering at the University of Melbourne in 1950 and Master of Engineering in 1954. After securing a scholarship, he completed his PhD in 1955 at Cambridge University.

Because of the support he received at the beginning of his career, Professor Stevens championed the creation of scholarship opportunities throughout his academic life. These initiatives included the Melbourne School of Engineering Foundation, which was established in 1982 under his three-term leadership as Dean. He went on to become Head of the Department of Civil Engineering at the school.

Professor Stevens was involved in some of Australia’s most important building projects, such as the Arts Centre in Melbourne and the Australian Academy of Science’s Shine Dome. He was the engineer assessor for the New Parliament House design competition and was a design consultant for the building’s construction.

Professor Stevens’ advice was highly sought after by industry. He played key roles in the inquiry into the Westgate Bridge collapse and its subsequent redesign as well as the aftermath of Cyclone Tracy.

Elected a Fellow of the Academy in 1984, he contributed to the climate change, digital futures, energy and infrastructure forums, and served on the membership selection panel.

Professor Stevens was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2005 for outstanding contribution to the field of engineering, and to education. Although he formally retired in 1990 he continued to consult, research and collaborate with the University of Melbourne until December 2017 – a remarkable feat for a man by then in his 90s.

Few people have influenced engineering in Australia as Professor Stevens did. As an educator, he taught generations of engineering students, occasionally from the same family. Many past students note how his wise counsel made a significant impact on their course and career decisions.

Professor Stevens died on 17 August 2018, aged 93. He is survived by his wife Fay and three children.