Tim Reinhold

Friend and colleague

Dear Greg Vicky and Katherine:

I am sorry that I will miss the celebration of Art’s life but am glad that I was able to make it to the funeral.

Art was very special to me and to my family as well. He was a colleague as well as a mentor and a great traveling companion. While I had known Art for some time I feel like I really got to know him and we got connected at a different level when we spent four wonderful weeks together over a two year period helping the Structural Engineering Research Center (SERC) in Madras India get their laboratory and field programs up and running. While we spent time giving lectures and working with the SERC Madras staff, it was the lessons in living and relating that bring the fondest memories.

When I arrived in Madras the first time, Art had already been there for two weeks. His first directions to me, at midnight when I arrived, were to join the Sheraton Club so that I could be upgraded and join him on the concierge floor. At check-in I joined and was immediately upgraded. For the $25 we got free breakfasts and an evening happy hour. But what was even more incredible was the connection he had made with the staff of the hotel. Whether we went into the exercise room or one of the several restaurants, he was greeted by name and better yet, he greeted the staff by name. He also seemed to know the names of all the cleaning staff on the various floors and would patiently correct my pronunciation of the names as I tried with little success to also learn some names. A trick he used was to not tip a small amount each time but to save up and tip with a larger sum, delivered in an envelope to each person at the end of the week. We pooled our tips and using this method dropped more significant tips. He also was writing letters commending certain individuals that he sent along to the hotel management. It was interesting how they reciprocated. We were treated to complementary tickets to a live performance of My Fair Lady and to a special dinner at a Tandoori Restaurant at their sister Sheraton in another part of Madras, both with complementary hotel provided transportation.

On my last day in Madras I got sick from some unwashed vegetables that I hadn’t noticed at lunch. I was in no shape to attend the farewell dinner with the SERC Madras staff and only barely walking enough to make it through the lines at the airport. Art took care of me through this and helped deposit me on the airplane with enough dignity to not get barred from the flight home.

Another special memory was when Art joined me and a bunch of students from Clemson in a damage survey following Hurricane Opal. At the end of one particularly long day, we finally found an open Chinese Restaurant in Panama City and as we sat down, Art huddled with the owner. Before we knew it, food started flowing and didn’t stop until everyone was more than full. I have had several of the students comment in the intervening years that we needed Art around when we once again found a Chinese Restaurant open following a hurricane.

It was clear from the testimonials at the funeral that Art had a tremendous influence on his students and had a tremendous gift for influencing their lives. In addition, Art provided a very valuable connection between the US wind engineering research community and researchers in the Pacific Rim countries. His contributions in full scale measurements and in organizing conferences and workshops will have a lasting influence on the field of wind engineering.

While it will never be quite the same visiting Hawaii without his warm welcome. It is comforting to think that we have a good friend who has gone on before us and will probably be there to greet us and much like his direction to me in Madras, be there to show us the ropes when we join him.

With great appreciation for a friend who lived life to the fullest, who cared about and connected with those he met and who served as both colleague and mentor.

With fondest aloha,

Tim, Kay, Brad and Kristen Reinhold