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Obituary | Ewart Wetherill | 1928-2015
Ewart (Red) Wetherill, a Fellow of the Acoustical Society, passed away at his home in Alameda, CA, on November 14, 2015. Red was highly respected for his knowledge and professionalism in architectural acoustics as well as his ever-present kind-hearted humor when addressing anyone.
Red’s work and reputation as an acoustical consultant was far reaching. He worked at the Cambridge, MA, and Los Angeles offices of Bolt, Beranek, and Newman, Inc. (BBN), before comanaging their San Francisco office with Warren Blazier in 1967. Leo Beranek said of Red, “He was an important member of BBN. We de- pended on him to manage the west coast architectural acous- tics clients. He was a marvelous person. Clients were always pleased with the results of his consultations.” He also worked at other consulting firms in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was introduced to architectural acoustics and its application to buildings by Robert Newman at the MIT School of Archi-
tecture and Planning.
Red’s contributions to the profession, in particular to the ASA, are well-documented. He joined the ASA in 1962, was elected a Fellow in 1986, and served over five decades on the Technical Committee on Architectural Acoustics (TCAA), which he chaired from 1986 to 1989.
Red’s work encompassed practically all areas of controlling sound in and around buildings, but he focused his concen- tration on four areas: performing arts auditoria, worship spaces, building noise control, and education spaces. His work typically had historical context and was very practical and educational.
In the architectural acoustics community, as soon as the name "Red" was mentioned, everyone knew exactly who was being spoken about. Architectural clients actually looked forward to consultations with Red. He made his recom- mendations easy to understand and convinced clients on the
necessity of heeding recommendations for the long-term benefits and future users of the buildings, whether it was a school of music, a hospital, or a worship space.
Red attended the University of British Columbia as an un- dergraduate and obtained his Masters of Architecture from MIT. He held teaching positions at Clemson University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Cali- fornia, Berkeley. He also guest lectured around the world. His presentations were always up-to-date using personal case studies and humorous anecdotes that reinforced the technical points involved.
Red will always be known for his creative free-hand draw- ings and buildable details for acoustical recommendations and solutions that were admired by his clients, architects, and peer consultants alike. His projects always looked as well as sounded good.
In addition to his dedication to the profession of acoustics, Red was dedicated to his family and his many friends and neighbors. He was president of the Citizen’s League for Air- port Safety and Serenity (CLASS) until just before his death. In October 2015, the Oakland Airport Noise Forum publicly recognized his efforts and his contributions in promoting airport noise compatibility with the community.
His wife Jinny, brother William, granddaughter Nikki, and grandson Raice survive Red.
Selected Articles by Ewart Wetherill
Purcell, J. B. C., and Wetherill, E. A. (1965). Acoustics of the Civic Cen- ter Theatre, San Diego, California, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 37, 1202.
Wetherill, E. A. (1964). Acoustical considerations in church design. Worship and Arts Magazine.
Wetherill, E. A. (1965). Reduction of plumbing noise in a multistory build- ing. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 38, 936.
Wetherill, E. A. (2005). Forty years of plumbing noise control. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 118, 1855.
Written by:
Dennis Paoletti, Email: dpaoletti88@gmail.com
Summer 2016 | Acoustics Today | 59