Gordon A. Walhood Sr., an ASCE Fellow who helped design New Mexico’s Cochiti Dan during a career spent with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, died on Jan. 18. He was 96.
A longtime resident of Albuquerque, NM, Walhood, P.E., F.ASCE, received his B.S. in civil engineering from North Dakota Agricultural College (now NDSU) in 1941, and was a member of Sigma Phi Delta.
Upon graduation, Walhood was hired by the Corps as a civilian and worked in its Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX, Tullahoma TN, Norfolk, VA, and Albuquerque offices. In the 1960s he was part of the design team for the Cochiti Dam, on the Rio Grande north of Albuquerque, and designed the city’s North and South Diversion Channels. He was a registered professional engineer in New Mexico, Tennessee, and Texas.
Walhood achieved Fellow status with ASCE. As a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, he was a past national director and a president of its New Mexico chapter. He was active in many civic groups including Boy Scouts, Toastmasters and for 56 years, his local United Methodist Church.
