Warren A. Hall
Founding Father of UCOWR
UCOWR is proud to present the Warren A. Hall Medal to recognize distinguished achievements of an individual in the field of water resources. This memorial has been established by the friends and family of Warren A. Hall.
Past winners include:
Dr. Warren A. Hall is known world wide for his active involvement in water resources research and was a founder in 1962 of the Universities Council on Water Resources.
Dr. Hall, who unpretentiously introduced himself as Mr. Hall or Warren, was born Aug. 12, 1919 and raised on a dryland farm near Crawford, Nebraska. He earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1942 and followed that with a tour as an industrial relations officer for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Shortly afterwards, he began a distinguished career with the University of California.
He received a doctorate from the university of California, Los angeles in 1952. His pioneering ideas in education, which involved eliminating departmentalization in academics, let to his appointment as Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the College of Engineering at UCLA. He was in charge of curriculum development and the administration of undergraduate degrees.
In 1960, as the nation began to feel the necessity for in-depth research of its water needs and resources, Dr. Hall was selected as Director of the Water Resources Center, which involved all campuses of the University of California. Under his direction, the center approached water resources from a broad point of view involving participation by the social and physical sciences.
But, faculty interested in water resources were relatively isolated - a small number of individuals scattered through many departments and universities - with no means of exploration or action on matters of mutual concern. Dr. Hall provided the catalyst for that action. He convened two conferences that resulted in the creation of the Universities Council on Water Resources. During its formative years, Dr. Hall served as a member of the board of directors, as executive secretary and as chairman. Today, this organization is recognized throughout the world as the authoritative voice on matters of water resources research and education.
Ever interested in new challenges, Dr. Hall accepted in 1965 the task of directing the University of California's Dry Land Research Institute in Riverside. Then Hall concentrated on a program that demonstrated production of corn, sorghum and even peaches in the midst of a desert of creosote brush. His water resources research and his interest in agriculture lead to unique contributions in reservoir management and irrigation-systems control. He applied these skills to many consulting assignments in other countries including India, Iraq, Brazil, Peru and Chile.
Dr. Hall pioneered the introduction of systems analysis and multi-objective tradeoff analysis in water-resources planning and management. In 1971, he was co-author of an internationally recognized textbook on that subject.
The federal government has a habit of borrowing the best talents of the states and Dr. Hall was in great demand. Richard Nixon appointed Dr. Hall to be Technical Assistant for Water Resources, Office of Science and Technology, Executive Office of the President. He also served as chairman of the committee on Water Resources Research of the Federal Council on Science and Technology, and as a member of the President's Task Group on the Great Lakes and the Joint U.S.-Canadian Working Group on the Great Lakes.
Dr. Hall was a personable and resourceful professor, consultant and engineer who emanated endless energy. He was loved and admired by his students and respected by his peers. His door was always open to students and colleagues, and his enthusiasm to discuss water-resources problems never diminished. Dr. Hall served as a key mentor for many young scientists and engineers and as host to many foreign graduate students.
His generosity of spirit and able counsel touched many lives.
This page last updated 2-9-04