Former Dean of the Thayer School of Engineering Carl Long died Feb. 25 at his Hanover home from complications of Lewy Body Parkinson's Syndrome at age 81, according to an obituary released by Rand-Wilson Funeral Home. During his tenure as dean, Long made the Thayer School financially independent from the College, the obituary said.
Long was dean of the Thayer School from 1972 to 1984 after working there as a civil engineering professor from 1954 to 1972.
Thayer was "his love," Long's wife of 54 years, Joanna Long, said of her husband's strong involvement with the Thayer School.
"Carl was there over forty years," Joanna Long said. "He first came as an instructor when he was twenty-seven, and really worked his way up the ladder to become dean."
Long introduced several new programs during his tenure, including the Cook Engineering Design Center, as well as programs in biomedical engineering and a masters program in resource systems and policy design, The Dartmouth reported in 1983. The Murdough Center was also constructed while Long served as dean, which expanded the facilities available to Thayer students.
Among Long's main goals as dean were increasing faculty research and to integrating Thayer further into the corporate world, according to the Thayer web site.
"It's always interesting to see when colleagues take on a more responsible position and fill it very well and develop while in the position," said Alvin Converse, a Thayer School engineering professor emeritus and Long's colleague. "He became a dean, and he did it very well."
Long also established the Thayer School's financial independence from the College. Prior to his tenure, the Thayer School had to rely on subsidies from the College to operate, according to the obituary.
Long stabilized the Thayer School's finances and created an annual fund. During his term, Long increased the school's endowment over 20-fold, laying the groundwork for future expansion.
"He took over the school at a somewhat difficult time," Converse said. "He had a lot of responsibility for the overall well-being of the school, not just academic matters."
Long's lengthy tenure as a professor before serving as dean would be rare today, according to Thayer School professor John Collier.
"He was really the last fellow that we've had that was a faculty member who became dean," Collier said. "He had to make that transition and he did it beautifully, but it's always something of a challenge."
Long's dedication to the Thayer School was notable, according to colleagues.
"When I was a faculty member, he helped me in the early '80s when I was charged with editing a major geophysical journal," Thayer School professor emeritus Bengt Sonnerup said. "He immediately stepped in and gave me a term off from teaching so that I could complete the job not just anyone would do this kind of thing for someone."
Long brought a "certain style" to his office, according to Converse.
"I was an associate dean while he was dean for a while and I found it very pleasant to work with him," Converse said. "For instance, he was often found with a carnation in his button hole."
Long was a talented teacher and leader, according to students, family and faculty members who worked with him.
"He taught a structures course about how you build things, a field in which he was incredibly capable," Collier said. "He would do calculations in his head in two seconds that would take us two hours it was fun to see him in action."
Long became dean emeritus of the Thayer School in 1984 and served as director of the Cook Engineering Design Center before retiring in 1992, according to the Rand-Wilson obituary.
Long was an active member of the Hanover community during his lifetime, serving on a number of town boards and acting as an engineering consultant for local building projects, the Rand-Wilson obituary said. Long was also president of the Hanover Water Works from 1990 to 1996.
"He was a civil engineer and his work with the town was just a part of his interest to keep the activities of the town operational and functioning," Collier said. "This was just one of his tasks, challenges and responsibilities that he did for fun."
Long had a close relationship with the Thayer School and his students, according to family members.
"He loved the Thayer School of Engineering that was his whole life really," Joanna Long said. "There were a lot of people that he helped along the way to enjoy their Dartmouth experiences."
