Harold A. Fidler

Harold Alvin Fidler was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 2, 1910. He studied civil engineering, earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Drexel Institute of Technology in 1932. He then went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), from which he earned a Master of Science in civil engineering in 1934, writing his thesis on "A precise determination of stresses in bridges due to wind loads", and a Doctor of Science in civil engineering in 1940, writing his thesis on "Investigation of stress-strain relationships of granular soils by a new cylindrical compression apparatus". While he was at MIT, he joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). He also met Lillian E. Saari. They were married in 1939, and had three children, Marjorie, Donald and Richard. == Manhattan Project ==

After his graduation from MIT, he became Engineer-in-charge of the Foundation Investigation Section at the United States Army Corps of Engineers in Ithaca, New York. As part of his role in coordinating the electromagnetic process, Fidler occasionally visited Chicago, which was more convenient for contractors like Westinghouse, General Electric, and Allis-Chalmers; Boston, where the offices of Stone & Webster, the main engineering contractor were located; and the production facilities at the Clinton Engineer Works in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. After World War II ended in August 1945, Fidler was transferred to Tennessee, where he worked on the declassification of Manhattan Project documents. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his work on the Manhattan Project, which was presented by Groves at a ceremony at Lawrence's home on October 21, 1945. == Later life ==

Fidler left the Army, but continued to work on declassification in Washington, D.C., for the Atomic Energy Commission, In 1949, he returned to Berkeley as the Atomic Energy Commission's Area Manager on the West Coast. In this capacity he was responsible for research activities on the West Coast, He also served on the Atomic Energy Commission's Management Advisory Committee from 1962 to 1972. He died at his Piedmont Gardens Retirement Community home in Oakland, California, on April 2, 2004. He was survived by his three children, his wife having predeceased him in 1991. == References ==