Dimitrios Zekkos, Ph.D., P.E.

Associate Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley
Founder and CEO, ARGO-E LLC
http://www.dimitrioszekkos.org

Dear colleagues,

I feel I had the tremendous privilege and pleasure to get to know and work closely with Prof. Woods this last decade while at the University of Michigan and it shaped my life and perspective, so I would like to share some thoughts/feelings, if it is ok. Prof. Woods has been for me a mentor, an example to follow, and a person to aspire to.

In this last decade of his life, with the exception of some occasional health challenges, and along with making time for his large family, Prof. Woods was very often later hours in his office. When I asked him why he was at work so long, he responded that he had never worked a day in his life but had the luxury of being able to be occupied with the things he just loved to do.

He taught a class at the University of Michigan as recently as 2018 and was truly an outstanding educator. I know that because I sat in many of his classes. He would rarely write things down, but would cover the content in a very organized way with minimal notes.

He generously offered his time to me, my colleagues and all students. He had lots of stories to share, but always showed genuine interest in hearing your ideas, thoughts, and stories.

Despite being internationally recognized for his technical work and expertise, he was extremely humble. He showed interest in our own research, guided students, co-wrote papers and was engaged as if this research was the most interesting project ever!

He was continuously involved with special tasks at the Department or at the program level. If you needed help, he would help you. Not because of any benefit but because he had this unconditional commitment to helping others around him. This may explain why he served in the Marines, as Vice President of North America in ISSMGE, as Department Chair, and in so many other roles.

His loss came as a shock to us. He is someone who, for whatever magic reason, you think will always be there.

Prof. Woods’ influence and impact will propagate and multiply into the future through the students, colleagues, and collaborators he inspired, guided, and supported. I will miss him dearly and can only try to follow his example.

Dimitrios

PS: The last few years, Prof. Woods and I have been working together on creating a website with resources related to his life, and I am hoping to complete this project soon. Among the content is about 6+ hrs of interviews that I recorded with him where he shares many stories about his personal and professional life. I am hoping to make this information available soon as I think it will be amazing for younger generations to listen to Prof. Woods.