Biographical / Historical
Lloyd Forrest Rader was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on October 8, 1902. Rader earned his bachelor degree in 1924, his master's degree in 1925,and his Ph. D. degree in civil engineering in 1938, all from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He also attended the United States Naval Academy for three years, from 1919 to 1922. Rader worked as a civil engineer for the Pennsylvania State Highway Department and the Nebraska State Highway Department. In 1925, he began teaching as a civil engineering instructor at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. From 1928-1937, Rader served as an Assistant Professor of Civil Engeering at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, New York and from 1937 to 1940 he served as an Associate Professor. While at the Polytechnic Institute, Rader developed a testing laboratory for highway materials and for soil mechanics and taught undergraduate and graduate coursework. In 1940, Rader joined the staff of the University of Wisconsin at Madison serving as Professor of Civil Engineering in charge of the Division of Highway Engineering and City Planning. During World War II, Rader served as an officer in the Civil Engineering Corps and Sea Bees of the the Navy on active duty for over four years, reaching the rank of Commander.
While at the University of Wisconsin, Rader served on a variety of committees including the Campus Planning Committee and the University Civil Defense Committee. He was also an active member in the Madison, Wisconsn community, serving as the chairman of the Madison Traffic Commission, the chairman of the Madison Civil Defense Commission, the president of the University West End Club and the Madison Technical Club. Rader also was involved in professional engineering societies, including the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists, the American Society for Testing and Materials, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Rader retired from the University of Wisconsin in 1973. He received numerous awards and honors, including the Prevost Hubbard Award from the American Society for Testing and Materials on June 28, 1974. At the age of 77, Rader died on December 23, 1979.
