James Monroe Gere was Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering at Stanford University. He earned undergraduate and master's degrees in Civil Engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1949 and 1951, respectively. Dr. Gere worked as an instructor and later as a Research Associate for Rensselaer between 1949 and 1952. He was awarded one of the first NSF Fellowships and chose to study at Stanford. He received his Ph.D. in 1954 and was offered a faculty position in Civil Engineering, beginning a 34-year career of engaging his students in challenging topics in mechanics, structural, and earthquake engineering. He served as Department Chair and Associate Dean of Engineering and in 1974 co-founded the John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center at Stanford. Dr. Gere retired from Stanford in 1988 but continued to freely give his time to advise students. He authored nine textbooks on various engineering subjects starting in 1972.