Obituary of Dietrich Bergmann

Dietrich Rudolf Bergmann Aug. 12, 1938-April 3, 2012 Dietrich Rudolf Bergmann of Ann Arbor died April 3, 2012, at the University of Michigan Hospital. He was active and productive in many facets of life until March 25, when he suffered a cardiac arrest. Born on August 12, 1938, in Detroit, Dietrich was the son of Erich and Theresa (Mackeprang) Bergmann. Dietrich was a 1956 graduate of Monroe High School. He earned his BS in Civil Engineering and was commissioned as an Ensign in the US Navy at the University of Michigan in 1961. He earned an MS in Civil Engineering at Stanford University in 1964, and then worked for a year as a senior research engineer at Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, one of the premier research institutions in the world. He then resumed graduate studies ?so people would listen to my ideas,? and earned his PhD in Civil Engineering/Engineering-Economic Planning from Stanford in 1969. He joined the faculty at Wayne State University as an Assistant Professor in the Civil Engineering and Industrial Engineering and Operations Research Departments for three years and then moved to the General Motors Research Laboratories and the GM Transportation Systems Division. He left GM when the company took a different direction and thereafter was always self-employed. Contracts which he had won for GM were transferred to his newly-formed company for completion, a high honor. Dietrich maintained licensure as a Professional Engineer in the states of Michigan and California. He worked tirelessly to make the world a better place. The focus of his work was the application of the principles of rational decision-making, including economics, for selecting among alternatives for the beneficial deployment of public works projects. His doctoral work made a seminal contribution to the theory of train and bus scheduling. His nephew Matthew Petering, who has continued in his uncle?s professional footsteps, had been collaborating with Dietrich on developing a complete model for scheduling vehicles on routes with shared rail lines. Dietrich developed a mathematical model that could not be solved using computers of the late 60?s and early 70?s, but which now serves as the basis of this later work. Over the years, Dietrich worked with many organizations in southeast Michigan, contributing his expertise to improve mass transportation options, performing highway and railroad safety assessments, and also contributing to the ?Americans with Disabilities Act and Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Guidelines.? Most recently, his focus was on challenging the poorly conceived and special-interest-laden plans to build a new bridge across the Detroit River to Canada. He worked tirelessly, volunteering thousands of hours examining and presenting environmentally friendly and economically viable alternatives to the Detroit River International Crossing project, providing valuable assistance to the Sierra Club. His ideas would provide a far greater economic and environmental benefit to both the American and Canadian Great Lakes regions for many years to come. Dietrich was an Eagle Scout. His lifelong love for camping was a result of outings with his Scout troop at Laguna Beach, now the site of the Enrico Fermi plant, and a college summer job working on a road-building/fire-fighting brigade in Stanislaus National Forest in the Sierra Nevada of California. He served as a commissioned line officer in the US Naval Reserve from 1961 until 1971, with active duty tour in the Pacific Fleet from 1961 to 1963. Dietrich is listed in the American Men and Women of Science which recognizes distinguished achievement and research activity of high quality in science. Dietrich was a phenomenally resourceful person who selflessly provided help to solve problems of all sorts in ways that were both effective and economical, from redesigning large railroad yards to serving on his local Tree Advisory Commission. He shared his talents with many organizations and people. His goal was always to find the best solution: what was best for users, best for the planet and best spending of monies available. His honesty and integrity were beyond reproach, and his energy was boundless. His energy extended to his family, too. He mentored both his children in their careers as well as his nephews. His help ranged widely, including helping his daughter with self-employment tax forms when she worked as a photographer and urging his son to pursue the Navy ROTC scholarship. His guidance was invaluable and will aid them throughout their lives, as will fond memories of trips to Germany and camping in Missouri. He is survived by his daughter, Liisa Louise Bergmann, MD, and his son LT Erich George Bergmann, USN, sisters Hedi (Martin) Kaufman and Louise (David) Petering, and nephews Mark Petering, Joshua Kaufman, Daniel Kaufman, Matthew Petering, and Ingo Kaufman. Visitation will be Friday, April 6, from 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Merkle Funeral Service, 2442 North Monroe St., in Monroe. A celebration of Dietrich?s life will be held on Saturday, April 7, at 10:30 a.m., also at Merkle?s, with Pastor Gustav Kopka of Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church of Farmington Hills officiating. Memorial contributions may be made to The International Dark-Sky Organization, www.darksky.org; the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy, www.smlcland.org; The Michigan Land Use Institute, www.mlui.org; Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, www.marp.org; Superior Land Conservancy, www.smlcland.org/slc; Sierra Club, Michigan Chapter, http://michigan.sierraclub.org; Michigan Environmental Council, www.environmentalcouncil.org; Transportation Riders United, www.detroittransit.org; or any other organization of the donor?s choice. Online guests may leave words of comfort by visiting www.merklefs.com Online Tributes page.