Dr. Louis Berger (1914-1996) / Fredric “Fred” Berger (1947-2015)
Dr. Louis Berger in 1953 established an engineering practice—The Louis Berger Group (now part of WSP)—with a handful of employees in a small Pennsylvania office. While the company’s initial focus was on soil mechanics and foundation engineering, Dr. Berger dreamed of a full-service global engineering firm. He succeeded with help from son Fredric (“Fred”) Berger.
While Dr. Berger launched the company, Fred emerged as a leader in the policy arena, actively advocating for the engineering industry and its role in globalism. He advised policy makers at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), eventually being named UNESCO Ambassador by then U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Fred also participated in trade missions to Afghanistan to encourage the redevelopment of the country, driven both by the company’s professional work in Afghanistan as well as his personal commitment to establishing the American University in Afghanistan (AUAF).
Together, Dr. Berger and Fred Berger created a company that came to include over 5,000 employees spanning 70 countries, impacting countless communities through their work and industry and charitable commitments.
Dr. Berger, an alumnus of Tufts, bestowed the Louis Berger Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Berger Family Technology Transfer endowment at Tisch Library. He also endowed several programs at Northwestern University, MIT, and the NJ Institute of Technology.
Fred also helped establish the Berger Charitable Foundation to continue the educational and community development giving of the Berger family and company. His legacy bequest is the source of funding for the Foundation’s ongoing educational contributions.
