Lieutenant
Commander Daniel E. Whelan, Jr.
who retired in 1953, died in California on November 29, 1974.
He had resided in southern California for over 40 years, living
for most of that time in Pacific Palisades. Lieutenant Commander
Whelan joined the Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1921 as a Deck
Officer after having obtained his degree in Civil Engineering
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He had served
in the U.S. Army for a period during World War I, and was discharged
as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps.
During his early years with the Coast and Geodetic Survey, Lieutenant
Commander Whelan served in the field on four ships on the east
coast and in Alaska; and in the District Office in Seattle.
His career was cut short as a result of an injury sustained
in the line of duty and subsequent physical retirement in 1926.
In 1943, he was recalled to active duty and served during World
War II with the U.S. Navy, and at the Coast and Geodetic Survey
District Office in Los Angeles until his 1953 retirement.
Lieutenant Commander Whelan, following his early retirement,
became a Professor in Civil Engineering at Loyola University
in Los Angeles where in 1935 he was appointed Dean of the College
of Science. Upon returning in 1953 he was appointed Dean of
the College of Engineering. In 1961 he retired from this post,
and then was honored as Dean Emeritus until his death. He was
very active in private mapping and surveying, and also greatly
assisted in our own officer recruiting efforts in the southwest
United States.
Lieutenant Commander Whelan had received the Secretary of Navy
Commendation Medal, and was a register professional engineer
in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
ESSA CORPS BULLETIN, 1/1/1975
