George Edward Lommel was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, February 6, 1888, was graduated from Purdue University with the degree of BSCE in 1910 and was awarded the degree of Civil Engineer in 1916. Prior to his graduation he put in three summers at railroad surveying on realignment, grade reduction and maintenance of way work, followed by six months' work in the office of the Chief Engineer of the Lake Erie and Western Railroad in Indianapolis, Indiana. He resigned from this position in January 1911 to accept a position in drafting and estimating for the Indianapolis Park Board. In August, 1911 he resigned this position to accept work on laying out subdivisions and estates and topographic mapping with W. D. Cook, Landscape Architect at Los Angeles, California. Following this work, George E. Lommel came to Purdue University in September, 1912 as an Assistant in Civil Engineering. He was promoted to Instructor in 1913, to Assistant Professor in 1918, Associate Professor in 1920 and Professor in 1929. In 1928 he was put in charge of the University's eight week summmer surveying camp, a responsibility which he successfully carried to his retirement. For 43 years he was in charge of Topographic Engineering and City Planning at Purdue.