Arne Arthur Jakkula was born in Michigan in March 1904. He graduated in 1926 from the University of Michigan and later received a BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering. He worked on various Minnesota highway projects as well as the Westinghouse Electric Company. In 1937 Jakkula joined the teaching staff at Texas A&M College as a specialist in structural engineering. He worked for both the Texas Engineering Experiment Station and the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads. Jakkula was named in 1942 as a member of the Advisory Board of Public Roads Administration to investigate suspension bridges following a collapse of the Tacoma Narrow Bridge in WA. He was serving as chairman of the Committee on Interpretation and Analysis for the Board at the time of his death.

Dr. Jakkula was the first executive director of the A&M Research Foundation. He established a reputation in the field of Oceanography by raising funds for oceanographic research in the Gulf of Mexico. He was a member of many honor societies and was married to Martha Danner. He died on May 30, 1953.