Composites pioneers Donna Dawson, Bob Griffiths pass

Bob Griffith (left) and Donna Dawson (right). Photo Credit: CW

The world of composites bid farewell to long-time composites industry veterans and pioneers Donna Dawson and Bob Griffiths, who both passed recently. Dawson died on May 8. Griffiths died on May 9. Both were also valued contributors to CompositesWorld over the years.

Donna Dawson

Dawson, who was born, raised and worked in California, started in the composites industry in the early 1980s when she was hired to be W. Brandt Goldsworthy’s secretary. Goldsworthy, by that time, was already a composites industry legend, having pioneered innovations in pultrusion, filament winding and other technologies. Dawson quickly evolved beyond secretary status and became a vital member of Goldsworthy’s technical team.

She eventually became interested in technical writing and communication and leveraged that experience into several years of work as a contributor to CompositesWorld, for which she wrote almost 100 articles. Dawson reported on everything from pressure vessels for water treatment systems to composite structures for space vehicles. She often represented CW at trade shows and conferences and is remembered as a passionate and highly educated advocate of composite materials and composites manufacturing. She was an engaging, funny, curious, friendly and thoughtful composites professional, always willing to evangelize about an industry she’d come to know and and love.

Dawson recounted her experiences working in composites and with Goldsworthy in a 2018 CW Talks podcast interview. She wrote her last article for CW in 2020 at the age of 88. Below are the five most viewed articles that Dawson wrote for CW:

Bob Griffiths

Griffiths, who was born, raised and worked in the U.K., graduated college in 1964 with a mechanical engineering degree from Southampton University. He enjoyed a 37-year career in industry followed by another 20 as a consultant. Griffiths worked first in the automotive industry and then in aerospace, for Westland Helicopters and then GKN Aerospace. His professional work spanned air bag development, novel helicopter rotor blade designs and automated composites manufacturing.

Griffiths also enjoyed a long career with SAMPE, having helped found the SAMPE UK and Ireland chapter in 1997 before serving as president of SAMPE Europe in 2003-2003 and then president of SAMPE International in 2007-2008.

Like Dawson, Griffiths expressed some of his interest in composites through writing and for several years contributed stories to CW. He wrote 25 articles over the years, ranging from composites use in Formula 1 to composite wing spar manufacturing to Paris Air Show reports. Griffiths’ experience and deep composites knowledge made him an unrivaled source of the materials and technologies that have shaped the industry. He was well known as avuncular, witty and gregarious, always willing to share his wisdom and engage with all those who expressed even a hint of interest in composites materials and manufacturing. Below are the five most view article Griffiths wrote for CW: