ALBERT R.C. WESTWOOD (1932-2023)

BY DAVID L. GOLDHEIM
SUBMITTED BY THE NAE HOME SECRETARY

ALBERT RONALD CLIFTON WESTWOOD was born on June 9, 1932, in Birmingham, England. He was educated at King Edward’s School in Birmingham and received his B.Sc. (Honors), Ph.D., and D.Sc. in metallurgy and materials science from the University of Birmingham.

Following graduation, Bert worked in the Research Department of I.C.I. Metals developing small castings of titanium, including a titanium hip prosthesis. Emigrating from England during the “brain drain” of the 1950s, Bert and his young family settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where, in 1958, he began his U.S. career as a materials engineer with the Research Institute for Advanced Studies, the think tank division of the Glenn L. Martin Company. He was promoted to director in 1974.

Later, as think tanks fell out of favor in the portfolios of industrial R&D companies, and when the Glenn L. Martin Company merged with the American Marietta Corporation, Bert embraced that change and led his organization from basic research to industrial technology dedicated to the success of the Martin Marietta Corporation (now the Lockheed Martin Corporation). He was recognized for his leadership by subsequent promotions to corporate director of R&D in 1984, vice president of R&D in 1987, and corporate vice president, research and technology, in 1990. Throughout those more than two decades, Bert focused his organizations on providing proven R&D value to the diversified business portfolios of the Martin Marietta/Lockheed Martin Corporations.

Bert was an engineer who embraced the concept of multidisciplinary teams in his research, and he was a staunch and selfless advocate for advancing the careers of his colleagues. Many of his colleagues recall those years under Bert’s mentorship as their “Camelot,” the best R&D years of their careers. Others, remembering him, used the adjectives extraordinary, creative, energetic, brilliant, enigmatic, generous, memorable, complex, and infectiously enthusiastic.

Bert always challenged his team to excel — to go above and beyond — and his team rose to meet his high expectations. A few of his favorite expressions were “be creative,” “try harder,” and “be imaginative.” He was a force of nature, and his colleagues readily admit, in retrospect, that they were fortunate to have known and worked with and for him.

In 1993 Bert transferred to the Sandia Corporation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin. He became vice president, research and exploratory technology, and he retired in 1996 as vice president emeritus, research and technology. However, retirement was not in his vocabulary. In 1998, he moved to the United Kingdom and served as chairman and chief executive of the Council for the Central Laboratories of the Research Councils, based at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Oxford, England.

Bert published more than 120 technical papers concerned mostly with environmentally sensitive mechanical behavior of materials and R&D management. His contributions were recognized by — and he received awards and fellowships for — excellence in research and technology management that include the Distinguished Young Scientist Award of the Maryland Academy of Sciences (1964); the Beilby Gold Medal of the Royal Society of Chemistry (1970); the Exceptional Achievement Award of the Martin Marietta Corporation (1974); the Leadership Award of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS; 1992); the Centennial Medal of the University of Maryland (1994); the Acta Materialia, Inc. Hollomon Award for Materials and Society (1996); the Medal for the Advancement of Research of the ASM International (ASMI; 2006); and the Herbert B. Chermside Award of the Society of Research Administrators International for contributions to the profession (2007).

Bert was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (1980), the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (1989), the Russian Academy of Engineering (1995), the Royal Academy of Engineering (1996), and the National Academy of Engineering of Georgia (former Soviet Union, 2007). He was elected a fellow of the Institute of Physics (U.K., 1967), ASMI (1974), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1986), TMS (1990), and the Institute for Materials (U.K., 1998).

He served as Tewksbury Lecturer (University of Melbourne, 1974), Burgess Memorial Lecturer (ASMI, 1984), Golick Lecturer (University of Missouri, 1988), Campbell Memorial Lecturer (ASMI, 1987), Henry Krumb Lecturer (Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, 1988), American Society of Mechanical Engineers Distinguished Lecturer (1989-90), Christie Lecturer (Johns Hopkins University, 1991), Wenk Lecturer in Technology and Public Policy (Johns Hopkins University, 1995), Distinguished Lecturer on Materials and Society (TMS, ASMI, 1995), and he presented well over 200 invited lectures at scientific institutions and meetings around the world.

Bert’s other professional positions and responsibilities included president of the Industrial Research Institute (1989) and of TMS (1990). He served on more than 75 national committees and chaired several of them, including the National Research Council Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems (1992-97); the American Association for the Advancement of Science; chairman, National Academy of Engineering, Public Information Advisory Committee; chairman, National Research Council, Committee on Global Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights in Science and Technology; and chairman, National Science Foundation, Science, Technology and International Affairs Advisory Committee.

Throughout his career, he served on committees advising Argonne National Laboratories; the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; the Department of Commerce Visiting Committee to the National Institutes of Standards and Technology; the National Critical Technology Panel for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; the National Advisory Committee on Semiconductors; the European Research Council for Informatics and Mathematics; the Resources Board for the British National Space Science Center; the European Spallation Source, R&D Council; the Board of the Association for Independent Research and Technology Organizations (U.K.); the National Space Council Committee on the Future of the U.S. Space Program; the Department of Energy; the International Development Association; and Oak Ridge National Laboratories. He served on the boards of NASA and the National Science Foundation.

He served on advisory committees to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Universities of Colorado, Florida, Maryland, and New Mexico, and he served as interim president of the Science and Technology Corporation. Finally, Bert advised on technical leadership and strategic management for national organizations in the United Kingdom, Australia, Belarus, China, Denmark, Germany, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and Russia.

Bert was the quintessential renaissance man in all respects. He was an engineer, manager, appreciator of the visual arts, and an accomplished musician, often accompanying his wife Jean, a professional singer and actress. He enjoyed opera, classical music, and Broadway performances. Bert wrote music and Jeannie wrote lyrics, and both appeared in concerts, recitals, and cabaret performances before CEOs, dignitaries, and government officials throughout the United States, Australia, Russia, and Ukraine and before kings and queens in England, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

Regarding his many nontechnical interests and his dedication to give back to his adopted country (he was a proud U.S. citizen), Bert served on the Maryland Humanities Council and the New Mexico Humanities Council, and on the boards of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Comic Opera Company, the Baltimore National Aquarium and International Visitors Center, the Santa Fe Opera, Landmark Musical Theaters, and the Musicarussia Foundation.

In addition to his overwhelming professional accomplishments, in memorializing Bert it is important to note the side of Bert that was so supportive of the successes of his colleagues and who made such a profound difference in the lives of so many.

In his final years, Bert’s once brilliant, provocative, and creative mind faded. His wife and daughters became his caregivers, devoting their lives to the family patriarch, husband, and father who demonstrated so much compassion and generosity.

Bert is survived by his wife Jean, his daughters Abigail and Andrea, his grandsons Aidan and Brendan, and his great-granddaughter Zelda. When he passed, he was surrounded by his loving wife and daughters. He departed peacefully on July 26, 2023.