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I NDUS T RY
8 MARCH 2017
Lincoln Electric remembers ‘employee of
the century’ Omer W Blodgett, aged 99
WELDING industry pioneer and Lincoln
Electric’s ‘employee of the century’,
Omer W Blodgett passed away on 11
January, 2017. He was 99 years old.
Mr Blodgett, a world-renowned
authority on the design of welded
connections, spent 60 years working
at Lincoln Electric, retiring as a senior
design consultant. During his tenure,
he authored numerous manuals and
textbooks for the arc welding industry
and his seminars on welding were
known throughout the welding industry.
“We are indebted to Omer, who was
a mentor to many,” said Christopher L
Mapes, Lincoln Electric’s chairman,
president and chief executive officer.
“He left a lasting legacy in our industry
and will be fondly remembered with
great honour. We extend our heartfelt
condolences to his family.”
Mr Blodgett became involved in
welding when he struck his first arc
at the age of ten with his father’s
Lincoln Stable-Arc welding machine
in Minnesota, USA. Through his high-
school years Mr Blodgett worked as
a welder at his father’s company and
became certified as a welder for high-
pressure applications in 1938.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in
metallurgical engineering and a Master’s
Degree in mechanical engineering
from the University of Minnesota and
then became a welding superintendent
at the Globe Shipbuilding Company.
Under demanding war-time production
conditions Mr Blodgett learned first-hand
how to solve welding-related problems,
such as distortion and cracking, and
met James F Lincoln (known as JF),
with whom he would share a lifetime
friendship.
After World War II Mr Blodgett joined
Lincoln Electric at JF’s request, first
serving as a technical representative and
later as a design consultant – working
in both the mechanical and structural
fields. In this role, he became the primary
presenter of the Lincoln Electric Welding
Design Seminars, which continue today
and are named in his honour. Additionally,
Mr Blodgett frequently spoke on welding
design at the American Welding Society
(AWS) sectional and national meetings
and conducted welding design seminars
all over the world.
During his career he authored
numerous technical articles and
handbooks on design, including ‘Design
of Weldments’ and ‘Design of Welded
Structures’.Hewasalicensedprofessional
engineer in the State of Ohio, and a fel-
low of the ASCE (American Society
of Civil Engineers), ASME (American
Society of Mechanical Engineers) and
the AWS. Other affiliations include Tau
Beta Pi and Sigma Xi.
Mr Blodgett was also a long-time
member and contributor to a number
of professional organisations including
the AWS D1 Structural Welding
Committee, the American Institute of
Steel Construction (AISC) Committee
on Specifications, and the Welding
Research Council (WRC) Task Group on
Beam-to-Column Connections.
AWS recognised his contributions
in 1962, 1973, 1980 and 1983, when
he was awarded the AF Davis Silver
Medal for his work in structural design.
From the AISC, he received the TR
Higgins Lectureship Award in 1983, the
Engineering Luminary Award in 1997
and AISC’s Lifetime Achievement Award
in 1999.
In 1995, LeTourneau University
awarded Mr Blodgett an honorary
Doctor of Science degree, in addition to
naming the Welding Engineering chair
in his honour. In 1999 he was named
by Engineering News-Record as one
of the construction industry’s top 125
innovators over the past 125 years, a
distinction also given to Thomas Edison,
Frank Lloyd Wright and RG LeTourneau.
Lincoln Electric – USA
Website:
Omer W Blodgett
Tubotech returns to São Paulo
THE international trade fairs Tubotech
and wire South America will take place
against the background of expectations
for an economic recovery in the coming
year. They will be held jointly at the São
Paulo Expo Exhibition & Convention
Center in Brazil from 3 to 5 October
2017.
Economic experts believe the
Brazilian economy is set to step out of
its current recession in 2017, though it
is uncertain how dynamic this recovery
will be. Following the pattern of the
previous event, the trade fair duo
is again likely to attract around 500
exhibitors from 24 countries on an
exhibition space of over 32,000m2, and
more than 11,000 trade visitors.
Tubotech, the international trade fair
for pipes, valves, pumps, fittings and
components, will be held for the ninth
time.
Since its premiere in 2001, it has
developed into a leading trade fair
on the South American continent.
The products on offer are pipes and
accessories, plants and machinery
for the manufacturing, processing and
finishing of pipes, raw materials, used
machinery, the pipe trade, process
engineering tools and accessories, as
well as measurement, control and test
equipment.
Messe Düsseldorf GmbH – Germany
Website: