A Passion for Bamboo and Knowledge

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In August 2009 TAPPI lost one of its most valued members, Malcolm G. Lyon, 95, of Fernandina Beach, Fla., USA. Mal, as he was known by his friends, currently holds the record as TAPPI's longest standing member. He was a professional member for 40 years and a retired member for 32 years. Recently, his daughter, Dr. Margot Lyon, donated much of his bamboo research and photographs to the new TAPPI library.                                                                       

 Malcolm was born in Aurora, N.Y., on Feb. 27, 1914. New York state winters were very hard on his health and at the suggestion of the village physician, his parents sent him to the Florida Military Academy in Jacksonville, where he graduated at the top of his class in 1932. He entered the pulp and paper program of the New York State College of Forestry at Syracuse University in 1932 and graduated in 1936. While there he met a fellow student, Louise Lester, and they were married shortly after graduation.

Malcolm had a 40 year career with Champion Paper and Fiber Co., first in Canton, N.C., and then at its headquarters in Hamilton, Ohio. He spent his first 10 years at Champion directing research to define the optimum pulping and bleaching methods for all species of conifers, hardwoods, and non woody plants such as bamboo and bagasse.

Bamboo soon became his passion. He could identify most of the 1,400 species of bamboo, a cocktail party trick that was not always appreciated. He traveled to the world's tropical regions studying the different varieties of bamboo. In 1962, he supervised the construction of Champion's bamboo plantation in Guatemala.

Today, bamboo is being studied once more. Its fast growing renewable fiber is sought after for the finest fabrics, biofuels, and specialty papers. If not for the recognition by Malcolm's daughter of the technical significance of these papers, they could have been lost.

We stand in awe of Malcolm's research and appreciate his daughter "saving" his life's work by transferring it to TAPPI's library for future generations. This May, the TAPPI Fellows will meet to identify other significant technical resources and achievements in our industry within the past 50+ years. Plans are underway to expand TAPPI's search to procure technical manuscripts such as Mal's. The meeting will be held after the Fellows Luncheon on Sunday, May 2, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.