In Memoriam: Sherwood G. (Woody) Holt
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TAPPI statesman and industry leader Sherwood G. (Woody) Holt was named a TAPPI Fellow in 1976, served as VP of the Association from 1980-1981, and president from 1981-1983.
Elected to the TAPPI Board of Directors in 1973, he chaired its Publications Committee and Awards Committee.
Holt was born in 1921 in Warsaw, N.Y., USA, and grew up in Ithaca, N.Y. He was a World War II veteran assigned to the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C. from 1943-1947.
Holt first joined TAPPI in 1956 and assumed a leadership role in the Engineering Division. During his many years of TAPPI membership, he chaired a number of other committees within the division, including the Ad Hoc Computer Coordination Committee, the Pressing and Drying Committee, and the Engineering Committee.
Furthermore, he was a member of numerous other Association committees, including the Board's Executive Committee and the Building Committee, as well as the Information Retrieval Committee. He was also active in TAPPI's Technical Operations Council (TOC), the Technical Information Committee, and the TOC Structure and Performance Committee.
In addition to his contributions to TAPPI, Holt was a member of the American Paper Institute / TAPPI Advisory Committee to the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, and the Institute of Paper Chemistry's Program Committee. Holt, who retired in 1986, was director of the Research Development Division for Consolidated Papers Inc. in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., USA. Prior to joining Consolidated Papers, he was employed by Scott Paper Co., DuPont, and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.
Holt received bachelor, masters, and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from Cornell University, and authored a number of papers, chiefly in the field of papermaking economics, coating, drying, and the role of research in the paper industry. Holt was a registered professional engineer and a member of the Technical Association of Graphic Arts, Sigma Xi, and Rotary. He also served as president of the PTA and as a Sunday school teacher.
Survivors include his wife Suzanne, five daughters (Deborah Heelis, Martha Holt, Amy Holt Wick, Krista Thoe, and Kari Thoe Crone), three sons (Jonathan, Douglas, and David), one sister (Judith Wachob), and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
