Professor Percy Grosberg

Citation

(2013), "Professor Percy Grosberg", International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, Vol. 25 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijcst.2013.05825aaa.003

Professor Percy Grosberg

Article Type: Obituary From: International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, Volume 25, Issue 1

Professor Percy Grosberg, who has died at the age of 87, was one of a generation of scientists and engineers who made outstanding contributions to the textiles and clothing industries. He was born in South Africa and graduated in Chemical Engineering at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg from where he also obtained his PhD. He found employment in the South African textiles industry and as part of his training for his new post was sent to study at Leeds University for a Diploma in Textiles. The Diploma he obtained with distinction but, perhaps more importantly, he found his future wife, Queenie, in Leeds. After a period back home in South Africa he and his new wife returned to Leeds when we was appointed as a lecturer in the University. He quickly made his mark as a researcher and was appointed to the Research Chair of Textile Engineering at the early age of 37.

Professor Grosberg interpreted his brief broadly and was a versatile leader of his section. Over his career he published papers dealing with many aspects of textiles and clothing. He is perhaps best known for his pioneering work on woven fabric mechanics, which took the topic to a new level and laid foundations for the engineering design of fabrics for clothing and other applications of textiles. He also made valuable contributions to the development of new methods of spinning, to the application of robotics to the manipulation of fabrics during making up operations among many other researchers. He wrote several books and was awarded the Warner Medal by the Textile Institute and made an Honorary Fellow.

Professor Grosberg became Head of the Department of Textile Industries at Leeds in succession to Professor C.S. Whewell and led it with distinction during a difficult period when Universities were changing rapidly. He and Queenie suffered the tragic loss at an early age of their elder son and when he retired in 1990 they moved to Israel to be nearer to their other son and his family. While there he continued to work part-time in the University sector. He had been in poor health for some time when he died on 9 December 2012. He will be remembered fondly by many ex-colleagues and students.