News


A tribute to Dr. Maurice McDowell

July 2008 News

It was with great sadness, that the team at Technews came to hear of the recent passing of Dr. Maurice McDowell, who passed away on Friday 23 May, 2008.

Maurice was involved in writing for Technews titles in one form of another for the better part of 23 years, and became an integral part of the Technews extended family, a loyal and committed professional whose contributions will be sorely missed. Maurice was a talented writer and highly respected technical journalist and consulting editor to several well-known publications, and as his colleague and friend Eric Milburn puts it, “there are many companies today, large and small, that were put on the map by a Maurice McDowell article.”

Maurice was born in Belfast, northern Ireland in 1945. After graduating from the Queens University of Belfast, with a BSc (1st class Hons) in 1967, Maurice entered post-graduate research at Queens under famed laser pioneer Professor Dan Bradley, finally obtaining his PhD (Optical Engineering) in 1971.

He joined the CSIR in Pretoria and was responsible for the creation of its world-leading optical design facility. Employed by the NPRL (National Physics Research Laboratory), he became chief research officer in 1976, senior chief research officer in 1979, head of the Optical Sciences Division in 1983, and deputy director and specialist researcher in 1984.

Whilst his own personal area of expertise was optical designs, evaluation and night vision systems, he was also intimately involved in laser and thin film technology as well as holography. During this period he acted as special consultant to Armscor on many occasions, and was affectionately referred to by the late Professor Louis van Biljoen, as Mr. Optics South Africa.

Maurice was appointed to the newly reorganised CSIR management team as director of the Division of Production Technology, his mission at the time to provide the essential R&D and technological back-up for South Africa’s manufacturing industry. Following the incorporation of this division into CSIR’s Aerotek, Maurice left the CSIR in late 1993, and soon afterwards he joined a local high-tech start-up company Measuring Instruments Technology (MIT) as shareholder and managing director.

He continued his close association with the measurement fraternity, publishing the The National Laboratory of South Africa and 20 years of Accreditation in South Africa.

Whilst engaged in his own business, Maurice continued to write for Technews publications, Dataweek and SA Instrumentation & Control (he has the unbeatable record of having over 200 articles published by Technews since 1985). He also developed the concept, along with Technews founding publisher Ray Beaumont, for Manufacturing Technology Today, which was launched in April 1994, and contributed regularly to Hi-Tech Security Solutions (which was launched in launched in 1995).

The simple truth that there was not a publication within Technews suite of products that was not editorially informed, in some fashion, through Maurice’s contributions, stands testament to his strengths as a technical journalist.

Maurice is survived by his wife Lilly, and three children Roisin, Bruce and Maurice Jnr. He was 63.





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Palabora Mining Company and LH Marthinusen launch robotics and coding initiative
News
In a joint effort to advance education and digital skills development in Phalaborwa, Palabora Mining Company (PMC) and LH Marthinusen (LHM) have partnered to establish a fully equipped robotics and coding classroom at a local high school.

Read more...
A new era for African engineering
News
A group of mostly South African engineering professionals who bought a controlling margin of the South African arm of Netherlands-based engineering consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV have rebranded it as Atana.

Read more...
SEW-EURODRIVE builds regional strength with Gqeberha expansion
News
With the Eastern Cape firmly established as a hub for key industries such as automotive manufacturing, ports, agriprocessing and renewable energy, SEW-EURODRIVE is strengthening its presence in the region through an ongoing significant expansion of its facility in Gqeberha.

Read more...
Functional safety explained
News
The SAIMC supports Pepperl+Fuchs, a National Member, in a free four-part online seminar series focused on Functional Safety.

Read more...
The Future of manufacturing in Africa
News
The future and development of African manufacturing will be discussed extensively at the upcoming Manufacturing Indaba conference, to be hosted on 15 to 16 July 2025 at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre.

Read more...
Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.

Read more...
Fostering a collaborative learning environment for sugar producer
SKF South Africa News
One of South Africa’s leading sugar producers made strategic use of its off-crop season, turning scheduled downtime into an opportunity for both essential maintenance and valuable skills development with the help of SKF

Read more...
TechAccess and Schneider Electric partnership goes from strength to strength
Schneider Electric South Africa News
Schneider Electric, together with its longstanding partner TechAccess, is poised to take the Southern African market by storm.

Read more...
Steinmüller Africa and Eskom uplift eMalahleni communities
News
Steinmüller Africa, in partnership with Eskom, has reaffirmed its commitment to social upliftment by donating essential goods and creating meaningful connections with two impactful community organisations in eMalahleni.

Read more...
Comtest calibration user group seminar
News
Comtest invites metrology and calibration professionals to a focused technical seminar series aimed at demystifying some of the most common hurdles in inter-laboratory comparisons.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved