AKRON—Longtime tire industry veteran Syed Mowdood died Feb. 25 at the age of 81.
Born in Patna, India, he received two degrees at Karachi University in Pakistan before writing his dissertation for his doctoral degree at Ohio State University. At OSU, he studied under Professor Michael Cava, along with guidance from Professors Jack Beal and Gideon Fraenkel.
Mowdood spent 22 years with Goodyear, beginning as a senior research chemist and eventually working on numerous projects and management assignments for the company's various divisions—including Engineered Products, Goodyear Aerospace and the Tire Division.
He left Goodyear to become the director of materials engineering at Armstrong Rubber Co., which later became Pirelli Armstrong Tire Co. With Pirelli, he also served as a director and consultant.
Mowdood holds 25 U.S. patents, is the author of 10 publications and scientific journals, and was the holder of numerous trade secrets.
He was active in both the ACS Rubber Division and with the International Tire Exhibition and Conference.
At the Rubber Division, he was chair of the Program Planning Committee from 2005-08, and stayed on as a committee member after that, always chairing/moderating the major tire-related symposiums at the association's International Elastomer Conference. The division said that, as symposium chair, Mowdood's sessions were selected as Best Symposium on seven occasions from 2006-18.
In 2016, he was presented with a special appreciation award at ITEC for serving as a session chair at every conference since the event began in 1994.
Harold Herzlich, former ITEC chairman and technical editor of Rubber & Plastics News, said he knew Mowdood since 1985, when he was Herzlich's successor as R&D director of material development at Armstrong.
"He was a super gentleman with extremely good technical qualifications," Herzlich said. "We stayed in friendly contact all these years with his generous help in a range of activities, not the least of which was ITEC. In fact, based upon our interactions and my highest respect for him, at least three or four ITEC medalists resulted based from his input."
Mowdood is survived by his wife of 31 years, Andree Boyer, along with children, grandchildren and a "large, extended family."
Donations in his memory can be made to the UNICEF Child Refugee & Migrant Crisis in Syria, UNICEF Iraq, Doctors Without Borders/MSF, or Joseph & Sy at Akron Children's Hospital.
