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"Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."
-George Bernard Shaw
In my mind, this beautiful passage will always be linked to the late Keith Brimacombe, the 1993 TMS President and a true innovator in advancing metallurgical engineering through collaboration across disciplines. The quote was a favorite of his to articulate his deeply held feelings of legacy-Our talents, time, and resources are wasted if, in some way, we don't use them to ensure the progress of those who will come after us. As many of us who knew Keith can attest, he just didn't say these words-He embodied them. His influence as a mentor and generous colleague is legendary. So, it wasn't a great surprise to me that Keith proposed establishing the TMS Foundation as one of the priorities of his TMS presidency.
Keith was very clear that the purpose of the new Foundation would be to strengthen the next generation of TMS members. He believed that a successful career meant more than learning, and studying, and working hard. Building "pride in the profession" and nurturing important skills that aren't usually found in a classroom are very necessary stepping stones on an impactful career path. The Foundation gave TMS the means to reach out to our youngest members beyond our traditional services, enabling them to realize their fullest potential as people and professionals.
With Keith's untimely death in 1997, the TMS Foundation lost its greatest champion. The Foundation still went on to accomplish good things. The Shri Ram Arora...