The National Board recently learned of the March 5 death of former National Board Advisory Committee member W. D. “D’Or” Doty. He was 95 years old.

Dr. Doty was born in Rochester, New York. He received his Bachelor of Metallurgical Engineering, Master of Metallurgical Engineering and Ph.D. (Metallurgy) degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he also served as a Research Fellow. He subsequently joined the United States Steel Corporation and served in various research and supervisory positions at the company’s Technical Center.

Dr. Doty was widely known for his research in welding and steel product development. In addition to publishing numerous technical articles and papers, he co-authored the authoritative book Weldabilty of Steels. 

As a National Board Advisory Committee member representing the welding industry, he served several terms: from 1979 to 1996, and from 1999 to 2005. In 2007, he was awarded the prestigious National Board Safety Medal. 

Dr. Doty was a Fellow of the American Society for Metals; a Fellow of the American Welding Society; a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and recipient of ASME’s J. Hall Taylor Medal.

The Rochester native was active in a variety of ASME groups including the ASME Code Subcommittee on Materials, Subgroup on Strength of Weldments, and Section VIII Subgroup on Materials. Additionally, he served 20 years as a member of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Main Committee, and six years as Chairman of the Pressure Vessel Research Council (PVRC). Dr. Doty also served on the American Welding Society Committee on Welding Qualification, and the Committee on Filler Metal. He was past U.S. Coordinator of the Committee for International Standardization of Steels (ISO) and was a member of ASM International, AWS, AIME, ASME, the British Welding Institute, and Sigma XI. He was a registered Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

“We mourn the passing of an industry icon,” observed National Board Executive Director David Douin. “No one knew more about welding and metallurgy than D’Or Doty. More important was his willingness to unselfishly and generously share his knowledge. His counsel as a member of our Advisory Committee played a key role in the technical direction of the National Board. His passing leaves a tremendous void in the hearts of his many friends and associates.”

Dr. Doty was preceded in death by his wife Yvonne. His family will hold a memorial service at a later date. Those who wish to send a card may direct it to his daughter Pamela Doty at 907 26th Place S, Arlington, VA 22202.