J Scott McBride, director of TRADA from 1961-1975, has died at the age of 87.
A regular of Wood Forum meetings at the Ski Club of Great Britain in London with his wife Olga, he was well known for his ready wit and encyclopedic knowledge of the timber industry.
As director he oversaw the transition of the then Timber Development Association (TDA) to the Timber Research and Development Association in 1962. Five years later he led the move from its headquarters in Tylers Green to Hughenden Valley where TRADA remains.
It was his expansive personality that helped the Association to build its strong base for the future and his confidence was more than justified in the years that followed.
In a controversial move, he left TRADA to take up the post of director-general of the Brick Development Association, to the regret of his many supporters in the timber industry.
