In memory of Gordon J. Roberts, Ph.D.
by Dennis Norman [email protected]
Early life and family
Gordon Roberts was born April 9, 1927, and died March 31, 2012. He was the only child of Arthur and Elsie Roberts. After the early loss of his father, Gordon was raised by his mother and his maternal grandmother, Agnes Green. They lived in the town of Fenton, in the district of Stoke-on-Trent, a region noted for coal mines, fine clay, earthenware, and exquisite bone china.
Sports and competition
Gordon loved sports and competition. He played cricket in the summer and rugby in the fall. With cricket he enjoyed the casual intricacies of the game; in rugby he relished the hardy, sometimes rough, physical challenges. His love of competition foreshadowed much of what he would accomplish.
Aeromodeling and wartime
Gordon discovered aeromodeling in his teens and joined the Five Towns Model Aeroplane Club. He became a member of the Society of Model Aeronautical Engineers (SMAE), England’s equivalent of the AMA.
Before World War II he built and flew models with the Five Towns Club at Meir Aerodrome, a small local field. Gordon met Eric Clutton and began a lifelong friendship. Both had studied at schools previously attended by Reginald Mitchell, the aeronautical engineer who designed the famous Spitfire.
Shortly after the war began, Meir became an auxiliary airfield. It was approximately 400 acres—barely large enough for military use—but when the nearby Grindley Lane Aircraft Factory was converted to repair damaged aircraft, Meir became busy. Grindley Lane produced the impressive Beaufighter for the Royal Air Force and, by 1943, began assembling American aircraft such as the P-51 and the B-24 that had been shipped to England in crates.
Although too young for military service, Eric was given work at the aerodrome. In his mid-teens he was allowed to taxi newly assembled Mustangs from Grindley’s production area to the airfield, where military pilots ferried them to their bases. Years later, skeptics challenged Eric’s tales of taxiing Mustangs, but he produced photos and eyewitness statements, including Gordon’s, to substantiate his claims. Eric eventually became one of England’s top designers of full-scale sport aircraft. Both he and Gordon gained fame as model aircraft designers and builders.
Education and professional career
Gordon excelled in school and was inspired by chemistry. After graduating from college, he spent three years in the ceramics industry and became a British ceramic research associate. He was respected for his astute and meticulous research, which resulted in a number of new and improved ceramic glazes.
Success led him to begin graduate studies at Leeds University. He became an expert in isotopic tracer techniques, which he used to explore and better understand the fusion processes in glass. He completed his studies at Leeds with high distinction and received his Ph.D. in chemistry.
While at Leeds, Gordon came to the attention of a visiting lecturer from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland’s Ferro Corporation was searching for a senior glass chemist; the visiting professor recommended Gordon enthusiastically. Ferro hired him and he moved to Cleveland with his family. At Ferro, Gordon’s research resulted in numerous patents and worldwide recognition in the glass industry. He retired from Ferro at age 70 but remained a part-time consultant to the company.
Modeling career and achievements
Gordon helped found the Cleveland Free Flight Society (CFFS). Inspired by the modern Flying Aces Club (FAC) movement in New England, Gordon began designing, building, and flying world-class models that soared with exceptional stability and duration. He was a master of trimming and tuning and became well known for his ability to coax long, stable flights from his models.
His penchant for detail and scientific training enabled him to excel in free flight model construction and flight. He applied precise weighing techniques to select the lightest, yet strongest, pieces of balsa, converting measurements to a pounds-per-foot standard to ensure optimal strength-to-weight ratios. He chose simple subjects with good proportions and minimal drag.
One of his most famous designs was Debut, an Embryo Endurance model that flew so well it was named Model of the Year by the National Free Flight Society (NFFS). Because of Debut’s outstanding performance, many flew out of sight and were lost; he eventually built nearly two dozen of them. A Debut was cremated with Gordon’s remains and now soars with him in eternity.
Gordon’s FAC accomplishments include:
- 16 victories leading to the prestigious Blue Max medal
- FAC’s first air marshal
- Induction into the FAC Hall of Fame (2006)
- FAC’s only Ace of Aces medal (2011) for more than 500 FAC first-place awards
Despite many FAC successes, Gordon never became a Grand Champion at the FAC national competition. At the FAC Nats he faced other worthy opponents—legends such as Don Srull, Dave Reese, and Jack McGillivray—making decisive victories difficult.
Personal anecdotes
After meeting Gordon in the mid-1970s, my friendship with him deepened when, as a lawyer and fellow modeler, I helped him deal with his divorce and transition to single life. When my first marriage came apart, Gordon offered me friendship, understanding, and housing in his new condominium; I stayed there for nearly six months.
You can call a person your friend for years, but you are not well acquainted until you become roommates. Gordon was delightful company. He prepared splendid suppers with the order and precision of a trained professional; his kitchen was meticulously run and often tidied even while dinner was in process.
In sharp contrast, Gordon’s hobby area resembled the portrait of Dorian Gray. He loved building models, but he cared little about keeping his modeling area tidy. Dozens of models littered the furniture and floor of his small recreation room.
When Gordon took a two-week vacation a month after I moved in, I naively tried to organize and display his collection. I placed small straight pins in the walls and hung models from the pins by making tiny pinholes in the tail ends of their fuselages. I cleaned the carpet and rearranged the furniture. When Gordon came home and saw my efforts, he was nearly catatonic with rage. He took great offense at the punctures in his models and nearly evicted me on the spot. Realizing the magnitude of my offense, I apologized and promptly returned the models to their proper places.
The incident taught me much about Gordon and about myself. It also made it clear that, if I chose to date, I could not bring ladies to Gordon’s place; they would likely have found his modeling area disturbing.
After recovering from his displeasure, Gordon encouraged me to begin building models with him and even offered to expand his workbench for that purpose. I did not accept his offer and eventually moved to my own apartment. When I met and married my wife, Linda, Gordon was best man at our wedding. Linda and I have been happily married for nearly 30 years and have been blessed with three wonderful children.
Legacy
Gordon Roberts combined scientific rigor, craftsmanship, and competitive spirit to leave a lasting mark on both the glass industry and the free flight modeling community. His meticulous approach to materials and design, his string of competitive successes, and his generosity as a friend made him beloved by many. He will be remembered for his talent, his fierce competitiveness in the flying field, and his quiet, exacting kindness in daily life.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
