Dr Cecil Charles John French
Dr Cecil Charles John French was born in 1926 and served as President of the Institution in 1988.
He gained a BSc (Eng) with First Class Honours in 1947, from the University of London’s King’s College, and an MSc (Eng) for research into particle size analysis.
He had a strong allegiance with the Institution, joining in 1945, becoming an Associate Member in 1949, a Member in 1953 and a Fellow in 1966. He served on the Institution’s Council from 1973 to 1994. During this time he was also Chairman of the South Eastern Branch (1973-74). He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1982.
Cecil French studied at Columbia University, New York. He carried out research into combustion in the petrol engine at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and studied production methods at the John Deere Tractor Plant at Waterloo, Iowa.
In the 1950s he joined Ricardo Consulting Engineers, where he worked on diesel and petrol engine research and development. He was appointed a director in 1969. From 1979 to 1983, he acted as Managing Director, and between 1984 and 1987 he was Chairman of the instrumentation and educational equipment manufacturing subsidiary, G Cussons Ltd. In 1982 he was made Vice-Chairman of Ricardo Consulting Engineers PLC.
From 1990 to 1992, Cecil French was Group Technology Director of Ricardo International.
He was a Past-President of the Diesel Engineers’ and Users’ Association, and of the International Council for Combustion Engines, CIMAC.
Dr Tony Roche CEng FREng FIMechE, is a Past-President of the Institution (2001). He is now Chair of Council Dining Club. Tony said: “I am greatly saddened by the recent deaths of Cecil French and John McDougall.
They were very different personalities, who continued to contribute to the work of the IMechE in the years following their respective Presidency. Cecil was Chairman of Council Dining Club for 23 years until 2014. We are the richer for their leadership of the Institution and my thoughts and sympathies are extended to their families at this difficult time.”
John Donovan McDougall
John Donovan McDougall was President of the Institution in 2002.
He joined the Institution in 1982 and was elected a Fellow in 1992. He was Chairman of the North Eastern Branch (1993-1995) and Chairman of the Process Industries Division (1997-2000). He served on Council for 14 years, from 1993.
He spent his early career with the Davy Corporation, Whessoe and Sterling Furnaces, working in engineering design and manufacture of capital plant.
In 1975 he joined WS Atkins Consultants in Teesside as a project engineer, involved primarily with the supervision of the construction of the new British Steel Redcar works, and other prestige clients. He became regional managing director in 1991.
John contributed his expertise to a number of institutions, including a long association with Teesside University, from 1994 to 2011.
He was an active Board member and became Deputy Chairman of Governors in 2005, and then Estates Development Adviser, in a period of award-winning transformation.
A statement from the Vice-Chancellor’s office said, “John was a larger than life character, who lived life to the full and will be very much missed by all at Teesside.”
Sir Michael Moore KBE LVO was Chief Executive of the Institution 1998-2006. He described John McDougall as an ‘unconventional but marvellous President’. He said: “He was never in doubt, but was happy to take advice.
“He was a very good speaker and could hold an audience in the palm of his hand. Besides being utterly professional he exuded fun and made a raft of friends from other institutions as well as the IMechE.
“One of his favourite phrases was ‘We’re cooking on gas here’, to show that we were moving ahead and in the right direction, which sometimes flummoxed dissenting voices. Wherever he went people were genuinely pleased to see him. He was a truly great asset to the Institution.”
For more information see past Presidents.