ABSTRACT
Dr. Tsuyoshi Hayashi, Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo, Founder and Honorary Member of the Japan Society for Composite Materials, passed away suddenly at home as a result of acute heart failure at the age of 86 on February 2nd, 1998. Everyone who knew him was shocked to hear the news of his sudden and unexpected passing as he had been in good health and active until quite recently. Dr. Hayashi made numerous significant contributions to the field of composite materials including his famous pioneering work on orthotropic bodies and structures. His enthusiasm towards the establishment of unified “Composite Materials Engineering” had not diminished since he founded the Japan Reinforced Plastics Society (JRPS) in 1955 and the Japan Society for Composite Materials (JSCM) in 1975. Dr. Hayashi attended many overseas conferences on composite materials until quite recently and enjoyed a close intimacy with many distinguished overseas scholars and researchers. Dr. Hayashi was often known in overseas countries as the “Godfather of Composites”. The Japan composite community has lost its great leader and his constant inspiration, both personally and academically, will be sorely missed. We all would like to express our sincere condolences to his bereaved family.
