Dr. Douglas T. Wright, OC, 1927-2020

Dr. Douglas T. Wright, OC, passed on Thursday, May 21, 2020. He was a founding member of Geometrica’s board of directors.

Doug was born in 1927 in Toronto, Canada. A devoted husband and father, his greatest joy in life was his family.

Doug will be remembered by all for his insightful intellect, a strong will to fulfill his responsibilities, his endless curiosity, his optimistic outlook and his graciousness.

In his trailblazing and impactful career, Doug was a structural engineer, Professor, Dean of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, deputy minister in the Ontario government, President of the University of Waterloo, and member of the board of directors of numerous companies. He was made an officer in the Order of Canada in 1991 and, in 1993, a Knight (Chevalier) in France’s Order national du Mérite. He received the Gold Medal of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers.

Doug’s Ph.D. and engineering interests focused on space frames. He developed the mathematical models, still used today, to predict member forces and buckling in space frame shells. His projects included the Mexico City Olympic Sports Palace, the Ontario Place dome and forum, the Toronto Zoo pavilions, the Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver, and serving as structural advisor on the Toronto Skydome. He mentored our founder, Francisco Castano, in his career including starting up and running Geometrica. And his support and advice to Geometrica through the years were instrumental for our company’s success today. We will miss him dearly.

Geometrica joins Doug’s family in remembrance and in celebrating his life.