4 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | SEPTEMBER 2026 ASM International 9639 Kinsman Road, Materials Park, OH 44073 Tel: 440.338.5151 • Fax: 440.338.4634 Joanne Miller, Editor joanne.miller@asminternational.org Victoria Burt, Managing Editor vicki.burt@asminternational.org Frances Richards and Corinne Richards Contributing Editors Anne Vidmar, Layout and Design Allison Freeman, Production Manager allie.freeman@asminternational.org EDITORIAL COMMITTEE John Shingledecker, Chair, EPRI Beth Armstrong, Vice Chair, Oak Ridge National Lab Adam Farrow, Past Chair, Los Alamos National Lab Carl Boehlert, Michigan State University Punnathat Bordeenithikasem, Machina Labs Daniel Grice, Materials Evaluation & Engineering Benjamin Huebner, Stevens Institute of Technology Hideyuki Kanematsu, Suzuka National College of Technology Ibrahim Karaman, Texas A&M University Ricardo Komai, Tesla Krassimir Marchev, Northeastern University Bhargavi Mummareddy, Dimensional Energy Christian Paglia, SUPSI Institute of Materials and Construction Ryan Paul, GrafTech International Felice Rubino, University of Salerno Satyam Sahay, John Deere Technology Center India Abhijit Sengupta, Bechtel Corporation Vasisht Venkatesh, Howmet Aerospace ASM BOARD OF TRUSTEES Elizabeth Ho man, President and Chair Daniel P. Dennies, Senior Vice President Tirumalai Sudarshan, Vice President Navin Manjooran, Immediate Past President William Jarosinski, Treasurer Rahul Gupta Hanchen Huang Victoria Miller Christopher J. Misorski Erik Mueller Ramana G. Reddy JP Singh Dehua Yang Fan Zhang Veronica Becker, Executive Director STUDENT BOARD MEMBERS Sofía González Espinosa, Andrew Gillespie, Wenchi Li Individual readers of Advanced Materials & Processes may, without charge, make single copies of pages therefrom for personal or archival use, or may freely make such copies in such numbers as are deemed useful for educational or research purposes and are not for sale or resale. Permission is granted to cite or quote from articles herein, provided customary acknowledgment of the authors and source is made. The acceptance and publication of manuscripts in Advanced Materials & Processes does not imply that the reviewers, editors, or publisher accept, approve, or endorse the data, opinions, and conclusions of the authors. MEN OF STEEL ASM has a long history of notable members who have greatly influenced the field of materials science. From the archives of departed ASM members, can you name the man who fits the following description? He grew up in rural Pennsylvania and studied metallurgy in college. Early in his career, he spent time at Latrobe Steel. Through hard work, grit, and a brilliant mind for business, he became a titan of the steel and special metals industry, orchestrating mergers including one related to ATI’s corporate history. He became an ASM Fellow and received ASM’s Medal for the Advancement of Research. He was a philanthropic friend to Carnegie Mellon University among other institutions. If you answered with either George A. Roberts, FASM, or Richard P. Simmons, FASM, you are correct. Both gentlemen had similar journeys and left amazing legacies that paved the way for future special alloy developments, like Allvac 718Plus that is described in this issue’s third installment of our Alloy 718 series. Both industrialists are also represented in this issue of AM&P. The annual George A. Roberts Scholarships, endowed by their namesake, are announced in ASM News. Simmons recently passed away and is fondly remembered in our In Memoriam section. Though their lives had many parallels, they also intersected in ways that propelled the metals industry forward. George Roberts became president of Vanadium Alloys Steel Company in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, in 1961. While at the helm, he acquired Allvac Metals Corp. in Monroe, North Carolina. In 1966, he merged his company with Teledyne. The combined company specialized in high precision alloys and specialty metals for aerospace applications. Roberts was foundational to the Fortune 500 company’s success. Richard Simmons began as a metallurgist at Allegheny Ludlum in 1953. After brief stints at Latrobe Steel and Republic Steel, he returned to Allegheny Ludlum. Successive promotions led to him being named president of the specialty metals producer in 1972. He directed a buyout of the company in 1980, solidifying his place as a formidable leader in the specialty steels arena. Then in 1996, their careers intersected. Simmons managed Allegheny Ludlum’s merger with Teledyne Corp., creating Allegheny Teledyne Inc. (ATI). During the negotiations, Roberts sat on the Teledyne side of the table as its president. In his memoir “Distant Force,” Roberts dubbed the event “the friendly merger.” It turned out to be profitable too. Under Simmons’ leadership, ATI became a successful producer of titanium, stainless steel, and other specialty metals. Although we may not build a metals empire or negotiate a merger, we can gain wisdom from leadership lessons offered by the pair. To encourage Teledyne managers dealing with change, Roberts noted that “market conditions are beyond our control, but good leaders can plan for contingencies and must react quickly when changes occur.” In speaking to CEOs in Pittsburgh, Simmons outlined several of “life’s truths.” Among them were these nuggets: “Look beyond your job. Ask yourself how your job affects other departments. Take advantage of opportunities when presented.” Roberts and Simmons clearly leveraged both change and opportunities to grow the steel and special metals industry. Since then, every new 718 derivative and specialty alloy has been built on their intersecting legacies. joanne.miller@asminternational.org
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