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“We need to support our current textile companies so they can compete, they can continue to provide jobs and drive the economy and they can survive to fight another day.”
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“We need to seize the current national initiatives. Our government is going to invest billions of dollars in the next few years in national security. Much of this investment is textile related and we must assure that we get the appropriate share for the nation’s leading textile-producing region.”
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“We need to create a New World of Textiles. There is an exciting new world of products and industries on the horizon made possible through recent breakthroughs in fiber and polymer science. These include conducting fibers and electro-textiles, biomedical textiles, industrial and geotextiles and revolutionary new apparel. With the appropriate support, this region can be the leader in bringing these products to market through both existing and new companies.”
And for the next dozen years, he made it his mission to assist companies in their drive to compete with the rest of the world. Working closely with its industry partners for years, the College of Textiles has greatly innovated products, allowing domestic firms to offer improved, often high-tech goods not available from overseas producers. In conjunction with consumer demand for better functionality and sustainability in their apparel and other textiles, increased research and innovation has indeed helped the industry live to fight another day.
I had the pleasure of hearing Dean Godfrey speak on several occasions over the last 14 years, and I came away feeling optimistic about the industry every time. He was always enlightening and enthusiastic, and the research and futuristic innovation he spoke about was mind-boggling. He was a super leader, and a terrific ambassador – not only for the College of Textiles but for the entire textile industry.
I wish him continued success as he brings that passion and drive for excellence back to the “new classroom world.” His students are definitely in for a treat. Thanks for all your contributions to our great industry, Dean Godfrey.
To read more about Godfrey’s legacy, click here.
Posted July 29, 2014
In 2002, as the U.S. textile industry found itself in the doldrums – and with more trouble on the horizon – a “Multi-State Textile Summit” was convened in Gaston County, N.C. Panelists included the governors of four large textile-producing states – Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia – and others, including a distinguished speaker from academia, Dr. Blanton Godfrey.
Godfrey, then the fairly new dean of the College of Textiles at North Carolina State University, provided an overview of what the industry should do in order to “build a national case for long-term success of the textile industry that benefits our nation and our region.”
Now, some 12 years later as I review my notes from that event, I realize just how prophetic Godfrey was that day. In his remarks, he encouraged industry leaders to “create the future, build the New World of Textiles.” As many of you know, “the New World of Textiles” was his catchphrase and the title of most, if not all, of his presentations during his 14-year career as dean.
Godfrey, who recently left his post to return to the university’s faculty, created a lasting legacy. Called a “visionary” by Jon Rust, NCSU’s department head in Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science, Godfrey led the college on a record-breaking run in undergraduate and graduate enrollment, research grants and productivity, as well as service to industry. “Today, the College of Textiles is the largest and most productive it has ever been,” Rust said. “This is due in large part to Dean Blanton Godfrey."
The textile college’s achievements during his tenure are too numerous to list. But in a nutshell, N.C. State now produces more textile graduates per year than any other university in the nation, and Godfrey helped forged partnerships with textile and other companies that led to unforeseeable research breakthroughs. Oh, and the college's Nonwovens Institute has grown and fostered so much that it has helped North Carolina attract more than $700 million in investment dollars from nonwoven companies over past decade.
Godfrey certainly envisioned what could transpire for the college and the industry during his remarks in Gaston County way back when. He made three main recommendations at the textile summit:
Godfrey's 'New World of Textiles' realized
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