TEXTILES.ORG
Geosynthetics industry expert L. David Suits passed away April 3, at the age of 80.
Suits had more than 50 years of industry experience, most recently as the head of his own consulting firm, LDS Geosynthetic Consulting Services. He also worked for the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) where he oversaw the testing and acceptance of all geosynthetics for use on DOT projects. During his last several years at NYSDOT, he was chair of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials/National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (AASHTO/NTPEP) geotextile panel overseeing the testing of all geotextiles submitted to the program.
He also worked with the Geosynthetics Materials Association and other industry groups on advocating for the use of geosynthetics at the state and federal levels.
From 2005 to 2017, Suits served as the executive director of the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS). He was a past chair of the ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics. The committee’s L. David Suits Award is given for exemplary technical, practical or administrative contributions resulting in a significant leap-forward of geosynthetics knowledge, testing equipment or products.
He was also active on ASTM International Committee D18 on Soil and Rock as co-editor of the Geotechnical
Testing journal and a past chair of the ISO Committee TC221 on Geosynthetics. He worked with the Transportation Research Board, serving as chair of the Subsurface Drainage Committee, the Geosynthetics Committee, the Soil Mechanics Section, and the Design and Construction Group.
Suits was the author of more than 30 papers on geosynthetics and geotechnical engineering, as well as several textbook chapters on geosynthetics. He also served as an adjunct professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.