Bowie, MD – The Tire Industry Association (TIA) is mourning the loss of former board member Raymond P. (Gus) Hawkinson Jr., who passed away in Las Vegas, NV. on July 10, 2016. Hawkinson was a long-time board member for the old American Retreaders Association (ARA) and the International Tire and Rubber Association (ITRA), the predecessors of TIA. His technical retreading expertise made him a valuable resource for the ARA membership at a time when the Association was the only technical support for independent retreaders. When the retread industry started consolidating, he strongly supported the pursuit of commercial tire dealers and ITRA’s early training efforts that ultimately led to TIA’s current training and certification programs. Hawkinson was inducted into the Tire Industry Hall of Fame in 2010 for his contributions to retreading and the industry.
“I’ve known Gus for more than 30 years and you’ll never meet anyone more passionate about supporting the independent retreader,” remarked Dr. Roy Littlefield, TIA Executive Vice President. “Whenever we had a retread issue on Capitol Hill, he was the first one to lead the charge in defense of retreading. His service to the retread industry as an ARA and ITRA board member was invaluable to the membership and as an innovator, his non-destructive testing methods are still being used to this day. Ray’s 2010 induction into the Hall of Fame was well deserved and he will be remembered as a retread industry great and active board member.”