Robert Seidl, leader in timber industry

Robert Seidl was a blend of science and art, spontaneity and discipline, but he always was a humble "people person" who could turn even enemies into lifelong friends, according to one colleague.

Mr. Seidl died Sept. 19 after a short illness. He was 94.

According to Furman Moseley, who knew Mr. Seidl for 35 years through Simpson Timber Company, "Bob was a very people-oriented person, a great blend of inquiry and the disciplines of science with a nice spontaneity."

Moseley said he worked "for him, by him and with him" and admired his "balanced perspective in life."

Mr. Seidl was born in Menominee, Mich., the fifth of 10 children. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1937 with a degree in chemical engineering.

In 1946, Mr. Seidl, who couldn't serve in the military during the war because he had a heart defect, was given a military commission and sent to Japan to assess the rebuilding of the pulp, paper and rayon industries. He made many friendships that continued through the rest of his life, said son Bryce Seidl.

"Our family home was full of visits from Japanese people he befriended during the most difficult times after the war," said his son.

In 1957, Mr. Seidl moved to the Northwest from Michigan, bought a house in Bellevue and began a 23-year association with the Simpson Timber Company and its affiliates. He began as a director and later became vice-president for research, moving into paper manufacturing, and ultimately serving as president of the Simpson Paper Company.

He retired in 1980, but remained a director until 1997. After retirement, he accepted an appointment as affiliate professor in the College of Forest Resources at University of Washington, where he served for 10 years.

During his professional career, Mr. Seidl wrote many papers and encouraged cooperation between researchers and industry. Many of his innovative technologies were adopted by the paper and pulp industry.

A scholarship was established in his name at the UW for students studying pulp, paper and forest resources.

Mr. Seidl also spent 25 years on the College of Engineering & Architecture Advisory Board at Washington State University.

Mr. Seidl was a keen admirer and patron of the arts. For 23 years he was a member of the board of directors of the Pilchuck Glass School, including two years as president. He also served as a trustee of Cornish College of the Arts.

He was a friend and supporter of many excellent artists, but his wife, Gwen, a painter and poet whom he married in 1941, was his favorite, Bryce Seidl said.

The last 14 years of his life were dedicated to his wife, who has Alzheimer's.

"He'd sit across the table from her, and even in her fog they'd look at each other and smile," Bryce Seidl said.

Mr. Seidl is survived by his wife, Gwen, and three children: Lynn Whitford, of Madison, Wis., Bryce, of Seattle, and David, of Walla Walla; his sister, Irene Johnson, of Milwaukee, Wis.; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Memorial services will be 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bellevue First Congregational Church, 752 108th Ave. N.E., Bellevue.

Memorial contributions may be made to the First Congregational Church or the Pilchuck Glass School, 430 Yale Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109.

Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com