Charles Roszak
Charles Roszak (1882-1929)
1929 Obituary [1]
CHARLES ROSZAK died on June 27, 1929, at the age of forty-seven years.
Born at Rouen in 1882, M. Roszak was educated at the Ecole Centrals. In 1904 he entered the service of the Societe Frangaise des Constructions Babcock and Wilcox, as draughtsman, under M. Thomine, founder of the firm.
In 1906 he became head of the drawing office at La Courneuve works, and later chief engineer.
In 1909 he was appointed manager of the Succursale of Nancy.
In August 1914 M. Roszak was mobilized as Lieutenant in the Artillery, being promoted to Major in 1918. He was decorated in 1917 by General Fayolle as Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur.
He was in command in 1918 of four batteries of artillery and received the honours of Chevalier de la Couronne d'Italie and the Croix de guerre italienne. After serving throughout the war he was demobilized in 1919 and rejoined the Societe Frangaise des Constructions Babcock and Wilcox as managing director of the works at La Courneuve, which he entirely reorganized, tripling their productive capacity, and in 1924 became consulting engineer of the firm.
In 1925 he was appointed to the board of directors, and in 1927 managing director of the company.
M. Roszak was appointed in 1920 a Professor at the Ecole Centrals des Arts et Manufactures and Member of Council of the College. In this year also he became director of the journal Chaleur et Industrie. He was appointed a member of the Commission Centrale des Machines el Vapour in 1921, and director of the Societe Physique Industrielle in 1924. He was Vice-President of the first and second Congres du Chauffage Industriel (1923 and 1928). In 1925 he became Officier de la Legion d'honneur. He was President of the second and third Congres du Chauffage des Locaux Habites (1925 and 1927), and in 1927 he became a member of the Comit6 frangais du Chauffage et de l'Eelairage, Comite de 1'Office National des Recherches et Inventions, Comite de Redaction de la Technique Moderne, and of the Comite de la Conference mondiale de l'Energie. In the same year he also became Vice-President of the Comite Technique du Syndicat des Industries Mecaniques de France, and of the Comite Centrale de Culture Mecanique, and was appointed Officier du Merite Agricole. He was President of the 5th Section of the Societe des Ingenieurs civils de France in 1928.
M. Roszak was a man of many and varied interests. He was keenly interested in welfare work of all descriptions. He was an artist and an enthusiastic sportsman, having international victories to his credit in rowing and in swimming, in addition to being a keen tennis and rugby player. With his intellectual and physical gifts he combined great kindness of heart. He was interested in many social organizations, and was Honorary President of the Courneuve Old Comrades' Association. M. Roszak's scientific and technical works are numerous and well known. Most of them have been concerned with the question of industrial heating.
He was a member of the Institute of Fuel, and was elected a member of the Institute of Metals on April 11, 1929.