Francis Small (engineer)
{{Short description|New Zealand engineer (1946–2021)}}
{{use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Francis Small
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CNZM|size=100%}}
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| birth_name = Arthur Francis Small
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1946|02|26|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Palmerston North, New Zealand
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|03|05|1946|02|26|df=yes}}
| death_place = Wellington, New Zealand
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| education =
| alma_mater = University of Auckland
| thesis_title = Hydroelastic excitation of cylinders
| thesis_url = https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/2531
| thesis_year = 1971
| doctoral_advisor = Arved Raudkivi
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| module = {{Infobox officeholder | embed=yes
| order1 = 82nd President of IPENZ
| office1 =
| term_start1 = 1996
| term_end1 = 1997
| predecessor1 = Douglas Armstrong
| successor1 = John Philip Blakeley
| order2 = National president of Scouting New Zealand
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Arthur Francis Small {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CNZM|size=85%}} (26 February 1946 – 5 March 2021) was a New Zealand engineer and scouting leader. He served as the national president of Scouting New Zealand, as well as the vice-chairman of the Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Committee.Page 17 World Organization of the Scout Movement – Triennial Report 1996–1999
Early life
Small was born in 1946,{{cite book |last= Lambert |first= Max |title= Who's Who in New Zealand |edition= 12 |orig-year= 1908 |year= 1991 |publisher= Reed |location= Wellington |isbn= 0790001306 |page= 586 }}{{cite web |title=Past Presidents |url=https://www.ipenz.nz/home/news-and-publications/news-article/past-presidents-of-ipenz |publisher=Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand |access-date=12 April 2017}} He studied civil engineering at the University of Auckland, completing a Master of Engineering degree in 1969,{{cite web |url=http://librarysearch.auckland.ac.nz/UOA2_A:Combined_Local:uoa_alma21174162720002091 |title=Library search |publisher=University of Auckland |access-date=12 April 2017}} and a PhD in 1971.{{cite web |url=http://librarysearch.auckland.ac.nz/UOA2_A:Combined_Local:uoa_alma21123347990002091 |title=Library search |publisher=University of Auckland |access-date=12 April 2017}} His doctoral thesis, supervised by Arved Raudkivi, was titled Hydroelastic excitation of cylinders.{{cite book |url=https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/2292/2531/01front.pdf?sequence=3 |title=Hydroelastic excitation of cylinders | first=A.F. | last=Small | year=1971 | publisher=University of Auckland | page=ii | access-date=12 April 2017}}
Career
Joining the New Zealand Railways Department in 1964, Small rose to become managing director of New Zealand Rail in 1990 and its successor, Tranz Rail.{{cite web |title=2013 Dr. Francis Small |url=http://www.rtsa.com.au/award-winners/dr-francis-small |publisher=Railway Technical Society of Australasia |access-date=12 April 2017}} He retired from Tranz Rail in 2000 and was replaced, as managing director, by Michael Beard in May of that year.{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Yoke Har |title=Boss who took Tranz Rail up a gear |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=9985 |access-date=12 April 2017 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=30 June 2000}} Small was then vice-chairman for some time.{{cite news|title=Rail shares in limelight as port eyes stake|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=139941 |access-date=12 April 2017 |work=The New Zealand Herald|date=30 June 2000}} For his services to the transport industry and the community, he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2000 New Year Honours.{{cite web | url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-2000 | title=New Year honours list 2000 |date=31 December 1999| publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | access-date=18 August 2019}}
In 1999, Small was appointed by the National Government as one of three people on the high-profile INCIS inquiry into the failed computer system that had been ordered by New Zealand Police in the 1990s. Early in 2000 after a change to the Labour Government, the other two members were dispensed with and Small conducted the enquiry by himself.{{cite news |last1=Young |first1=Audrey |title=David Caygill gets 'just' $1500 a day to head electricity inquiry |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=115767|access-date=12 April 2017 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=30 June 2000}}{{cite news |last1=Bingham |first1=Eugene |title=Fears of $7m bill for Incis inquiry |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=115024 |access-date=12 April 2017 |work=The New Zealand Herald|date=30 June 2000}} Small's report on INCIS was published in November 2000.{{cite news|title=Widespread blame for Incis fiasco|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=160350|access-date=12 April 2017|work=The New Zealand Herald|date=17 November 2000}}
Small was a Distinguished Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) and was the group's president in 1996–97. In 2013, he received an individual award from the Railway Technical Society of Australasia for outstanding service to New Zealand's rail industry. In 2015, he founded the Francis Small Scholarship at the University of Auckland, available to civil, electrical, mechanical or chemical engineering students.{{cite web|title=Francis Small Scholarship|url=https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/for/current-students/cs-scholarships-and-awards/cs-search-for-scholarships-and-awards/francis-small-scholarship-836.html|publisher=University of Auckland|access-date=11 April 2017}}
In 1999, Small was awarded the 278th Bronze Wolf, the only distinction of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, awarded by the World Scout Committee for exceptional services to world scouting.{{cite web | url = https://www.scout.org/BronzeWolfAward/list | title = List of recipients of the Bronze Wolf Award | publisher = World Organization of the Scout Movement | access-date = 12 April 2017 | archive-date = 29 November 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201129053624/https://www.scout.org/BronzeWolfAward/List | url-status = dead }}
Small died in Wellington on 5 March 2021.{{cite news |url=https://notices.nzherald.co.nz/obituaries/nzherald-nz/obituary.aspx?n=arthur-francis-cnzm-small&pid=197952971 |title=Arthur Small death notice |date=8 March 2021 |work=New Zealand Herald |access-date=9 March 2021}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Portal|Scouting}}
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Category:University of Auckland alumni
Category:Scouting and Guiding in New Zealand
Category:Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Category:Recipients of the Bronze Wolf Award
Category:New Zealand civil engineers
Category:New Zealand people in rail transport