Walt W. Braithwaite (born January 1945) is a Jamaican-born

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engineer and former executive at Boeing. He played an integral role in the introduction and use of CAD/CAM and IGES technology at Boeing and in 2000 was named as Boeing's President of Boeing Africa. He has received the Black Engineer of the Year and Pathfinder Awards and the Walt E. Braithwaite Legacy Award is named in his honor.

Early life and education

Braithwaite was born in

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, Jamaica in January 1945. His father, Ivanhoe Brathwaite, worked as both a laborer and was in sales. His mother, Ivy Braithwaite, worked as a beautician, seamstress, and embroiderer. Braithwaite also had one sister. After deciding as a child his career would be in engineering, Braithwaite gained experience at a local maritime machine shop through an apprenticeship. In addition, he learned about diesel engineering by taking a correspondence course. Braithwaite's family moved to England during his teen years, where he attended Hackney Technical College in London while working towards a certificate in mechanical engineering. To complete this education, he moved to Chicago, Illinois. Braithwaite received a bachelors of science degree in Engineering in 1965 from the American Institute of Engineering and Technology. While working at Boeing, he received a two masters degrees; one in Computer Science in 1975 from the University of Washington and one in Industrial Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981 while serving as a Boeing Sloan Fellow. After beginning a Ph.D at the University of Washington, Braithwaite completed his Ph.D in Technology and Business Processes at

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Career

Braithwaite joined Boeing in 1966 as an associate tool engineer in the Fabrication Division. In 1975 he was the senior engineer responsible for developing Boeing's use of computer technology by using

CAD/CAM CAD/CAM refers to the integration of Computer-aided design (CAD) and Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). Both of these require powerful computers. ''CAD'' software helps designers and draftsmen; ''CAM'' "reduces manpower costs" in the manufactur ...

in the design of commercial airplanes. Over the next several decades Braithwaite's teams oversaw the engineering development of the

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, 727, and

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and later as head of engineering operations for the

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767 767 may refer to: * Boeing 767, a jet airliner * 767 (number) * AD 767, a year in the 8th century. * 767 BC, a year in the 8th century BC * Area code 767 Area code 767 is the local telephone area code of the Commonwealth of Dominica, within the ...

programs and the

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, the first commercial aircraft to be designed entirely with computer-aided design. Braithwaite also created and served as the pioneer for the implementation of the

Initial Graphics Exchange Specification The Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES) is a vendor-neutral file format that allows the digital exchange of information among computer-aided design (CAD) systems. It's an ASCII-based textual format. The official title of IGES is ''Dig ...

(IGES). In 1991, Braithwaite was named as vice president of information systems and architecture at Boeing. In 1994, Braithwaite was named vice president of all information systems activities for Boeing Commercial Air-plane Group. In 2000 Boeing named Braithwaite President of Boeing Africa, responsible for overseeing corporate activities in the region and acting as an ambassador and liaison between local governments and Boeing divisions in the region. After 36 years with Boeing, Braithwaite retired in 2003 as the highest-ranking black executive in Boeing's history. During his time at Boeing, Braithwaite was known as a quiet person who listened more than talked. Although he at one time was told by a manager that he needed to be aggressive, this same manager later came to value Braithwaite's knowledge, wisdom, and personal integrity. Braithwaite also created a mentoring program during his time at Boeing.

Personal life

Braithwaite volunteered with the YMCA Black Achievers program and is a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.

Honors and awards

*1987 Joseph Marie Jacquard Memorial Award *1995 Black Engineer of the Year Award *1996 History Makers Award in Science and Technology *1998 Honorary Doctorate of Laws from

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

*2017 Pathfinder Award The Walt W. Braithwaite Legacy Award was named after Braithwaite.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Braithwaite, Walt 1945 births 21st-century American engineers University of Washington alumni Living people Boeing people People from Kingston, Jamaica MIT Sloan Fellows MIT Sloan School of Management alumni Emigrants from British Jamaica to the United Kingdom British emigrants to the United States