Douglas Scott Dierdorf

Douglas Dierdorf, 70, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and brother, died after a brief illness on Friday, April 17, 2020, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Sandra Dierdorf; daughter, Johanna Dierdorf Blackburn (Mike); daughter, Erika Crow (Tim); grandson, Alexander Crow; granddaughter, Eleanor Crow; and sister, Gail Hughes of Schertz, Texas.

Doug was born on Wednesday, June 15, 1949, in Terra Haute, Indiana, to parents, Edwin and Dorothy Dierdorf. He graduated from Burges High School in El Paso, Texas in 1967.

Doug enjoyed traveling with his family to numerous states and countries and experiencing the different cultures around the world. In his youth, Doug was an avid downhill skier and rally car racer. He also enjoyed coaching both of his daughters in soccer and taking part in US Soccer’s Olympic Development Program.

Doug began his distinguished career at The University of Texas at Austin where he earned a B. S. in Chemistry in 1970. He went on to receive his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Washington in 1974. He then accepted a position as a Research Chemist at E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., Inc. where he began his career in the textile industry. Doug continued Research & Development of textiles and developed several generations of new products before transitioning to Fire Science.

In 1995, while working for Pacific Scientific, Inc., Doug received the Harry C. Bigglestone Award for a paper appearing in Fire Technology that best represents excellence in the communication of fire protection concepts.

Doug retired in 2014 after more than 16 years at Applied Research Associates, Inc. in Albuquerque, New Mexico and at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida as Principal Scientist, Fire Research and Fellow. He was instrumental in Research and Development of Fire Protection, Suppression, and Prevention. Doug also received recognition from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center, in 2002, for valuable contributions to the Pentagon Rebuild Retrofit Program Study.

Memorial donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association at https://www.diabetes.org/donate/donate-memorial or 1-800-DIABETES.