Tinius Olsen Mourns Passing of Chairman and Past President John Arthur "Jay" Millane

HORSHAM, PA--(Marketwired - May 21, 2014) -  C. Robert Tait, III, President of Tinius Olsen, a manufacturer of materials testing machines, systems, and solutions, has announced the passing of its Chairman of the Board and past President, John Arthur "Jay" Millane of Doylestown, on Sunday, May 11, 2014. He was 78. He was the beloved husband for 53 years of Elaine Myers Millane. Born in and raised in Ludlow, MA, he was the son of the late John Joseph Millane and Thorstina (Tina) Olsen Millane.

Next to his family, Millane dedicated his life to the business established by his great-grandfather, the Tinius Olsen Testing Machine Company in Horsham, PA. He began working for Tinius Olsen in 1961, serving as President from 1971 - 2001. Millane worked with his cousin, the late Charles Robert Tait Jr., to manage the company through several milestones most family companies don't achieve: 100 years of operation and fifth generation family leadership. He retired in 2001 after 40 years of dedicated service and remained Chairman of the Board through his recent passing.

Millane graduated from Lehigh University in 1958 with a degree in Metallurgical Engineering. He was a member of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and held dear the close and lifelong friendships he established with his brothers. Upon graduation, Millane was commissioned in the Army, serving in Germany from 1958-1960.

In his professional career, Millane was an active participant and held leadership positions in key industry standards bodies. He served as an ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) Board Member from 1986 through 1993, as Chairman of the ASTM Board of Directors in 1991, and was the US representative to the International Standards Organization (ISO) for Ductility Testing. For his service, he was the recipient of the ASTM Award of Merit in 1985 and of the prestigious William T. Cavanaugh Memorial Award in 2000.

Upon his death earlier this month, ASTM established (and awarded Millane as the first recipient) the John A. "Jay" Millane Award for outstanding contributions in providing a strong and sustained voice for ASTM International and ensuring the necessary coordination with the appropriate ASTM groups responsible for standards on mechanical testing of materials, during the development of related standards by other international organizations.

A Memorial Service in celebration of Millane's life will be held 11 am, Saturday, May 31 at Lenape Valley Church, 351 West Butler Avenue, New Britain, PA 18901. Relatives and friends are invited to greet the family from 6 to 8 pm, Friday, May 30 at Reed and Steinbach Funeral Home, 2335 Lower State Road, Doylestown, PA.

Tinius Olsen is a global provider of materials testing solutions (equipment, software, and calibration services) with over 130 years of testing experience. For more information, contact: Tinius Olsen, 1065 Easton Road, Horsham, PA 19044 USA, (215) 675-7100, Fax (215) 441-0899, www.TiniusOlsen.com.