Robert Donnelly

 Robert graduated from high school in 1956. After graduation he began working at a small sample weaving company in his hometown. During this time he spent time in the Army and National Guard and attended part-time College at Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science.

The same small company he started with was contracted to develop materials for the U.S.Navy, Air Force, the Army and NASA. During this time, he was instrumental in the development of woven webbing for an aircraft carrier catapult that had a breaking strength of one point five million pounds total, knitted metal mesh for the Lunar Landing Broadcast Antenna, and developing Kevlar ballistic vest materials.

In 1974 Robert went to work in a startup company named Fabric Development Inc., and made Kevlar inserts for large gun-plugs on Navy ships, and three-dimensional woven carbon and graphite Pre-Preg fabrics.

In 1976 he took a job with the International Wool Secretariat and was located at the USDA Wool Research Laboratories in Berkeley California. While there, he worked on flame retardant upholstery fabrics for the Bay Area Rapid Transit company (BART) and Boeing Aircraft company in Seattle.

Robert retired from the IWS in 1986 and became self-employed as a textile consultant in Mexico. He developed his own spinning Mill in Taos, New Mexico and helped start the spinning mill in Mora, New Mexico. The mill in Taos, New Mexico was part of the newly emerging “Small Scale” wool production industry in the US. He purchased equipment for setting up weaving and spinning mills in Taos and Mora, New Mexico, as well as Woodbury Long Island New York for the IWS.

Simultaneous to this, Robert was part of the original cast that was protecting the Churros. He was part of the original group that started the Churro Sheep Association and the Navajo Sheep Project.

Robert has years of experience in processing wool and other fibers and is especially excited about consulting and assisting Rio Milagro Foundation as they develop their processes.