{{Short description|British metallurgist}}{{Infobox person | name = Dorothy Lilian Pile | birth_date = 26 July 1902 | death_date = {{Death date and age|1993|02|01|1902|07|26|df=y}} | occupation = Metallurgist }}

'''Dorothy Lilian Pile''' (26 July 1902 – 1 February 1993) was a British metallurgist, first woman to be admitted to the Institution of Metallurgists and past president of the Women's Engineering Society.<ref>{{Cite journal |year=1949 |title=News of Members |journal=The Woman Engineer |volume=6 |issue=17 |page=319 |url=https://www2.theiet.org/resources/library/archives/research/wes/WES_Vol_6.html|access-date=2024-08-21}}</ref>

== Early life == alt=WES President's Medal given by Dorothy Pile (front)|thumb|166x166px|WES President's Medal given by Dorothy Pile (front) Dorothy Lilian Pile was born in Yorkshire on 26 July 1902.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=66: Dorothy pile |url=https://www.magnificentwomen.co.uk/engineer-of-the-week/66-dorothy-pile |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=Magnificent Women |language=en}}</ref>

== Career == In 1920 Pile's first job was as at the Midland Laboratory Guild Ltd. where her father was the chief metallurgist.<ref>{{cite web |title= Birmingham Metallurgical Society Lectures and Papers |volume=3 |last=Dillamore |first=I.L.|url=https://bmeta.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/BMetA-vol-III.pdf}}</ref> Her role was in the chemical laboratory as an assistant working on physical testing and metallography before she became more involved in sheet metal research.<ref name="IOM3">{{Cite web |title=Extraordinary women in materials, minerals and mining|url=https://www.iom3.org/resource/extraordinary-women-in-materials-minerals-and-mining.html |access-date=2024-08-21}}</ref>

In 1949, Pile was appointed as a metallurgist at the Design and Research Centre of the Gold, Silver and Jewellery Trade, in London<ref>{{Cite journal |year=1949 |title=News of Members |journal=The Woman Engineer |volume=6 |issue=16 |page=295 |url=https://www2.theiet.org/resources/library/archives/research/wes/WES_Vol_6.html|access-date=2024-08-21}}</ref> and later became an industrial liaison officer.<ref>{{Cite journal |year=1953 |title=President 1953–54 |journal=The Woman Engineer |volume=7 |issue=2 |page=3 |url=https://twej.theiet.org/twej/WES_Vol_7.html|access-date=2024-08-21}}</ref>

== Professional memberships == alt=WES President's Medal back showing dedication as given by Dorothy Pile|thumb|166x166px|WES President's Medal back showing dedication by Dorothy Pile Pile was the first woman to become a member of the Institution of Metallurgists in 1946. Later in 1983 she also became the first woman to be awarded honorary fellowship.<ref name="IOM3"/> As a thank you she presented the institution with a presidential tankard which is still held by the IOM3 Historical Collection.<ref name="IOM3"/>

Pile was an active member of the Birmingham Metallurgical Association and in 1949 she was elected president.<ref name="IOM3"/> Pile was the first woman to become president of any British metallurgical societies.<ref>{{Cite journal |year=1949 |title=News of Members |journal=The Woman Engineer |volume=6 |issue=16 |page=295 |url=https://www2.theiet.org/resources/library/archives/research/wes/WES_Vol_6.html|access-date=2024-08-21}}</ref>

Pile became the president of the Women's Engineering Society (WES) in 1954, succeeding Ella Mary Collin in the role. Pile's successor as president was Kathleen Mary Cook.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Presidents Past and Present|url=https://www.wes.org.uk/content/history/presidents-past-present|website=Women's Engineering Society|access-date=21 August 2024|archive-date=23 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923083424/http://www.wes.org.uk/content/history/presidents-past-present|url-status=dead}}</ref> Pile presented WES with a President's Medal on 29th August 1964, featuring the organisation's logo at the time in green enamel.<ref name=":0" />

Pile had various other roles and memberships to industrial societies and would often be the only woman in attendance at society dinners. She is known to have been referred to as the "metallurgical aunt" at such events.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1967-02-02 |title=Metallurgical Aunt |newspaper=The Telegraph |issue=34765 |url=https://go.gale.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Newspapers&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&retrievalId=7bffdbc9-7f2e-4741-8780-cfa9cfca1638&hitCount=103&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=9&docId=GALE%7CIO0705329894&docType=Article&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=ZTHA-MOD1&prodId=GDCS&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE%7CIO0705329894&searchId=R2&userGroupName=bham_uk&inPS=true|access-date=2024-08-21}}</ref>

== References == {{reflist}} Category:1902 births Category:1993 deaths Category:British women engineers Category:British metallurgists Category:Women's Engineering Society