Progressed rapidly through the ranks at Thompson Products (which later became TRW), serving as Chief Engineer and Vice President before his appointment to the Board of Directors in 1939

Patented 30 innovations that led to more reliable, better performing internal combustion engines

Propelled TRW into the global marketplace, creating a high demand for the company’s technologies and products throughout the world

Archie Colwell found something he liked and stuck with it. Spending his entire career with one company, Colwell steadily advanced to higher levels of management responsibility. In each corporate position, he demonstrated a sense of professionalism and dedication that guided TRW to world leadership in auto parts production. In addition to patenting products such as improved heat-resistant valves, he was personally responsible for establishing TRW manufacturing facilities in Asia, South America, Western Europe and South Africa. Colwell was a superb engineer who also sought recognition for his profession. An active member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, he served as its President in 1941 and frequently addressed large audiences of colleagues on technical topics. In an editorial eulogy, the SAE publication Automotive Engineering noted that Colwell’s “good works…will serve as a guiding light for generations yet to come.”