The plastics world mourns a true gentleman

Honest man, true gentleman, hard worker. These are perhaps the main qualities that spring to mind when we think of Francesco Goi, director of the magazine La Plastica Oggi and Domani and cofounder of the Interprogetti Editori publishing house, who passed away in the afternoon of Wednesday July 24, at the age of just 63.

Even though he graduated in chemical engineering at Politecnico di Milano, Franco (as he preferred his friends to call him) was very much a “Pavia” man. He was highly cultured, with a range of interests, and it is therefore no surprise that, after graduating, he immediately found himself drawn to the world of journalism. He then began writing articles for specialised chemistry and plastics magazines published by Eris (Milan) and Stammer (Peschiera Borromeo). In 1999, he invited me to edit a new magazine for Stammer, TecnoPlast, which he had helped to found. As managing director, he was always more than up to the task, and certainly always ready to help and support colleagues and collaborators whatever the situation, putting in overtime alongside them when necessary and always showing absolute commitment to his work.

As the years went by, he became the director of other publications, including Plast, ICP, Tecnologie Meccaniche, Tecnologie Tessili and Giornale della Subfornitura, remaining at Stammer through its various ups and downs. Indeed, the firm was taken over by Miller Freeman in 1999 before subsequently becoming, in a series of changes of ownership and name, Elsevier, Reed Elsevier and then Reed Business Information. In 2010, he finally parted company with Reed Business Information, taking with him the magazine Tecnologie Alimentari, which thus joined several other publications linked to his new publishing venture Interprogetti Editori, namely Plastica Oggi e Domani, La Subfornitura and ICF - Rivista dell’Industria Chimica e Farmaceutica, all of which are still thriving thanks also to the Ghioldi family, joint owners of Interprogetti along with Goi.

In the plastics sector, Francesco Goi became well known also as the author of a fantastic book, Protagonisti, storie di uomini, aziende, tecnologie (Reed Business Information, 2008), a collection of biographical portraits, life stories and anecdotes about some of Italy’s major manufacturers of plastics machinery and equipment.

Franco knew he had pancreatic cancer last December. He told me the news, without wanting to make too much of it, during our usual Christmas catch-up on the phone, urging me to keep it to myself. He was, indeed, very reserved by nature, and he managed to remain cheerful throughout the course of his difficult and painful illness, showing huge courage even in the face of this, his final challenge.

Not everyone knows this, but Francesco Goi was a great theater lover and tried not to miss any important theatrical event taking place during the year. Recalling his great passion for the theatre, I would like to end with a recent anecdote.

Around three months ago, actress Paola Quattrini, a personal friend of Francesco, knowing he was in the audience, decided to surprise him with a special tribute. She had the name of one of the characters in the play changed to “Francesco Goi”. Naturally, Franco was delighted by this. Perhaps, on that occasion at least, which was one of his last outings, he was able, in some way, to feel part of the show – the actor he would love to have been!

Well, dear Franco, I can only hope that there is a stage “up there” where you can now give vent to your passion, maybe even writing about theatre too! These are after all, two of the things you would have loved to have done at some point in your life - a life cut short so sadly.

Riccardo Ampollini