Desmond Newman, or Des Newman as he's more affectionately known, spent much of his life contributing to the Whitby community, Canadian politics, and the aerospace industry. He was born in 1931 in British Guiana (Guyana) where he attended St. Stanislaus College in Georgetown before attending university in Jamaica for a degree in arts and science.

During university, Newman spent several summers in Canada, working at General Motors and other industries in Oshawa and Whitby. He eventually settled in Oshawa in 1955 and became a Canadian citizen in 1960. He moved to Whitby in 1958.

In 1956, Newman accepted a job as chemist for Ajax-based Cametoid Ltd., a subsidiary of Dowty Group. By 1961, he had risen to the position of General Manager and then President in 1967.

Newman devoted most of his life to community service in one form or another. In addition to serving as Mayor of Whitby for ten years, he was involved in various organizations and committees in Durham Region and abroad.

Newman was the Founding Chairman of the Durham Region Manufacturers Association and the Dennis O'Connor Catholic High School, Chairman of the Industrial Accident Prevention Association for Central Ontario, a member of the founding committees for the Dr. J.O. Ruddy General Hospital and Whitby Arts Incorporated (Station Gallery), and President of the Rotary Club of Whitby, among many others.

Newman was awarded the Freedom of the Town of Whitby. He was also awarded the Whitby Chamber of Commerce Peter Perry Award, Canada’s Centennial Medal, and the Queen’s 50th and 60th Anniversary Medals. In 2015 the University of Ontario Institute of Technology conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

He and his wife Marjory reside in Whitby.