WHO INVENTED BALL VALVE?
Howard Freeman epitomizes the spirit of innovation in twentieth-century industrial development. He found Worcester in 1936 to go to WPI. During The Second World War, as a mind of Rockwood Sprinkler's development and research department, he invented two fog nozzles to battle fires on U.S. warships that saved a large number of lives. He patented twenty-two inventions while working there. In 1954, he invented a higher-performance ball valve and established the highly effective Jamesbury Corporation.
Read excerpts from Howard Freeman's dental history, recorded in The month of January 1998.
"I had been born in Winthrop, Massachusetts, in 1918. My mother was educated and articulate, my dad quiet and intelligent. He'd a flourishing business until . . . things switched bad throughout the great depression. I finished senior high school in 1936, class valedictorian and voted "probably to achieve success." I received scholarship purports to Durch, Rensalier, and WPI. I selected WPI since I thought about being abroad, but my mother did not want me to get carried away. The scholarship transported me with the newbie. After that, I made use of some scholarship money, some loans, and that I labored inside a boarding house, which provided an upstairs bed room and food in my work in the kitchen area. I had been an analog engineer along with a good student. I loved the training. It had been that education which was so fundamental for everything Used to do later in life.
Rockwood Sprinkler, a fireplace protection company, hired me out of school to mind a brand new development and research department. Right after the U.S. joined The Second World War, my boss requested me to go to a conference in Washington. The Navy needed assistance to solve the issue of ships burning at the ocean. Ships held enormous amount of oils as well as their bulkheads were coated with flammable paint residues. More ships were lost to fireplace than other things. I went, supported with a senior employee. I may have been an engineer however i was just twenty-three and did not know much concerning the world. Shortly later on, I knew as Washington and described which i understood how to get it done, which i will make one to provide for them. I introduced the model and also the equipment lower to Norfolk, Virginia, for testing. The tests of my water fog nozzle were spectacularly effective so we rushed into production. Many ships and lives were saved with this equipment.
Many years later, I had been known as to Washington again. Commander Harold Burke requested me basically might make a fog of froth, since the same issue existed with gasoline fires because they formerly had with oil fires. You could not aim an upright stream into the flames since it would blow the gasoline or oil into the air and cause much more severe fires. I stated I did not know anything about foam. He stated we'll educate what we should know. And So I knew as my spouse Esther and that I informed her which I would not be home, which I was on the secret mission. I discovered the physical and chemical characteristics of froth, and that I returned to operate. Inside a couple of days, I really visualized I believe the entire means to fix the issue. This invention, the fog foam nozzle, was pure creativeness on my small part, spectacularly different. Which was very satisfying. It later grew to become the foundation for crash-save operations at airports all over the world.
I labored at Rockwood Sprinkler for 14 many created twenty-two inventions. In Feb 1954, I authored instructions for resignation. I'd no job, no earnings, along with a dream. I had been intrigued by ball valves and made the decision to find out if I possibly could try to make sure they are work very well. I spoke to some friend, Saul Reck, and my buddy Julian, so we created the Jamesbury Company. We could not begin a business until I possibly could take action towards the issues that had plagued previous ball valves. It required six several weeks. The year after my buddy Julian and Saul Reck left their companies to participate me. We visited the Worcester community for investors. For three decades I offered as a chief operating officer and chairman of the board. Jamesbury enjoyed enormous success, with factories operating around the globe.