...who they were or anything about them. One such man just passed on a few days ago and I thought I would take this moment to share a bit about his life with you. Why? Well you see, chances are good, probably even excellent, that you own or have used or have benefitted from more than just one thing that he created but there is one special thing among all of his inventions that is a household icon in America. It is something that should have made him famous or at least made his name a household name but my bet is that you probably never heard of him before and that is a shame because we all to often do not give credit where credit is due while we enjoy the fruits of another person's labors. We tend to praise the heathens in Hollywood or airheads in sports, or the glamour girls and guys in magazines more so than those who really make a meaningful contribution to our lives.
This man made more than one of those contributions but there is one with which almost every one of us should be familiar - he invented ceramic glass. "What was that?" you say. Let me say it another way - he invented Corning Ware. No, he is not famous for it, nor did he get rich off of it, but even if he invented it by accident, he benefitted us all if only in a way we take for granted possibly on every day of our lives.
I know that my family has had corning ware in the house since at least the early 1960s - my mom used it frequently - she loved it. It was certainly an improvement over its predecessors and since she cooked a lot - we used Corning Ware a lot. She used it to cook and to store foods just as I would guess most people do. My family still uses it today, my wife has a few of their casserole dishes in the kitchen cabinets and you would be able to find one in our fridge after just about any meal has been ended with leftovers remaining.
By the way, just in case you were wondering, the man's name was S. Donald Stookey. He passed away last Tuesday at age 99. Imagine that, he was on this earth for 99 years and you probably never heard his name before he died even though he invented something as popular as Corning Ware that you have probably used much more than once. He also held 60 other patents some of which were for inventions that improved things like eyeglasses, sunglasses, missile nose cones, color television screens (photosensitive glass), computers and communications. "He received the National Medal of Technology from President Ronald Reagan in 1987. In 2010, at age 94, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame" (source). I think he maybe was the Edison of our times, at least when it came to glass.
He was also an avid outdoorsman who fished and hunted with his sons. While you may not think that is even worth mentioning I do for a few reasons. The first is that I know the bond is created between a father and son who fish and hunt together, the second is that America would be a better place if more of us enjoyed those pastimes and the third is that they could have based an episode of Survivor or a similar show on him. You see, he survived a plane crash, in the Arctic, into freezing water with no chance of rescue. But he made it. He seems to have been quite the man - yet how many of us ever heard of him before? I will admit that I had heard of him before but it surely wasn't much.
If you'd like to read a bit more about him, go to these links:
http://www.stargazette.com/story/news/local/2014/11/06/corningware-inventor-dies/18600265/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Donald_Stookey
I never met the man but I guess in a way I knew him, still know him, and so do all of us if we have ever used or will use anything that one of his inventions introduced into or improved in our lives. He will be missed if only for the fact that he will no longer be making our lives easier and better by way of any new inventions.
Perhaps, maybe just now and sometime again, when you eat something that was cooked, served or stored in a Corning Ware dish - you will think of him. I am sure I will find myself doing so more than once. My heart felt condolences to his family and loved ones.
A hat tip to New Jovian Thunderbolt for his post where I originally learned about Mr. Stookey's passing.
All the best,
Glenn B
This man made more than one of those contributions but there is one with which almost every one of us should be familiar - he invented ceramic glass. "What was that?" you say. Let me say it another way - he invented Corning Ware. No, he is not famous for it, nor did he get rich off of it, but even if he invented it by accident, he benefitted us all if only in a way we take for granted possibly on every day of our lives.
I know that my family has had corning ware in the house since at least the early 1960s - my mom used it frequently - she loved it. It was certainly an improvement over its predecessors and since she cooked a lot - we used Corning Ware a lot. She used it to cook and to store foods just as I would guess most people do. My family still uses it today, my wife has a few of their casserole dishes in the kitchen cabinets and you would be able to find one in our fridge after just about any meal has been ended with leftovers remaining.
By the way, just in case you were wondering, the man's name was S. Donald Stookey. He passed away last Tuesday at age 99. Imagine that, he was on this earth for 99 years and you probably never heard his name before he died even though he invented something as popular as Corning Ware that you have probably used much more than once. He also held 60 other patents some of which were for inventions that improved things like eyeglasses, sunglasses, missile nose cones, color television screens (photosensitive glass), computers and communications. "He received the National Medal of Technology from President Ronald Reagan in 1987. In 2010, at age 94, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame" (source). I think he maybe was the Edison of our times, at least when it came to glass.
He was also an avid outdoorsman who fished and hunted with his sons. While you may not think that is even worth mentioning I do for a few reasons. The first is that I know the bond is created between a father and son who fish and hunt together, the second is that America would be a better place if more of us enjoyed those pastimes and the third is that they could have based an episode of Survivor or a similar show on him. You see, he survived a plane crash, in the Arctic, into freezing water with no chance of rescue. But he made it. He seems to have been quite the man - yet how many of us ever heard of him before? I will admit that I had heard of him before but it surely wasn't much.
If you'd like to read a bit more about him, go to these links:
http://www.stargazette.com/story/news/local/2014/11/06/corningware-inventor-dies/18600265/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Donald_Stookey
I never met the man but I guess in a way I knew him, still know him, and so do all of us if we have ever used or will use anything that one of his inventions introduced into or improved in our lives. He will be missed if only for the fact that he will no longer be making our lives easier and better by way of any new inventions.
Perhaps, maybe just now and sometime again, when you eat something that was cooked, served or stored in a Corning Ware dish - you will think of him. I am sure I will find myself doing so more than once. My heart felt condolences to his family and loved ones.
A hat tip to New Jovian Thunderbolt for his post where I originally learned about Mr. Stookey's passing.
All the best,
Glenn B
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