1928 – 2000
American physicist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and a prolific inventor
C. Harry Knowles was raised in Birmingham, AL, and was an undergraduate physics major at Auburn University (1951) and a master’s graduate of Vanderbilt University (1953).
After graduation, he was recruited to Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, where he joined in the explosion of technological development that came with the invention of the transistor. His work on germanium transistors contributed greatly to Project Vanguard, the nation’s first satellite, and the Nike Zeus anti aircraft missile system and were key components of most of the large computers of the late 1950s and 1960s.
At Motorola, where Knowles moved in 1958 as mesa transistor product manager before being promoted in 1961 to assistant general manager for research and development, he worked on the development of the “star transistor,” (2N2222 transistor) which became the universally recognized standard and is still a popular component today.
Knowles left Motorola in 1962 and joined Westinghouse as the general manager of the molecular electronics division as director of Westinghouse’s microchip operations.
In 1968, Knowles established Metrologic Instruments, which progressed from helium-neon producing lasers for hobby and educational kits to being a leader in the data capture industry, inventing many laser and barcode scanning products that revolutionized the retail, healthcare, and postal industries. Metrologic’s products were sold in more than 100 countries worldwide. Headquartered in Blackwood, New Jersey, Metrologic, at its height, employed more than 1,500 people. During the nearly 40 years Knowles led Metrologic (before his final retirement in 2007), Metrologic’s bevy of patents grew to over 600, of which Harry is named-on over 400.
Harry’s patents span laser technologies, holography, digital image capture, and optical code reading and decoding. Knowles’ and Metrologic’s inventions were integral to ushering handheld laser scanners as well as triggerless, omnidirectional, and mini-slot scanners into the retail market. They were used in stationary scanners in libraries and supermarket check-outs, handheld scanners used in baggage handling and rental car inventories, overhead scanners which allow rapid processing of goods on conveyor belts and used to ensure patient safety as hospitals and healthcare facilities tracked samples, medications, and patient records. In 2008, Honeywell International bought Metrologic Instruments.
In addition to Harry Knowles’ legacy in the engineering community through his numerous patents and inventions, he leaves behind a legacy of philanthropy. Harry’s greatest philanthropic legacy is the Knowles Science Teachers Foundation (KSTF), later renamed the Knowles Teaching Initiative. Harry co-founded KSTF (with his wife at the time, Janet Knowles) in 1999 to increase the quantity of high-quality high school math and science teachers in the United States. The Foundation continues to award highly competitive five-year fellowships to exceptional early-career teachers. Through his foundation, Harry supports the scientists, mathematicians, and engineers of tomorrow by ensuring that more students have access to high-quality science and math teachers. To date, the Knowles Teacher Initiative has supported over 500 Knowles Fellows who have taught over 400,000 students across the country.
References:
C. Harry Knowles Wikipedia.