Sat Jul 04 2009
Add National Inventors Hall of Fame to the list of achievements of Defiance College graduate and major supporter Harold McMaster.
A 1938 graduate of Defiance College and member of its board of directors from 1985 until his death in 2003, McMaster will be inducted posthumously, with 17 other inventors into the National Inventors Hall of Fame during ceremonies May 2-3 in Akron.
An accomplished engineer, scientist, physicist, inventor and entrepreneur, McMaster is credited with developing a machine to carry out the process of tempering glass. The process compresses the glass, adding tensile strength, and leaves the glass with no sharp edges if broken.
McMaster was responsible and involved in the holding of more than 100 patents dealing with glass bending and tempering, solar energy and rotary engines, and was sought worldwide as a correspondent consultant in building glass plants and the manufacture of glass. Among his inventions were transparent conducting films for de-icing aircraft windshields, a coating method now universally used on commercial and military planes.
Born in rural Deshler in 1916, McMaster in 1948 formed Permaglass and later co-founded Glasstech in Perrysburg. The company's main product, the roller hearth, was recognized worldwide as the best tempering method.
In 1998, McMaster founded McMaster Motor, Toledo, add also co-founded First Solar, a manufacturer of photovoltaic cells for solar energy collection.
In 1991, McMaster was inducted into the Engineering and Science Hall of Fame and in 1993 received the Phoenix Award as the national glass industry's man of the year.
In 1985, McMaster was awarded the Defiance College Pilgrim Award, DC's highest honor.
In 2002, McMaster and his wife, Helen, contributed $6 million to DC to create the McMaster School for Advancing Humanity, a school within the college to allow students and faculty to more closely examine global issues and how they affect the human condition.
He also provided major contributions to the college's capital projects, including the Pilgrim Library and Serrick Campus Center, and contributed funds that were used to build a physical education center in the college community center.
The McMaster Center opened in March 1988.
"The professional achievements of Harold McMaster were outstanding," said Defiance College president Dr. Gerald Wood. "This honor is befitting a man with an incredible mind who saw and believed in the potential of the human spirit to achieve and soar. Defiance College will always remember his depth of character and compassion. The generosity and vision of Harold and his family have left an indelible mark on the College."
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