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Receta The Passing of a Pioneer - Dr. S. Donald Stookey (1915-2014)
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On November 4th, 2014, in Rochester New York, Dr. S. Donald Stookey passed away, at the age of 99. This is a sad day for those who collect one of his greatest inventions... Corning Ware.
Most collectors know the story of the "creation of Corning Ware", but I shall tell it again, for it is the story of a pioneer, the story of invention and innovation, the story of a legacy that would span 60 patents and result in his being inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2010.
Dr. Stookey was born the oldest of 4 children, on May 23, 1915 in Hay Springs, Nebraska. Stanley Stookey, his father, was a teacher and bank clerk, while is mother, Hermie Stookey, was a teacher and housewife. When he was about 6 years old the…
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%20%20It%20was%20in%201953,%20while%20working%20with%20this%20particular%20glass%20that%20can%20be%20photochemically%20etched%20into%20precise%20and%20detailed%20structures%20that%20his%20next%20invention%20took%20place....%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EStookey%20placed%20a%20piece%20of%20FotoForm%20glass%20in%20the%20furnace%20with%20the%20intent%20of%20heating%20it%20to%20600C,%20then%20walked%20away.%20%20When%20he%20returned,%20he%20realized%20the%20gauge%20was%20stuck%20at%20900C.%20%20Worried%20that%20he%20may%20have%20damaged%20the%20furnace,%20he%20immediately%20attempted%20to%20remove%20the,%20now%20milky%20white,%20piece%20of%20glass.%20%20It%20slipped%20from%20the%20tongs.%20%20Instead%20of%20shattering%20into%20millions%20of%20shards,%20it%20bounced%20and%20sounded%20like%20the%20ringing%20of%20steel%20when%20it%20hit%20the%20floor.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThis%20new%20form%20of%20crystalline%20(ceramic)%20glass%20was%20originally%20dubbed%20as%20FotoCeram...%20%20It%20was%20amazingly%20strong%20and%20durable,%20had%20a%20low%20thermal%20expansion%20and%20was%20invisible%20to%20radar.%20%20All%20this%20led%20to%20its%20use%20in%20guided%20missiles.%20However,%20FotoCeram%20was%20destined%20for%20even%20bigger%20and%20better%20things...%20%20%20%20Renamed%20%22Pyroceram%22%20by%201957,%20this%20wonder%20glass%20made%20it's%20way%20into%20kitchens%20across%20the%20United%20States%20as%20out%20beloved%20Corning%20Ware.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWhile%20collectors%20of%20this%20cookware%20phenomenon,%20like%20myself,%20applaud%20his%20invention%20every%20single%20time%20we%20head%20to%20the%20stove%20to%20cook%20a%20meal,%20Stookey's%20innovations%20didn't%20stop%20there.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EHe%20is%20also%20responsible%20for%20the%20eye-glass%20lenses%20that%20I%20currently%20wear.%20%20For%20Stookey,%20working%20with%20William%20Armistead,%20pioneered%20FotoChromic%20glass.%20%20Every%20time%20I%20walk%20outside%20in%20the%20sun%20and%20the%20lenses%20in%20my%20glasses%20darken,%20I%20thank%20Dr.%20Stookey%20(and%20Armistead).%20%20%20It's%20a%20twist%20on%20this%20sun%20darkening%20glass%20that%20is%20responsible%20for%20the%20glass%20panes%20of%20the%20United%20Nations%20Secretariat%20Building.%20%20They%20were%20made%20of%20a%20special%20Opal%20Photo-Sensitive%20formulation%20so%20that%20during%20the%20day,%20the%20windows%20match%20the%20marble%20facade%20of%20the%20building...%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EDay%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ENight%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EHe%20was%20also%20responsible%20for%20transparent%20ceramic%20glass,%20patented%20in%201966,%20which%20would%20surface%20as%20Visions%20Cookware%20in%20the%201980s.%20Did%20you%20know%20that%20Ceramic%20Glass%20nuts%20and%20bolts%20were%20even%20used%20by%20NASA%20on%20the%20Space%20Shuttle?%20%20All%20of%20Stooky's%20research%20has%20led%20Corning%20Glass%20Works%20to%20other%20products%20such%20as%20the%20Gorilla%20Glass%20that%20is%20currently%20used%20in%20iPhones%20and%20LCD%20screens.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EStookey%20eventually%20retired%20from%20Corning%20Glass%20Works%20in%201987,%20but%20would%20often%20visit%20the%20R%20&%20D%20department.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EIn%202010,%20Stookey%20was%20inducted%20into%20the%20National%20Inventors%20Hall%20of%20Fame.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EStookey%20was%20a%20true%20pioneer%20in%20the%20science%20of%20glass%20chemistry%20and%20has%20been%20one%20of%20the%20biggest%20contributors%20to%20the%20technological%20world%20we%20live%20in%20today...%20His%20innovations%20have%20been%20far%20reaching%20and%20we%20will%20continue%20to%20benefit%20from%20his%20advances%20in%20glass%20for%20decades%20to%20come.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThanks%20you%20Dr.%20Stookey.%20%20May%20you%20rest%20in%20peace,%20knowing%20you%20made%20the%20world%20a%20better%20place.%3C/p%3E){kind=link}