Editors: Additional background material and telephone number for each inventor is available upon request.

New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame to Induct New Jersey Knee,
Golf Tee, and FM Radio Inventors On February 12 at NJIT

Howmedica Is the Corporate Inductee

NEWARK -- Wednesday, January 27, 1998 -- Inventors of FM radio, the cathode ray tube, induction melting, synthetics/telecommunications, the golf tee, solar powered water pump and microwave/conventional oven cookware are among the 1998 inductees into the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame. Howmedica, a leader in reconstructive and trauma products, also will be inducted into the Corporate Inventors Hall of Fame.

In addition, the Inventors Hall of Fame will present "Inventor of the Year" honors to five others for inventions such as: die casting, glass decorations, viscosity modifiers, the Pd emissions catalyst and joint replacements.

Announcement of the 1998 honorees was made by Harry Roman, chairman of the Inventors Hall of Fame, and Eric Addeo, chairman of the selection committee and past recipient of an "Inventor of the Year" award. Roman is a senior consultant for the Public Service Electric and Gas Company and Addeo is professor of telecommunications at the DeVry Institute.

The inventors will be honored during the 10^th annual induction banquet Thursday, February 12, 1998, at New Jersey Institute of Technology in the University Heights section of Newark.

Hall of Fame Inductees

Inventors who have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of technology and human welfare are inducted into the Hall of Fame. The 1998 inductees, hometowns and employers are:

• Joseph A. Abys of Warren, N.J., and Bell Laboratories (Lucent Technologies) of Murray Hill, N.J., for palladium plating technology which replaced more costly gold plating in electronic applications. This technology has found wide applicability in the connector, semiconductor, aerospace, decorative and other markets.

• Nikil Jayant of Gillette, N.J., and Bell Laboratories (Lucent Technologies) of Murray Hill, N.J., for the "Predictive Decoding/Speech Signal" which relates to signal processing used to reduce noise effects in digital communications systems.
• Edwin Howard Armstrong (1890-1954) of the Armstrong Electric and Manufacturing Company, Alpine, N.J., for the invention of the "superheterodyne circuit" and wide-band frequency modulation, commonly called FM radio.
• William O. Baker of Morristown, N.J., and Bell Laboratories (Lucent Technologies) of Murray Hill, N.J., for the synthetic molecule known as "microgel" used in the production of synthetic rubber during World War II, and synthetic polymers such as polyethylene for use as coatings in the shielding of communication and power cables, and later applied to ablative heat shields for missiles and re-entering satellites.
• Allen B. DuMont (1901-1965) of Montclair, N.J., and DuMont Laboratories, Montclair and Passaic, N.J., for cathode ray tube improvements which led to more accurate measurements of electrical quantities using oscillographs. Also used in radar and more significantly, in television as well as monitors for computers.
• Henry M. Rowan of Rancocas, N.J., and Inductotherm Industries, Inc. of Rancocas, N.J., for inventions that improved induction melting practices and expanded the use of induction melting into medium size iron melting, and became an ideal power source for larger vacuum furnaces so vital to produce the "super alloys" for the aircraft industry.

• William Lowell (1862-1954) of South Orange, N.J., for the golf tee which Dr. Lowell whittled out of wood and gutta-percha using dental tools in his office in 1921 at age 60. The Old Farmer’s Almanac has cited his innovation as one of the 10 inventions that changed the history of sports.

• Quentin T. Kelly of Hopewell, N.J., and WorldWater Corp. of Pennington for solar-powered pumping stations used for drinking water, livestock wells and irrigation `and distributed internationally to such countries as the Philippines, Mozambique and Malawi.

• Melvin Levinson of Edison, N.J., for the development of a new set of pots and pans that has multiple usage in microwave and conventional gas and electric ovens.

• Joseph Dettling of Howell, N.J., Zhicheng Hu of Edison, N.J., Y.K. Lui of Parlin, N.J., and C.Z. Wan of Somerset, N.J., and Engelhard Corporation of Iselin, N.J., for the invention and development of a three-way automotive catalyst called "PdPlus" that is especially effective in reducing hydrocarbon emissions.
• Melvin E. Kamen of Highlands, N.J., and Revlon Corporation of Edison, N.J., for novel glass decorating technology with inks that contain no heavy metals and minimal amounts of volatile organic compounds.
• John Mickowski of Warwick, N.Y., (formerly of Hanover, N.J.), and Tymac Controls Corporation of Franklin, N.J., for his invention which dramatically improved quality and reduced waste in the production of parts by die casting machines.
• Gary Ver Strate of Manalapan, N.J., Ricardo Bloch of Scotch Plains, N.J., Mark J. Struglinski of Bridgewater, N.J., John E. Johnston of Warren, N.J., and Roger K. West of Montclair, N.J., and Exxon Chemicals of Linden, N.J., for the invention of a novel class of viscosity modifiers, a major class of lower viscosity lubricant additives for newer engine designs that provide balance between durability and fuel economy.
• Dr. Michael Pappas of Caldwell, N.J., and Dr. Frederick Buechel of South Orange, N.J., for the development of the "New Jersey Low Contact Stress Knee," the most successful and innovative knee implant on the world market.

Each year, the research and development work of one corporation is recognized by induction into the corporate hall of fame. The 1998 inductee is Howmedica of Rutherford, N.J., a member of Pfizer's Hospital Group, honored for more than six decades as an innovator and technological leader in orthopedic reconstructive and trauma products. As a worldwide designer/manufacturer of a broad range of orthopedic implants, such as hip and knee joint replacements, and internal and external bone fixation devices, Howmedica maintains administrative and manufacturing centers throughout the world. At its Rutherford site, located close by the New Jersey Meadowlands, Howmedica has access to some of the most professionally skilled technicians and finest crafts people in the world.

Invention Advancement Award

The Trustees of the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame established a new award last year to recognize a not-for-profit institution, agency, program, or a team/individual working in such a setting to foster invention, innovation and economic development in New Jersey. The second New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame Annual Award for Advancement of Invention is presented to the Research and Development Council of New Jersey.

The R&D Council is an association of more than 100 leading industrial and academic research facilities and technical support companies representing two-thirds of the state’s technical workforce, or more than 80,000 scientists, engineers and technicians.

The R&D Council have a sterling record of more than 35 years of sustained commitment to the encouragement of innovation and invention in New Jersey. The Council has been an articulate voice and the state’s leading advocate for maintaining a healthy climate for the continued growth of operating research and development laboratories.

The New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame selects all awardees based on the importance of the problem solved by the invention, the novelty of the invention, and the contribution to the advancement of the state-of-the-art, commercial impact and the utilitarian or socioeconomic impact. To qualify for the award, the inventor must have completed a substantial portion of the work in New Jersey or have been a New Jersey resident while working on the project.

Established in 1987, the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame promotes and fosters creativity, innovation and invention contributing to economic growth and improving the quality of life. The Hall of Fame honors New Jersey inventors and encourages recognition of New Jersey as the "Invention State." The Hall of Fame operates from New Jersey Institute of Technology, a public research university, where a marble "wall of fame" was established in the lobby of the William S. Guttenberg Information Technologies Center. Including the 1998 honorees, the Hall of Fame has inducted 77 individuals and 10 corporations.

The 10^th annual induction banquet is scheduled for Thursday, February 12, 1998 in NJIT's Hazell Center Ballroom. Dinner tickets are $90 each and can be ordered by calling (973)-596-5625 or by writing to the New Jersey Inventors Congress and Hall of Fame, c/o NJIT, University Heights, Newark, N.J. 07012.

NJIT is a public research university enrolling nearly 8,200 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in 73 degree programs through its five colleges: Newark College of Engineering, School of Architecture, College of Science and Liberal Arts, the School of Management and the Albert Dorman Honors College. Research initiatives include manufacturing, microelectronics, transportation, computer science, solar astrophysics, environmental engineering and science, and architecture and building science. U.S. News and World Report's 1998 Annual Guide to America's Best Colleges ranked NJIT among the top 175 national universities. Money Magazine's Best College Buys 1998 rated NJIT as the sixth best value among U.S. science and technology schools.

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