History – Adrienne Rothstein Grace

She Invented That! Sarah Boone

Adrienne Grace — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:27:07 +0000

Do you hate to iron?

Do you even own an iron?

Well, back a generation or two, ironing was the only way to make your clothes presentable from the wash. Wrinkle-free fabric would not be invented for another 60 years or so. (We have that story here.)

I remember my mother, and all the women of her generation, ironing my dad’s shirts, her shirtwaist dresses, my school clothes and my brother’s chinos, not to mention sheets and yes, even underwear.

Sarah Boone was born a slave in North Carolina, and moved to New Haven, CT with her husband and eight children right before the start of the Civil War. She made a living as a dressmaker, where ironing was a major part of her work.

She was granted a patent for her invention, an ironing board that was shaped to allow ironing of sleeves, and the body of women’s dresses– not to mention men’s shirts. Invented in 1892, it’s the same shape in use today.

It was genius, practical, useful and simple.

Thanks, Sarah, on behalf of my mother and thousands of women who kept their husbands and children looking fresh and well-dressed.

She Invented That! Ruth Mary Rogan Benerito

Adrienne Grace — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 12:05:20 +0000

Ruth Mary Rogan Benerito was born in New Orleans in 1916 and lived to be 97. She was an American chemist and inventor known for the development of wash-and-wear cotton fabrics, as well as the development of glassy fibers useful in the manufacture of laboratory equipment.
She described her father, John Edward Rogan, as a pioneer in women’s liberation. Her mother, Bernadette Elizardi Rogan, was an artist and considered a “truly liberated woman” by her daughter.
In an age when girls did not usually go on to higher education, her father made sure his daughters received the same education available to boys. She earned degrees in chemistry, physics and math, from the women’s college at Tulane University, a Master’s degree from Tulane, and her doctorate In 1948 from the University of Chicago.
In 1953 she went to work at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in New Orleans, where she spent most of her career.
It was while working there that Benerito invented wash-and-wear cotton fabrics. She found a way to chemically treat the surface of cotton that led not only to wrinkle-resistant fabrics, but also to stain- and flame-resistant fabrics. The invention was said to have “saved the cotton industry.”
Besides her contribution to the textile industry, during the Korean War, she developed a way to give fat intravenously to patients who were too sick to eat — a method used to feed seriously wounded soldiers and save their lives.
Awarded a total of 55 patents, and numerous awards, we are most grateful to Ruth Benerito for her contributions to the ease, comfort and safety of our lives — and for freeing us from the ironing board.

She Invented That! The Damsels of Design at General Motors, 1950s

Adrienne Grace — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 12:05:33 +0000

Who should you thank for such amenities in your car as glove boxes, center storage consoles, retractable seat belts, lighted sunshade mirrors and child-proof door locks? Women, of course!

Harley Earl, VP of Design for GM, hired a group of women industrial designers to work on Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Pontiac cars.

Their ranks included Suzanne Vanderbilt, Ruth Glennie, Marjorie Ford Pohlman, Jeanette Linder, Sandra Longyear and Peggy Sauer, who worked in GM’s automotive interior-design departments.

There they worked on every interior element (seats, doors, trim, detailing, color and fabrics) except the instrument panel, which was deemed off limits to women.

The other four damsels — Jan Krebs, Dagmar Arnold, Gere Kavanaugh and Jayne Van Alstyne — worked as industrial designers for GM-owned Frigidaire, where they helped create the 1956 Kitchen of Tomorrow.

Thank you ladies, for your visions of the future that we now take for granted.

She Invented That! Alice H. Parker

Adrienne Grace — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 13:05:08 +0000

As those of you who have visited my office know, I have several inspirational sayings and woman-themed calendars in my office. My new “Inspiring Women” calendar has some great information which I’ll share with you throughout this month.

Our creativity knows no bounds, whether it involves practical matters or just having fun!

Here’s some information about women who changed things up for all of us.

Alice H. Parker’s invention was on the practical side, and we are appreciating it enthusiastically during this cold winter.

She was born in New Jersey in 1895 and educated at Howard University. When she was only 24, she was granted a patent on her furnace. It was the first to use central heating and incorporate air ducts that allowed for heat to be dispersed to a wider area. It ran on natural gas, safer and cleaner than burning firewood, even back then.

Her invention is the precursor to today’s zoned heating in our homes and buildings.

She was able to accomplish this in a time even before women were granted the right to vote.

Thanks to Alice for helping to keep us warm.