Modern black inventors

Ebony, Oct, 1998

WHEN we think of Black inventors, names like Garrett Morgan and George Washington Carver usually come to mind. But there are many modern-day inventors who have been responsible for groundbreaking developments that have changed America and the world. From Mark Dean's cutting edge work in computer technology at IBM to chemist Michel Molaire's innovations at Eastman Kodak, African. Americans have played an integral role in some of the most important creations of recent time. And while there are only three Blacks in the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Joanne M. Hayes-Rines, president of United Inventors Association of USA, says the facts speak for themselves. "Everyone always thinks of an inventor as an old White man, but women and Blacks are also out there following dreams," Hayes-Rines says. "They are making significant contributions to society."

Among these inventors of dreams are the men and women on the following pages.

Dr. Patricia Guth has been on the cutting edge of laser eye surgery for the last decade. In 1988, the ophthalmologist patented a laser device, called the Laserphaco Probe, that promises to revolutionize the removal of cataracts. Before her invention, cataracts could only be removed by an instrument that would mechanically grind away the lesion, a process that is disruptive to the eye. Dr. Bath's device remakes cataract removal a much more accurate and less bothersome procedure. She is currently a professor at Howard University's School of Medicine and is developing other ophthalmological devices.

Mark Dean has been one of the masterminds behind IBM's computer technology for the last two decades. He is best known for creating (along with IBM colleague Dennis Moeller) the ISA systems bus, an interface that allows multiple devices, such as a modem and printer, to be connected to a personal computer. Created in 1984, ISA now is used in every computer built today. The electrical engineer holds more than 20 patents, including three of IBM's original nine PC patents. Last year, Dean received the Black Engineer of the Year President's Award, the Ronald H. Brown Innovators Award and became only the third African-American to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Director of IBM's Austin, Texas, research laboratory, Dean is also an IBM Fellow, the first and only Black to achieve the company's highest honor, and one of only 50 fellows among IBM's 200,000 employees.

Tanya Allen received a patent for disposable underwear that she hopes will revolutionize the female and male hygiene market. Made from an inexpensive rayon, non-woven material and a patented pouch, Forever Fresh Disposable Panties were initially developed for women to wear during menstruation. But now it is being marketed to men (in boxer and brief styles) and women for various medical uses, including incontinence and post-operative recovery. A native of Detroit, Allen has already secured contracts with labor and delivery departments at several hospitals, including The Detroit Medical Center and Botsford Hospital. The mother of four recently quit her job as a manager of a grocery store to work full-time on her invention.

Dennis Weatherby (left) created the lemon formula in Cascade dishwashing liquid while working as a process engineer at Procter & Gamble Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio. His invention is now the basis for the composition of all "lemon" cleaning products that contain bleach. He discovered a unique category of dyes that successfully gives a non-staining yellow color to detergents that contain bleach. Before Weatherby's creation, pigments that stained dishes and dishwasher parts were used instead of dyes. Weatherby, 38, is now the director of minority engineering programs at Auburn University in Alabama.

Betty Harris has more than 20 years of experience in scientific research and development. A pioneer in the area of explosives and nuclear weapons, Harris is probably best known for patenting a spot test for an explosive called TATB. The chemist works for the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, where she received the state's Governor's Trailblazer Award.

Michel Molaire has played an integral role in groundbreaking innovations at Eastman Kodak for more than 20 years. The chemist is a research associate and project manager at Kodak in New York. A native of St. Marc, Haiti, Molaire is the recipient of 28 U.S. patents and more than 65 foreign patents for his work in material sciences. Much of Molaire's work has been in the area of laser printing and optical recording. In 1984, he received the Eastman Kodak Research Laboratories C.E.K. Mees Award for excellence in scientific research and reporting, and later was inducted into the company's Distinguished Inventor's Gallery. He is one of the top patentholders at Kodak.

Paul Brown is one of the most prolific inventors of recent time. Now 81, Brown has more than 20 patents, but is best known for creating the Whizzzer, a friction-activated spinning top that has become one of the world's best-selling toys. First marketed by Mattel in 1970, the top is a perennial favorite among children and has become as popular as the yo-yo and the Frisbee, with annual sales topping more than 1 million items. Brown came up with the idea for the Whizzzer, after attempting to continuously spin a cumbersome, string-activated top for his 4-year-old nephew. Believing there had to be an easier way, Brown worked on a new top in his home for about a week before coming up with the Whizzzer in 1967. Today, he continues to get royalties from the top, which is now marketed by Duncan.