Day 6 - David Crosthwait Jr. - Just Right - The HVAC Man

If you have ever had to share a house with someone, there is a chance you've had this fight...

It is too cold!

It is too hot!

source

Who touched the thermostat!

You can also have this problem if you go to a restaurant or a theatre.

Why is it so cold in here? I wish I'd brought a jacket.

Why is it so hot in here? I wish I'd worn short sleeves.

Yes, the temperature of a room or a building is a thing we deal with, but at least we have that option. It isn't like in the old days when it was always either boiling or freezing based on the outside temperature.

Modern-day airconditioning is a thing of beauty.

David Crosthwait Jr. made it even better.

Born in Nashville, TN in 1898, he grew up in Kansas City, MO. From an early age, the people around him noticed his keen interest in science. Both his teachers and his family encouraged him to do experiments on his own. Academically he was aces.

Purdue University offered him a full scholarship.

In 1913 he graduated at the top of his class with a Bachelors Degree in Science.
In 1920 he graduated from Purdue with a Masters in Engineering.

Armed with knowledge, he sallied forth into the world of heating and cooling.

Doubtless, in the 1920s people were still complaining about the temperature of buildings because most of them hadn't been built with central heating and cooling. There was plenty of new ground to break in this field, and David broke it with a vengeance.

He went to work as the Research Engineer, Director of Research Laboratories for C. A. Dunham Company which is now Marshall Engineered Products Co.

What did he invent?

Yeah, he designed the HVAC for Radio City

"David Crosthwait's expertise was on air ventilation, central air conditioning, and heat transfer systems. He created many different heating systems, refrigeration methods, temperature regulating devices, and vacuum pumps. For these inventions he holds thirty nine United States patents as well as eighty international patents. In the 1920s and 1930s Crosthwait invented a vacuum pump, a boiler and a thermostat control, all for more effective heating systems for larger buildings. Some of his greatest accomplishments were for creating the heating systems for the Rockefeller Center and New York’s Radio City Music Hall."

Crosthwait pioneered the foundational technology in this field.

He was passionate about his work. He contributed to engineering textbooks as well as writing a manual on heating and cooling with water with guides, standards, and codes for heating, ventilation, refrigeration, and air conditioning.

He retired from the business world in 1971.

Purdue asked him to teach a course on Steam Heating Theory and Controls Systems.
In 1975, Purdue awarded him an Honorary Doctorate.

He racked up other honors as well.

He was the first African American to be named a fellow of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (1971)

He was fellow of the American Society for the Advancement of Science

David Crosthwait Jr.

He was a serving member of the American Chemical Society

He was also a serving member of the National Society of Professional Engineers

He died in 1975.

So, the next time you have that argument about the temperature of a hotel room - you have David Crosthwait Jr. to thank for the ability to alter it efficiently!