C. Harry Knowles’ future as a scientist
began as a child in
Birmingham, Ala.; a young boy
raised by his father and a nanny.
>>>“Dad never got upset when I tore
my toys apart and couldn’t get them
back together,” he says.
>>>His father didn’t even get mad
when a 12-year-old Knowles blew a
hole in their garage wall while fiddling
around with the photographic
chemicals in his lab.
>>>Knowles, now 78, credits his
success to his father’s patience.
>>>After graduating high school in
1945, Knowles enrolled in what is
now Auburn University with a great
interest in chemical engineering.
>>>His college career was interrupted
in 1946 when he began serving in
the U.S. Marine Corps. He returned
to Auburn after two years in the
service and received his bachelor’s
degree in physics in 1953.
>>>After college, Knowles began
working for Bell Telephone
Laboratories and learned from
some of the nation’s top scientists. It
was then that his fascination with
inventing began.
>>>Knowles’ career would eventually
lead him to open his own business,
Metrologic Instruments Inc. in
Blackwood, in 1968. Today, he serves
as chairman and interim chief executive
officer.
>>>With that company came Knowles’
most famous achievement—invention
of the bar code scanner system. Versions
of it can be found on sales counters all
over the world.
>>>He and his company have since
been responsible for more than 240
patented inventions, including the
world’s first laser kit, the first hand-held
laser scanner and the first triggerless
hand-held laser scanner.
>>>His interest in chemistry and
inventions wasn’t enough however.
>>>He started learning hard lessons
early on.
>>>Before an audience of engineers
in 1964, he observed that “the cost
of a microchip comes down by a
factor of two while the performance
of the chip goes up by two.”
>>>Proud of himself for making this
forecast, Knowles didn’t realize that
George Moore was in the audience.
Moore, co-founder of Intel, published
the same finding in Electronics
Magazine a year later. That observation
is now known as Moore’s Law
and has significantly impacted the
computer industry.
>>>“He got the credit,” Knowles
said, adding that Moore is a good
friend. “That’s OK. He’s a good man.”
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>>>Back then, Knowles says, the
times were different. He learned at
Bell that scientists shared their
information with everyone, including
competitors.
>>>That practice nearly led to his
company’s demise.
>>>In the 1970s, Metrologic invented
the first laser scanner and Knowles
did what he always did—invited other
scientists to see.>>>
>>>Such moves cost him patents on
some of his most famous inventions.
But, says Knowles, “We survived.”
>>>Knowles tells everyone listen to
avoid the mistakes he made.
Metrologic no longer shares information
with anyone, hires only the best
patent attorneys and, of course,
patents everything.
>>>Knowles and his wife, Janet,
formed the Knowles Science
Teaching Foundation in order to preserve
the art of teaching science asKnowles learned it—with passion
and thoughtfulness for the future.
>>>One of the founding board members,
Scott McVay, said that what
stands out about Knowles is his “boundless energy, depth and durability
of engagement, playfulness,
capacity to function in many ways:
Creative invention of devices useful
in the world; articulate team builder
at home and abroad; an eye on the
big picture as well as attention to
every tile in that large mosaic.”
>>>As for Knowles, his arthritis is now
catching up with his age and some of
his previous interests—astronomy
and planes—are more described now
as things he used to do.
>>>Still, he finds ways to make friends
with people who have a vested interest
in education. And he’s still interested in
inspiring children to love science and
technology— only with a modern twist.
>>>One weekend in October, he
returned to rural Alabama. And, with
his nephew, spent hours “Googling”
everything under the sun—while riding
in a car. Visit Metrologic's Website |
