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Rogers, AR Real Estate News

By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Isaac Merritt was born in Pittstown, New York back in 1811.  This is another one where I do not have any information on his early years.  What I can tell you is that he obtained his first patent in 1839.  That one invention secured his financial success, so he opted to return to his other love.He wanted to be an actor so he went on tour forming a troupe called the “Merritt Players”.  This lasted for 5 years before inventing something else in 1849.  He showed his invention at the machine shop of Orson C. Phelps in 1850.  While there he observed another device that he thought he could improve on, so in 1851 he obtained US Patent number 8294 for his improvements for the device.  That one invention alone is still associated with the family and forever put him in the history books.He died in...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Brian Scudamore was born in San Francisco, California in 1970. He had difficulties reading and math, so he dropped out of high school rather than retaking the class. Despite not graduating from high school he convinced Concordia University to admit him in their business program. He left two years later to attend the University of British Columbia. Now, onto the rest of the story.In 1989, while waiting in line at McDonalds’ drive-thru he noticed something that triggered him to act. He purchased a truck, going door-to-door looking for business. It took off faster than expected so he dropped out of the University of British Columbia to focus on his company.His company expanded in Canada and also in the United States. In 2005, he opened up the Australia market. Since then he has started thr...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Ferdinand Schumacher was born in Celle, Hanover, Germany back in 1822. After completing high school, he apprenticed in the grocery business until he was 28. He and his brother Otto emigrated to the United States. He settled in Akron, Ohio where he was a farmer. He established a grocery trade in 1852.In 1857, he rented water power from the Ohio Canal to power a mill for the production of something I know you will recognize. In 1875, he introduced steam power to the plant thus insuring power all year round.He married his first cousin in 1851, they had seven children, only three survived to adulthood. He died in 1906.What you may not know about Ferdinand is the mill he started was for the production of barley. He was known as The Oatmeal King, and one of the founders of a company I’m sure ...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Richard Howland was born in Indianapolis, Indiana back in 1889 to John and Emily. During WWI, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps where he advanced through the ranks ending the war as a Major. After the war, he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1919 to 1923.He started working for (RCA) in 1924 before starting his own company in 1930. He invented several things which are still in use to this day. During WWII, he reenlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps as a Colonel. He was put in charge of radar and communications in Orlando, Florida. So, let’s cut to the chase and let me tell you what some of inventions were.Richard Howland Ranger invented the wireless photoradioram, a forerunner of today’s fax machine. A photo of President Calvin Coolidge was sent from N...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Samuel Ruben was born in Harrison, New Jersey back in 1900.  Educated in New York City, he did not go to college, instead he was tutored attending night classes.  He was encouraged by Professor Bergen Davis to attend lectures and to make the most of the Columbia physics library.He began working as a licensed ham radio operator, building radios for spare parts.  He set up a small laboratory in the mid 1920’s in New Rochelle, where he would conduct his research for more than 60 years.Because of his contributions he received several honorary degrees, just to mention a few.  One was the Doctor of Science, one form Polytechnic Institute and one from Columbia University.  He also served as a Senior Staff Associate at Butler University, teaching at Harvard as a lecturer in chemistry.  Not bad ...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Hazel Jane Raines was born in Waynesboro, Georgia back in 1916 to Frank and Bessie. Graduating from Wesleyan College in 1936 with a liberal arts degree. I could not find what she did immediately after graduation however, she earned her pilot’s license in 1938. She earned a living as a stunt pilot at local aviation shows.When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signing the Civilian Pilot Training Act in 1939 she joined up. She was one of 2,500 females to qualify. By 1941, she had received her flight instructor’s rating. She also held a commercial pilot’s license with a documented 1,300 hours of flying time. Her job was to fly military aircraft from a safe place to the nearest theater of war. To do that she had to fly undetected by enemy radar, using no navigational instruments, no radio cont...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Charles White was born in Florence, Wisconsin back in 1884. In 1894 the family moved to Pittsfield, Massachusetts where he graduated from Pittsfield High School. He went on to Williams College graduating in 1905, then he was off to Harvard Law School graduating in 1908.In 1917, just a month after the American entry into WWI he joined the U.S. Army.He was sent to the Western Front as a captain. Later that same year he was promoted to major. His troop was sent into the Meuse-Argonne region where the Germans had heavily fortified the area. His command was cut off from their supply line, having been pinned down by the German troops. On October 7th, the Germans sent a blindfolded American POW with a message in English to Charles demanding their surrender. His rely to the demand “You go to he...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Michael Edward was born in Cleveland, Ohio back in 1939. He wanted to be a boxer however, when he was 19 he was involved in a vehicle accident that left him in a coma for several days, that ended his boxing career. So, he went back to college earning a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Western Washington University in 1965.He continued his education with a Ph.D. in Chemistry for Washington University in St. Louis. After graduation, he moved from one University to another continuing his education as a faculty member. Through his travels he was awarded some of science’s highest honors: the Massry Prize, and the Enrico Fermi Award to name a few. He also won an appointment to the National Academy of Science. He is currently living in Los Angeles with his wife.What you may not know abou...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Joseph Henry was born in Rochester, Pennsylvania back in 1860 to Joseph and Martha. Can’t tell you about his early education however, in 1878 you could find him at the United States Naval Academy graduating in 1884 as a second lieutenant.In 1892, he was promoted to first lieutenant and to captain in 1899. By 1903, he was promoted to major. In 1906, he commanded the Marines on Guam. He continued to rise through the ranks reaching the rank of Major General, serving this nation for 40 years. He retired in in 1924, where he served as mayor in Coronado, California. He died in 1942 at 81. To tell you all the posts he had would take a lot more writing so let’s cut to the chase.What you may not know about Major general Joseph Henry Pendleton is that the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is named...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Edwin Elijah was born in Lewis, Iowa back in 1889. As a youngster, he worked in his father’s general store in Lewis. When he turned 31 in 1920, he moved to Hastings, Iowa where he worked with patent medicines and household products. That same year he began experimenting with something which he sold door-to-door and by mail.He packaged his invention in envelopes, demand for his product became so great he quit his job and opened a production plant. By 193, his invention went internationally concentrating on the production of just one item. His company was sold to General Foods in 1953, making Edwin a wealthy man. What you may not know about Edwin Elijah Perkins, is that the product he invented was called “Onor-Maid”, the name he chose in 1934 was changed to “Kool-Aid”. Not bad, not bad at...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Thomas Mundy was born in Metuchen, New Jersey back in 1824 to Thomas and Lucy. From 1870 to 1878 he was a school principal. In his spare time, he was a handyman in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He was appointed to be a member of a committee that made amendments that was approved by the State Legislature in 1871. For his work, he was awarded a gold medal. Later in life he fell on hard times and was forced to pawn that medal. It is now being housed at the University of Louisiana. He died in 1904 at 79. What you may not know about Thomas Mundy Peterson is that he was born a slave, manumitted at 21.   He was the first African-American to hold office on the Middlesex County Commission, the first “colored” person to serve on a jury. However, what he is most noted for is that he was the first Afric...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Richard Wagstaff was born in Mount Vernon, New York back in 1929 to Richard and Julia. He attended A.B. Davis High School where he was an average student. When he was 10 he had already made his mind up on what he wanted to do to earn a living. He attended Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, graduating in 1951 with a degree in advertising.He worked at WOLF-AM and went by the name of Dick Clay. He later became operator of 1440 KPRO in Riverside, California. In 1952, he moved to Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania where he was a disc jockey at WFIL. From there he went into television. So, does the name Richard Wagstaff sound familiar, or for that matter Dick Clay? While both names may not strike a chord how about Richard Wagstaff Clark or his second stage name of Dick Clark. That’s right Rich...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Nicholas Gilman was born in Exeter, New Hampshire back in 1755. I know he attended public school however, I cannot find anywhere if he graduated. Anyway, he was a clerk at his father’s trading house. When the American Revolutionary War started he served as New Hampshire’s state treasurer. Later in 1776, he served as the adjutant of the 3rd New Hampshire Regiment. He was there during the taking of Fort Ticonderoga and at Valley Forge. In 1778, he was promoted to the rank of captain. He saw action at the battles of Monmouth and Yorktown.After the war, he served as statesman for decades from 1789 to 1797 an again from 1805 until his death in 1814. What you may not know about Nicholas Gilman is that he was a signer of the Constitution. He wrote about the document: "the best that could meet ...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Alfred Carlton was born in Salem, Oregon back in 1884. He early education was at the Tualati Academy then he was off to Pacific University at Forest Grove, Oregon. To pay for his education he worked as a magician, earning a degree in sports medicine. He was also an athlete breaking the world record for chin-ups.In 1907, he co-founded a manufacturing company (more on that in a moment). By 1935, he had sold 30 million sets of something he invented. During his 50 year career he had accumulated more than 150 patents. What you may not know about Alfred Carlton Gilbert is that he invented the pole vault box setting two world records in the pole vault. In 1908, during WWI the United States considered a ban on toy production, he argued successfully against it, thus the press gave him the nickna...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Garfield Arthur was born in Mapleton, Iowa back in 1880. I have no clue as to his fathers or mothers name, but it doesn’t really matter. In 911, he invented a hydraulic lift for unloading coal from rail trucks which made him a wealthy man. That of course gave him his freedom to pursue other interests.His other interests were on the water. In1921, he purchased a motorboat that set a new water speed record of 74 MPH. That record just set in motion for him to build another 9 more boats breaking speed records. In 1932 on the St. Clair River he set a record of 124 MPH on the water, way too fast for me. Garfield Arthur Wood retired from racing in 1933 when he concentrated on some more interests. He also built truck bodies and winches that were used extensively by International Harvester. Many...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Benjamin Eisenstadt was born in New York City back in 1906. I know he went to Brooklyn College however, I don’t know if he graduated but after college he opened a cafeteria near the Brooklyn Naval Yard. Business wasn’t great so he switched to making tea bags. However, in 1957 he came up with something that we still use today, part of his formula was cream of tartar and calcium silicate. He opened up a company to market his product. While you may not know Benjamin Eisenstadt you surely know his product so let us cut toe the chase.His company is the Cumberland Packing Corporation, remember those tea bags, well he had a large supply of them so he converted those tea bags into the modern single sugar packet. That other product with the cream of tartar well we call that one Sweet’N Low. Yes,...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Eben Norton was born in Livingston County, New York back in 1818.  He graduated from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as a civil engineer at the ripe old age of 19.  He worked for the Geological Survey of New York for two years before becoming an instructor in mathematics and sciences at the Albany Female Academy.  He taught chemistry at the Lawrence Scientific School at Harvard for 16 years. He was fascinated by the Vikings hence his interest in Leif Ericson.  He was determined to prove that Leif had visited North America first.  He had a plaque placed on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, another one at Stony Brook.  In Boston, there is a statue of Leif that still stands on Commonwealth Avenue. What you may not know about Eben Norton Horsford is that he is most noted for ...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Ann Elizabeth Dunwoody was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia in 1953 to Harold and Elizabeth. She graduated from the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in 1971. Afterwards, she attended State University of New York College majoring in physical education. In 1975, she was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps of the U.S. Army. Her total years of service to this nation was 37 years, she retired in 2012.So here we go, buckle up tight. Ann was the first woman to command a battalion in the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg first female general officer, the first woman to command the Combined Arms Support Command at Fort Lee, Virginia. Whew! So, let us continue, she was the first female to achieve a three-star Lieutenant General and in 2008 she was the first woman i...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Roger Lee was born in Craftsbury, Vermont back in 1921 to Frank and Della. Graduating from Middlebury College in 1943, he joined the Naval Research Laboratory the same year. He retired in 1980 after 37 years.Now you may be asking yourself what did he do while working for the Navy, well sit back and joy, cause here we go. In 1955, he co-wrote the Naval Laboratory’s Project Vanguard proposal. It involved a U.S. satellite to determine a satellites position. In `959, he developed the Naval Space Surveillance System becoming the first system to detect and track all types of Earth-moving objects, going through the 33rd parallel which covers the U.S. from coast to coast.However, it was his work during the 1960’s-1970’s that will forever put him in the history books. For Roger Lee Easton, Sr. w...
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By James Dray
(Fathom Realty)
Martha Eccles was born in Ashland, Virginia back in 1908.   The family moved to Berlin in 1933, when the Nazi movement was in full swing. She admired the movement until the Night of the Long Knives in 1934. After that she changed her mind, thus setting in motion her work for several years.That same year she met and fell in love with Boris Vinograov a press attaché from Russia. They began a romantic relationship that would last for years. Boris was executed in 1938, thereafter she returned to the U.S. and married New York millionaire Alfred Stern, Jr. in 1939, she published a book “Through Embassy Eyes” and in 1945 she wrote another novel “Sowing the Wind”. In 1956, she and Alfred moved to Moscow, in 1990 she died in Prague.What you may not know about Martha Eccles Dodd is that she was a...
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