Oregon daily emerald., July 25, 1985, Page 4, Image 4

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PaoA A
The legend of
A.C. Gilbert conies
alive at WISTEC
He said he would never work at a (oh unless it was
fun, and A.C. Gilbert focused his entire adult life
on that philosophy.
During a professional career that spanned six
decades. Gilbert created a variety of educational toys
that inspired an interest in the sciences for several
generations of children.
The Willamette Science and Technology Center
(WISTEC) is exhibiting several erf-Gilbert's creations
that highlighted the career of this native Oregonian in
ventor and toy manufacturer,
Gilbert, bom in Salem in 1884. first achieved pro
minence as an athlete while a student at Oregon
Agricultural College (now OSU). In 1901. he set the
world's record for pull-ups. and the following year, set
another world's record in the running long lump, lie
also was an exceptional pole vaulter. establishing a
Northwest Conference pole vaulting record in 1904, a
world's record in 1906 followed by another during the
ISOS Olympic trials
At the 1908 Olympics, Gilbert was the unofficial
winner of the gold medal In the pole vault, but was dis
qualified because of the type of pole he used However.
E.T. Cooke, who was declared the winner of the event,
gave Gilbert the medal anyway.
The first business venture that Gilbert attempted
was in 1909 while a student at Yale University. He and
a friend started the Mysto-Manufacturing Co.', selling a
mail order magic kit.
Probably the most famous of Gilbert's educational
toys was the Erector Set. which he invented in 1911 and
began to market in 1913. The Erector Set, which was an
engineering kit consisting of metal girders with locking
edges, gears, wheels and motors, proved to be an enor
mous success and sold more than 30 million sets during
the next twenty years.
In 1917. Gilbert invented a chemistry set that.
enabled children to make such things as stink bombs,
disappearing ink and ink that glowed lit the dark The
Fun with Chemistry Sot was another major success for
Gilbert's company
Other Gilbert toys included the American Flyer
electric train, a realistic and complex microscope set, a
telegraph kit and a miniature weather station.
Gilbert's Atomic Energy Set, produced in the late
1950s. was considered one of the inventor's most In
novative toys. The set included a Geiger counter and
.several other radiation-testing devices as well as par
.tides of uranium ore. Gilbert discontinued manufactur
ing the Atomic Energy Set when parents expressed con
cern about the safety of the ''toy,1' and this venture was"
probably Gilbert's biggest creative disappointment and
a major business disaster for the company'.
As an inventor, Gilbert held more than 150 patents,.,
including the small horsepower motor that originated
with the. Erector .Sat and was the basis for many of his
other inventions Other products included the Polar
• Cub fan, the find small low-priced fan sold in America;
the hand-held.vacuum .and a .prototype of the food
processor,
Tbe success of the.A.C, Gilbert Co. began to fade
quickly after the inventor's death in 1961, and within
six years the business dissolved completely. » :
The A C. Gilbert exhibit at W1STEC, on display
through November 1. was developed. at the Horner
museum at OSU. It includes models of the American
Flyer train, the chemistry set, the Erector Set, several,
microscopes and a few of Gilbert's household and other
inventions.
W1STEC is located at 2300 Cftntehnial Boulevard.
For infonnatton call 484-9027. '
Story by Marty Swarzbauer
Photos by Rob Hare
(above) Kids
as well as
adults will en* . •
joy the current
WISTEC ex
hibit — toys.
(left) The
A,C. Gilbert „
display proves
to be both
educational
and fun.
L
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