Thread Number: 52917
The Kennith O. Sisson Letter
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Post# 752585   4/25/2014 at 13:15 (3,625 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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While looking through my library for more things to scan for the Ephemera Library I ran across a copy of a 3 page letter from Kennith O. Sisson. Jetcone Jon found him and wrote to him in Dayton, OH about 15 years ago.

I'm sharing it (with permission from Jon) as it tells some important early Bendix and Frigidaire automatic washer history and will be great to have in the AW archives.





Post# 752586 , Reply# 1   4/25/2014 at 13:16 (3,625 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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Post# 752587 , Reply# 2   4/25/2014 at 13:17 (3,625 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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Post# 752596 , Reply# 3   4/25/2014 at 14:15 (3,625 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Thank You Robert

jetcone's profile picture
for posting this! I don't know where my copy is right now!

I had the names reversed in my memory, it was Kendall Clark that developed both transmissions for Bendix and Frigidaire. It was Kenneth O Sisson that worked on production and timers. In a phone conversation he had told me K Clark was not happy that he didn't get a division head for developing the Bendix transmission, so he moved over to Frigidaire before the War. There if you look at the patent literature you will see he developed the Unimatic transmission. A brilliant mechanical engineer.

I corresponded with Kendall Clark's son after this. I think I can find that letter.

Kendall Clark was not long in Boston and wound up at IBM in New York where he retired from there.

I remember writing Mr. Brucken ( who developed the rollermatic transmission) and never receiving a reply, now we know why.


Post# 752598 , Reply# 4   4/25/2014 at 14:19 (3,625 days old) by joelippard (Hickory)        
Thank You!

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Now this is really cool!  Loved reading it!


Post# 752604 , Reply# 5   4/25/2014 at 14:49 (3,625 days old) by sel8207 (naples, florida 34117)        
magical

To know the engineering history, human dynamic, and thoughts from somebody who was actually there is incredible and magical. This should be preserved, especially for the young people so they know something of the development of industrial design in the United States Very interesting read. Les

Post# 752605 , Reply# 6   4/25/2014 at 14:50 (3,625 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield, East Midlands, UK)        
Wonderful

vacbear58's profile picture
And I am not even American! Thanks for sharing this Robert

Al


Post# 752607 , Reply# 7   4/25/2014 at 14:58 (3,625 days old) by hydralique (Los Angeles)        
Wow!

Thanks for posting, this is such a fascinating bit of history!


Post# 752617 , Reply# 8   4/25/2014 at 15:32 (3,625 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)        
Amazing

roto204's profile picture
"Letters of Note"-worthy. What a treasure!

Post# 752668 , Reply# 9   4/25/2014 at 16:22 (3,625 days old) by HooverWheelAway ()        

Wow. That is very cool history to have.  I love this kind of stuff... Jon - I can only wonder what your letter to Mr. Sisson consisted of!

 

Now that kids aren't being taught cursive, this should be typed out for future generations to read and enjoy!  Cool


Post# 752682 , Reply# 10   4/25/2014 at 17:46 (3,625 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)        
Ask, and you shall receive

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Here you go--a chance to flex my cursive-interpretive muscle. :-)

Post# 752683 , Reply# 11   4/25/2014 at 17:47 (3,625 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)        
Second half

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Continued...

Post# 752717 , Reply# 12   4/25/2014 at 19:19 (3,625 days old) by pdub (Portland, Oregon)        
Amazing History

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Thanks to Jon Charles for supplying amd initiating this great piece of correspondence.

Thanks to our own webmaster Robert for publishing it.

And thanks to Nate for transcribing it into an easy to read document.

Patrick


Post# 752771 , Reply# 13   4/25/2014 at 22:09 (3,625 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        

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That is really cool to have digitized (in both languages :-).

What an interesting bit of history, thanks for posting it.


Post# 752774 , Reply# 14   4/25/2014 at 22:26 (3,625 days old) by peteski50 (New York)        
Letter!

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Thanks so much for sharing this letter, very interesting information.
Peter



Post# 752800 , Reply# 15   4/26/2014 at 00:24 (3,624 days old) by hippiedoll ( arizona )        
roto204....

hippiedoll's profile picture
thanks for typing out the letter & making sooo much easier to read. there were a couple of words that i didn't even get, when i read the handwritten letter. but thanks to you typing it out, i could read exactly what the letter said.

very cool!!!

:o)


Post# 752848 , Reply# 16   4/26/2014 at 09:40 (3,624 days old) by A440 ()        

Thank Robert and Jon for sharing this! Thanks Nate for your transcribe.
Just curious. Since this was the "first automatic washers", what was the Mallory company building during this period that Bendix felt them capable of coming up with a timer for their washer design? Clocks? I can't find anything on the internet about their early company during this period.


Post# 752855 , Reply# 17   4/26/2014 at 10:06 (3,624 days old) by in2itdood ()        
Awesome! Thanks for sharing ...

And thanks for the typed translation!

Post# 752857 , Reply# 18   4/26/2014 at 10:09 (3,624 days old) by golittlesport (California)        
Thanks!

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Great Saturday morning reading material. I love reading letters. Handwriting can be difficult to read sometimes, but it is so much more personal and authentic. Thanks Robert and Jon!

Post# 752862 , Reply# 19   4/26/2014 at 10:50 (3,624 days old) by Easyspindry (Winston-Salem, NC)        
Fascinating reading . . .

Thank you Robert, Jetcone, Nate . . . and everyone else who made this letter possible. I loved reading about the first Frigidaire and Bendix from the horse's mouth, as it were. A piece of our history which should be preserved.

Bendix had its faults, but it sure paved the way for a huge market. And, of course, Frigidaire was the BEST.

Thanks again . . .

Jerry Gay


Post# 752872 , Reply# 20   4/26/2014 at 12:51 (3,624 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield, East Midlands, UK)        
Mallory

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As I understand it the first timer mechanism for automatic washers was based on a mechanism used for juke boxes - not Wurlitzer I think but maybe Seeberg

Al


Post# 752879 , Reply# 21   4/26/2014 at 13:18 (3,624 days old) by frontloaderfan (Merrimac valley, MA)        

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They don't teach kids cursive handwriting in school anymore? Are you kidding me? How do they learn to write then?

Post# 752884 , Reply# 22   4/26/2014 at 13:33 (3,624 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

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How do they learn to write then?
Probably by texting, ha!


Post# 752903 , Reply# 23   4/26/2014 at 14:58 (3,624 days old) by Supersuds (Knoxville, Tenn.)        

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The handwriting seemed pretty easy to read to me, but then I spent a lot of time reading doctors' handwriting.... ;)

One thing about the letter that didn't get transcribed was the indented paragraphs. That's something you don't see too much any more.

It's a shame "Mr. Brucken" didn't want to cooperate!


Post# 753003 , Reply# 24   4/26/2014 at 22:53 (3,624 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)        

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Thanks for sharing this letter! It's very interesting!


Post# 753011 , Reply# 25   4/26/2014 at 23:24 (3,624 days old) by A440 ()        

Thanks Alistair!
That makes a lot of sense!
Have a great weekend.


Post# 753047 , Reply# 26   4/27/2014 at 07:32 (3,623 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
I read in my research

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that Mr Bassett and Mr Chamberlain had a connection with the Navy somehow. Mallory, and Singer built the first timers for WWI for use in torpedoes. And after they had geared up for production when the War was over they had scads of timers lying around. So Mr.B & McC. saw an opportunity and a new way to free up women from having to stand over a machine.

Since you could automate the actions of a torpedo you should be able to automate the actions of a clothes washer.

 

 

 

 


Post# 753049 , Reply# 27   4/27/2014 at 08:04 (3,623 days old) by A440 ()        

Jon,
So interesting! I had no idea that torpedo strikes were automatic!
These guys were brilliant.
Thanks for the information.
B


Post# 753051 , Reply# 28   4/27/2014 at 08:06 (3,623 days old) by gizmo (Victoria, Australia)        

Thanks everyone involved for posting this fascinating bit of history.

Post# 753073 , Reply# 29   4/27/2014 at 09:56 (3,623 days old) by bigalsf (Salt Lake City)        

Thank you Robert & Jon for sharing this. Very interesting to read how the ideas were arrived at. Jon, how did you track down Mr. Sisson?


Post# 753091 , Reply# 30   4/27/2014 at 11:33 (3,623 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
Fascinating Appliance research and design

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Yes thanks for showing everyone this letter Robert, I remember when Jon got this letter around 1997 and sent me a copy, I have always loved all the research Jon did on tracking down the inventors of these cool appliances that we all admire today.

Jon and Robert maybe it is time to share the story of the development of the ABC-Kelvinator orbital action AW with all the folks on AW for those that don't know the cool history behind this unique washer.

John L.


Post# 753096 , Reply# 31   4/27/2014 at 11:47 (3,623 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
good idea John

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I'll start digging again.

 

Brent, in 1914 torpedoes were automated by timing the strike but by WWII i think they had infant electronics on board with magnetic sensors that set them off.

 

 



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