timeline.bdmorganfdn.orgBurton D. Morgan Foundation | Celebrating 50 Years

") Jump to navigation Menu Chapter 1 1916-1941 1942-1954 Chapter 2 1955-1967 1968-1976 1977-1999 Chapter 3 2000-2009 Chapter 4 2010-2017 Burton D. Morgan Foundation has been a pioneer in the world of philanthropy. Very few foundations focus on the funding of entrepreneurship. Fewer still combine this focus with an emphasis on venture philanthropy. Join us as we take a walk through the history of Burton D. Morgan Foundation and the life of our intrepid and insightful founder, Burton D. Morgan. 1916- 1941 Burt’s early years are spent with his parents in a variety of locales as his father pursues his vocation as a psychology professor. From Philadelphia to Honolulu, Iowa City to Seattle, John Morgan studies, teaches, and writes, eventually publishing his first book and landing a job at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He becomes very successful and eventually goes on to publish twelve books in his field. At the same time, the world in the 1920s and 1930s is undergoing tremendous changes. In 1920, Congress ratifies the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing every woman the right to vote. In October 1929, the stock market crashes, causing stock prices to plummet and banks to call in loans. Yet every year, new gadgets are being invented that change forever the way people live. 1919…the pop-up toaster…1920…the hairdryer…1922…the electric kettle. And on and on through the 1930s…the jet engine, electric razor, electric can opener and the Zippo lighter. 1916 Burton D. Morgan is Born 1916 is a momentous year…World War I is raging in Europe, the electric power drill and the light switch are invented and our founder, Burton Davis Morgan, is born on July 27, 1916 at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of Rose Ann Davis Morgan and John Jacob Brooke Morgan. His father, originally planning to be a minister, changes course and goes on to receive a Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University. 1921 Polygraph is Invented The polygraph – otherwise known as a lie detector machine – is invented by John Augustus Larson, a medical student at the University of California at Berkeley and a police officer of the Berkeley Police Department. 1923 Freezing Process Invented Clarence Birdseye, an American inventor, entrepreneur, and naturalist invents the process to preserve food by freezing it. 1928 Burt Joins the Boy Scouts Burt joins the Boy Scouts at age 12 and becomes an Eagle Scout at age 16, in 1932. Later, he credits his scouting experience with helping him to win a job at Johnson & Johnson. 1930 Scotch Tape Richard Drew, a chemical engineer at 3M Company, invents Scotch Tape. 1934 Burt's First Venture While at Evanston Township High School outside Chicago, Burt puts one of his inventions, an aquaplane, to work and starts his first entrepreneurial venture – giving aquaplane rides off the back of a Chris-Craft speedboat for 10 cents a ride. His second entrepreneurial idea is deep-sea diving, which according to Burt “was not a profitable venture” but inspires his entrepreneurial ambition. Burt graduates from high school in 1934 and enrolls at Northwestern University. 1935 Canned Beer Invented In partnership with the American Can Company, the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company invents canned beer and delivers 2,000 cans of Krueger's Finest Beer and Krueger's Cream Ale to beer drinkers in Richmond, Virginia. 1936 Burt Transfers to Purdue In 1936, Burt transfers to Purdue University from Northwestern, becomes vice president of the Glider Club, and majors in engineering. 1938 Burt Graduates from Purdue In 1938, the ballpoint pen is invented. That year, Burt graduates from Purdue with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and lands his first job at B.F. Goodrich Company in Akron, Ohio where he meets his future wife, Margaret (Peg) Clark. After living for a year in the Akron YMCA to save money, Burt moves with a group of friends, including Paul Vaughan, with whom he later founds Filmco, to a rented house on Turkeyfoot Lake. 1940 Color TV In Mexico, Guillermo González Camarena invents an early color television transmission system. 1941 Burt and Peg are Married Burt and Peg start their married life, a union that lasts 52 years. 1942- 1954 With the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the United States entering WW II, Burt’s and Peg’s lives are about to change. Transferred to a Goodrich plant in Louisville, Kentucky that is making synthetic rubber for the war effort, Burt and Peg buy a house and have what Burt calls, “their first real shot at married life.” After the war is over, so are Burt’s days at Goodrich. Thousands of GIs are returning to the States and taking advantage of the GI Bill to finish their education. And during this time, the post-war economy starts to boom. New inventions continue to appear in the marketplace to satisfy the growing culture of consumerism in America, including the Slinky, the kidney dialysis machine, disposable diapers, and power steering for automobiles. "You must build up something so that when the time comes you are able to do something on your own." 1946 Microwave Microwave ovens are invented purely by accident when a Raytheon engineer, Percy Spencer, is testing a military-grade magnetron and the peanut cluster bar in his pocket melts. 1947 Burt Starts Working for Johnson & Johnson After a brief stint at the Pennsylvania Rubber Company, Burt starts working for Johnson & Johnson, developing the machinery to make junior band aids. This is his introduction to the world of adhesives, or as he likes to call it, “the sticky paper” business. 1949 Burt's First Entrepreneurial Venture Along with a business associate from Detroit, Burt tries his hand at his first true entrepreneurial venture – the self-adhesive bra. It fails miserably due to the fact that the adhesive won’t stick when wet, but it proves to be a tremendous learning experience for him. Burt’s boss at Johnson & Johnson is not happy with his moonlighting career and fires him. According to Burt, “although a big blow at the time, that move was the start of my entrepreneurial career.” 1952 The Hamburg Sizzler While living in Troy, New York and working for Behr-Manning to help them develop pressure-sensitive tape, Burt invents a metal disc originally meant to keep small children from accidentally opening the back door of a car. Later repurposed as a tool to cook hamburgers in the oven, Burt entices his wife, Peg, to sell the “Hamburg Sizzler” as a trade-off to take a trip to New York City. Much to his surprise, she comes back with a purchase order for 10,000 Hamburg Sizzlers! 1955- 1967 The 50s and 60s are a time of great change and momentum in the United States and for Burt, Peg, and their growing family, the same holds true. Burt "starts at the top", founding his first company, Fasson. He and Peg move to Hudson, Ohio where they raise their family and develop deep ties to the community. Suburbs like Hudson are springing up across the country, a sign of increased economic growth. Yet fear of communism grips the country and public congressional hearings are held in both houses of Congress. Dwight Eisenhower is president and Elvis Presley becomes a star in movies such as "Jailhouse Rock". The civil rights movement begins in earnest, with the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, the march on Washington, D.C., and Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech. The Frisbee and Hula Hoop are introduced and other inventions include the solar battery, the hand-held calculator, and the laser. “If you have what we call the entrepreneurial mindset…that is the most likely characteristic to lead to success.” 1955 Burt Founds Fasson In partnership with Stan Avery of Avery Labels, Burt founds Fasson, a pressure-adhesive business based in Painesville, Ohio. The company struggles in the beginning but hits it big when Contact Paper comes on the market, allowing consumers to change the color of big-ticket items, such as refrigerators and cabinets, at a whi...