David Crosthwait

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David Crosthwait (May 27, 1898 – 1976) was an African-American mechanical and electrical engineer, inventor, and writer. He was born in the city of Nashville, Tennessee. He grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. Once he completed high school he received a Bachelor of Science (1913) and a Masters of Engineering (1920) from Purdue University. Years later Crosthwait was granted an honorary doctoral degree in 1975.

Contents 1 Career 2 Later life 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Career

Crosthwait’s expertise was on air ventilation, central air conditioning, and heat transfer systems. With this knowledge he created many different heating systems, refrigeration methods, temperature regulating devices, and vacuum pumps. For these inventions he holds thirty nine United States patents as well as eighty international patents. In the 1920s and 1930s Crosthwait invented a vacuum pump, a boiler, and a thermostat control, all for more effective heating systems for larger buildings. Some of his greatest accomplishments were for creating the heating systems for the Rockefeller Center and New York’s Radio City Music Hall.

He wrote an instruction manual and guides for heating and cooling with water and guides, standards, and codes that dealt with heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems.

[edit] Later life

After Crosthwait retired in 1969, he taught courses on control the stream heating theory at Purdue University. He died in 1976 at the age of 78.

[edit] References

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[edit] External links

• Profile of David Crosthwait - The Black Inventor Online Museum