User:Sakraft1/Jack A. Kraft
Jack Albert Kraft born Daniel Albert Kraft (July 4, 1920 - June 13, 2001)[1], was an American entrepreneur and inventor. He is most notable for inventing the vortex mixer and many other types of laboratory equipment used for mixing, shaking and agitation.
Early Life[edit]
Jack was born to Charles and Florence Kraft. Charles' parents were Alexander and Dora Kraft.[1] Jack's father, Charles died when Jack was young.
The origin of the change in his name in unkown; however, it is known that his mother did have to sign a document stating that she knew he son as Jack when he was in school.
As a young man Jack would make money fixing radios and helping to install radio antennas on apartment buildings. Jack was slightly walleyed as a result of being hit in the side of the head with a stickball bat. This did not however effect his technical abilities or inventive genius. He was also color blind.
Jack attended Hebrew Technical Institute in the Bronx where he learned many of the skills and principles he would use in both his career and in his everyday life. He graduated in 1939.[1]
According to his U.S. Army enlistment record, he entered the Army in New York City on November 20th, 1942 and he was transferred to the Enlisted Reserve Corps on that day. He was recalled to active duty at Fort Dix, NJ on August 14th, 1943.[2] He was honorably discharged at the rank of Private from the Army at Fort Dix on October 18th, 1943 having spent less than a year in the army. The official reason for his honorable discharge was: CDD Sec II AR 615-360.[3] This was most likely a medical discharge, possibly as a result of his walleyedness or color blindness.
Jack received instruction in RADAR during World War II.
Career[edit]
Jack was engaged in numerous business ventures, many with his brother, Harold D. Kraft. Among these ventures were door-to-door sales of beauty supplies (called Beauty Kraft)[4] and assembling coin operated amusement machines for Mike Munves Corp.
He had a factory (at 1299 Jerome Ave., in the Bronx, later moved to Jamaica, Queens) making phonograph record players. The line was called Kraftone and the name "Kraft Bros." was listed as the company name where the address appeared. Most of the models were portable with a handle and integral case. Some had colorful graphics and were children's models.
Jack and Harold are credited with the invention of the vortex mixer. The brothers may have worked for Scientific Industries at the time but they held the patents to their inventions. Much of his other lab equipment was along similar lines and eventually he had his own company, Kraft Apparatus manufacturing it. He made the prototypes of his machines out of wood with wax in crevices (this was less expensive then making metal prototypes). The factory was located on Sagamore Ave. in Mineola, NY. Eventually the rights to make the lab equipment were sold to Glas-Col Apparatus, a company that still exists today. Scientific Industries also still exists and both companies still make mixing machines similar to the original models.
Personal Life[edit]
Jack married Sara Miller (born September 29th, 1922, NY, USA), the daughter of immigrants from Turov, Russia. They have two children; Howard J. Kraft and Rhonda Sherman.[1] Sara's parents were Hyman (Chunan) Miller (Muravchick)[5] and Dora (Devorah) Miller (née Bashkin). The Muravchick name has many different spellings and was Americanized as Miller on their immigration papers.
Jack past away as a result of arteriosclerotic heart disease.
Jack had a total of seven grandchildren. He passed away before any of his great-grandchildren were born. His first two great-grandchildren were named directly after him.
External Links[edit]
- APPARATUS FOR MIXING FLUENT MATERIAL, U.S. Patent number: 3061280
- AUTOMATIC LABELING MACHINE, U.S. Patent number: 3736208
- Rack for vessels and means for agitating the vessels in the rack, U.S. Patent number: 4118801
- Image of a Kraft Bros. Kraftone Phonograph Player Catalog, and Image of a Kraftone Phonograph Player
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Pedigree Chart for David Richard Kraft, RN. (Family tree). 1996.
- ^ United States Army, ENLISTED RECORD OF Jack A. Kraft. (Stamped February 9, 1944). Family library.
- ^ Army of the United States, Honorable Discharge certificate, Jack A. Kraft. October 18, 1943. Family library.
- ^ "Beauty Kraft Letterhead". Retrieved 7 March 2011.
- ^ Photo of Hyman Miller