Willis Whitfield
Born(1919-12-06)December 6, 1919
Rosedale, Oklahoma
Died(2012-11-12)November 12, 2012
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Alma materHardin-Simmons University (BS)
George Washington University
Known forInvention of the modern clean room

Willis Whitfield (December 6, 1919 – November 12, 2012[1][2]) was an American physicist and inventor of the modern cleanroom, a room with a low level of pollutants used in manufacturing or scientific research. His invention earned him the nickname, "Mr. Clean," from Time Magazine.[3][4]

Whitfield was born in Rosedale, Oklahoma, the son of a cotton farmer.[3] Between 1942 and 1944, he served as a ground radar crew chief in the Signal Corps, later serving in the Navy until the end of World War 2. He would graduate from Hardin-Simmons University in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science in physics and mathematics, later pursuing graduate studies at George Washington University.[5]

An employee of the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico, Whitfield created the initial plans for the cleanroom in 1960.[3] Prior to Whitfield's invention, earlier cleanrooms often had problems with particles and unpredictable airflows.[3] Whitfield solved this problem by designing his cleanrooms with a constant, highly filtered air flow to flush out impurities in the air.[3] Within a few years of its invention, sales of Whitfield's modern cleanroom had generated more than $50 billion in sales worldwide.[3]

Whitfield retired from Sandia in 1984.[4]

Whitfield died in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on November 12, 2012, at the age of 92. His death was announced by officials at Sandia National Laboratories.[3] Two years after his death, he would be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Willis Whitfield, Inventor of Clean Room That Purges Tiny Particles, Dies at 92, New York Times, 4 December 2012.
  2. ↑ Obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 12 December 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Sandia physicist, cleanroom inventor dies at 92". KWES. Associated Press. 2012-11-26. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  4. 1 2 Clark, Heather (2012-11-16). "Willis Whitfield, inventor of modern-day laminar-flow clean room, passes away" (PDF). Sandia Lab News. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  5. ↑ "Dr. Willis Whitfield - Hardin-Simmons University". hstux.edu. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "NIHF Inductee Willis Whitfield Created the Clean Room". invent.org. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
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