Elwood Haynes inducted into Engineering and Science Hall of Fame
Aug. 8—Kokomo legend Elwood Haynes is joining a list of world-famous scientists such as Thomas Edison and Nickola Tesla as the newest inductee into the Engineering and Science Hall of Fame.
Haynes, who engineered one of the nation's first automobiles and created the hugely versatile metal Stellite inside his Kokomo laboratory, is a member of the newest class of inductees into the Dayton, Ohio-based nonprofit.
The Engineering and Science Hall of Fame is an international organization established to honor engineers and scientists who, using scientific and engineering principles, have made a significant contribution to human well-being.
Members of the group traveled to Kokomo on Friday to visit the Elwood Haynes Museum for a tour and to discuss the best person to receive a signature medallion on behalf of Haynes during an official induction ceremony on Nov. 9.
Hall of Fame President Jim Mattice was at the museum Friday and said the nonprofit's 20-member board unanimously voted to induct Haynes, which has rarely happened since the group was founded.
"With his accomplishments and his contributions to the benefit of mankind, we voted unanimously to have him be one of our nominees," Mattice said.
Montelle DuChane, marketing and communications specialist for Haynes International who was at the museum, said the company was honored to have its founder recognized for his metallurgical accomplishments.
"It's a big deal," she said. "He was also inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame, but it's good to see him being recognized for stuff other than just the car."
Haynes was born in Portland, Indiana, in 1857. He graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts in 1881, where he discovered tungsten chrome steel. In 1884, he attended Johns Hopkins University for post-graduate studies.
Haynes helped establish the state's natural gas industry. In 1888, he invented the vapor thermostat, and in 1890, he moved to Greentown as the superintendent of the Indiana Natural Gas Company.
Haynes conceived the idea of a "horseless carriage" while in Portland in 1891. He moved to Kokomo, completed the plans and hired Elmer and Edgar Apperson to build the first automobile in 1893.
After discovering an alloy made of pure chromium and pure nickel, he began commercially producing automobiles under the Haynes Apperson logo in 1898, according to the Elwood Haynes Museum.
The next year, Haynes also discovered an alloy to make a durable spark plug electrode, which led to the formation of the Haynes Stellite Company.
These cobalt-based alloys found immediate use as lathe tools in World War I, tripling machining production. Since that time, many new nickel and cobalt alloys have been invented and have found uses from prosthetics to the space shuttles, jet engines, nuclear power plants and submarines.
Mattice said those credentials made it a no-brainer to induct Haynes into the Engineering and Science Hall of Fame.
"Our people were impressed by the fact that not only was he a pioneer of automobiles, but also in stainless steels, which virtually everyone in the world has benefited from," he said. "So it turned out to be kind of easy."
Carson Gerber can be reached at 765-854-6739, carson.gerber@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter @carsongerber1.
