top of page

36/51
1920s
An Expert At The Patent Process
Kansas City, Missouri
Crosthwait holds 39 US patents and 80 international patents! After completing his bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering, Crosthwait invented a vacuum pump, boiler, and thermostat control to produce more effective heating systems in more significant buildings – notably the Rockefeller Center and NY's Radio City Music Hall. Crosthwait was the first Black person to be named a fellow of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers for all his contributions in 1971. In 1975, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Purdue
bottom of page