Harold W. Gegenheimer
(1910-2006)
Harold W. Gegenheimer was associated with the printing industry all his life: As a machinist, machine design engineer, inventor, product development manager, and corporate chief executive. He was the Chairman Emeritus of the Baldwin Technology Company, an international manufacturer of material handling, press accessory, and prepress equipment for offset printing.
His father, William, started the Baldwin Company in 1918 in a small building next to his house in Baldwin (Long Island), New York. He invented the Baldwin Press Washer and the company emerged as a manufacturer of printing press accessories and controls.
Mr. Gegenheimer always took an interest in things mechanical, so it was natural that he went to Georgia Tech; he received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1933. Later, he invented the Convertible Offset Perfecting Press, a feature used by most press manufacturers that allows for one or more colors to be printed on both sides of the paper with just one pass through the press. His inventions, for which many United States and foreign patents have been obtained, were keys to the great growth of the offset printing process after World War II.
Mr. Gegenheimer was President of the National Printing Equipment and Supply Association from 1977 to 1979. He was an officer or director of other industry associations and the recipient of numerous technical and educational awards. In 1983 he was elected Graphic Arts Man of the Year.
Mr. Gegenheimer was a long-time contributor to Georgia Tech's Thousand Club. In addition, he served as co-chair of his 50th Reunion Committee, and was the recipient of the 1996 Woodruff School Distinguished Alumnus Award.
An endowment given to the Woodruff School in 1995 by Mr. Gegenheimer established the Harold W. Gegenheimer Lecture Series on Innovation to support student programs that encourage creativity, innovation, and design. Through the lecture series and his support of capstone design projects, students are exposed to processes that stimulate creativity and lead to inventions and patents.
The Harold W. Gegenheimer Endowment for Innovation also provides sponsorship to the Creative Decisions and Design (ME 2110) class and for the Woodruff School's Patent Display.
As an inventor, Mr. Gegenheimer expressed an interest in the great advances made at his alma mater through innovative programs that link industry and graduate and undergraduate studies. He had twenty-one patents; the first was granted in 1951 and the most recent was approved in 1998.
Harold Gegenheimer died in his home in Mystic, Connecticut on October 4, 2006.
The Patents of Harold W. Gegenheimer
Patent Number | Title of Invention | Date Issued |
2,553,758 | Printing Press Side Guide | May 22, 1951 |
2,561,018 | Geared Adjustment Means | July 17, 1951 |
2,708,405 | Printing Press Feed and Registering Mechanism | May 17, 1955 |
2,757,610 | Sheet Handling Mechanism and Method for Multi-Color Perfector Press | August 7, 1956 |
2,826,989 | Ink Roller Vibrating Mechanism | March 18, 1958 |
2,849,952 | Ink Fountain Mixer | September 2, 1958 |
2,970,541 | Machine for Cleaning of Printing Rollers | February 7, 1961 |
3,084,625 | Ink Agitator Device | April 9, 1963 |
3,128,699 | Vertical Ink Fountain Agitator | April 14, 1964 |
3,166,095 | Printing Press Water Solution Mixing and Distributing Mechanism | January 19, 1965 |
3,223,294 | Printing Press Water Solution Mixing and Distributing Mechanism | December 14, 1965 |
3,233,619 | Method for Mixing and Distributing Printing Press Water Solution | February 8, 1966 |
3,452,673 | Vibrating Roller | July 1, 1969 |
3,485,257 | Fountain Solution System and Apparatus Therefor | December 23, 1969 |
3,601,051 | Flexible Blade Construction for a Roller-Cleaning Device | August 24, 1971 |
3,838,864 | Mechanism for Removing Ink from Ink Containers | October 1, 1974 |
3,848,529 | Ink Level Control System | November 19, 1974 |
3,893,470 | Liquid Mixing and Distributing Apparatus | July 8, 1975 |
5,180,153 | Method and Apparatus for Maintaining Confidential Printed-Sheet Output | January 19, 1993 |
5,450,792 | Automatic Cleaning System for Press Rollers and Cylinders | September 19, 1995 |
5,819,660 | Automatic Clearning System for Press Rollers and Cylinders | October 13, 1998 |