Garfield Wood
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Garfield Arthur "Gar" Wood (December 4, 1880 – June 19, 1971) was an American
Early life
Gar Wood was born on December 4, 1880, in
Garwood Industries
He established the Wood Hoist Co. in Detroit, Michigan, and soon became a successful businessman. Later, he changed the company's name to Garwood Industries, which built racing and pleasure boats under the Gar Wood brand. Wood also capitalized on experience with coal unloaders to successfully produce and market GarWood truck, bus and coach bodies. He had a home in Algonac, Michigan.
Garwood Industries also built truck bodies, tractor attachments and winches that were used by truck and tractor manufacturers such as Allis-Chalmers,[2] International Harvester, and were an OEM supplier to both the civilian and military market. Many trucks built during World War II came equipped with Garwood bodies and winches. Garwood Industries also developed a garbage truck with a compactor, originally sold as the Garwood Load Packer.
Racing career
In 1916, Wood purchased a motorboat for racing called Miss Detroit. He also bought the company that made it, run by brothers Chris and Henry Smith (who would later found Chris-Craft in 1924). This led to the construction of Gar Wood brand craft.
Initially still focused on racing, Wood set a new
In 1921, Wood raced one of his boats against the Havana Special train, 1,250 miles (2,010 km) up the
As well as being a record breaker and showman, Wood won five straight powerboat
In 1931, he lost the Trophy in dramatic circumstances to his younger brother George. The race was held on the Detroit River and was billed as a match race between the Wood brothers and racing driver and record-breaker Kaye Don, driving Miss England II. Before an estimated crowd of over a million spectators (one of the largest-ever crowds for a sporting event), Don won the first heat of the race. In the second heat, Wood was leading Don, when Miss England II suddenly flipped over while rounding one of the turns, without injury to Don and his co-driver. Gar Wood finished the race first, but both he and Don were disqualified because they had jumped the starter's gun by seven seconds. George Wood completed the final race to win the trophy. Wood retired from racing in 1933 to concentrate on his businesses.
In April, 1936, Wood, along with many other sports champions and stand outs, was honored at a banquet in
In July, 1936, a plaque was presented to Detroit from the White House honoring Detroit as the City of Champions.[4] The plaque has five "medallions" featuring athletes. One of these medallions is of a power boat racer, representing Wood.[5]
Gar Wood boats
Garwood Industries began building boats under the "Gar Wood" brand following his early successes in racing. The most famous were the
During World War II, Garwood Industries produced a limited number of tugboats and target craft for the U.S. Navy. After the war, new technologies such as plywood, fiberglass, and mass production methods entered the pleasure boating world. The company continued to build its traditional all-wood boats until 1947, when it ended production.[7]
Inventions
Wood was known as an inventive genius who, at one point, held more US
In 1897, at age 17, he invented a downdraft carburetor which enabled his inspection boat to outrace the other inspectors.[citation needed]
In 1911 or 1912 he invented the profitable hydraulic hoist for dump trucks. He used the money it earned to build racing boats which won many championships between 1917 and 1933.[8]
At one point he had a job selling lightning rods to farmers, and to demonstrate their effectiveness he invented an induction coil device to mimic lightning.[9]
Retirement and later years
In the 1950s, Wood acquired
A 1967 Popular Mechanics article showed even in retirement Wood was still active inventing an Electric Vehicle (EV) controller, which he used in the EV he built.[1]
Wood died in
Award
He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America[11] in 1990.
See also
- Jesse G. Vincent
- Gar Wood Speedster
- Sverige S-1, a Swedish wooden speedboat designed in 1929 (and built in 2011) to challenge the Miss America speed record.
References
- ^ a b Fix, John (July 1967). "Gar Wood: An Old Sea Dog Is Up to New Tricks". Popular Mechanics. pp. 82–85. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
- ^ "Forgotten companies: GarWood - Contractor Magazine". 18 March 2016.
- ^ Degeer, Vern (20 April 1936). "Sport Gossip". Windsor Daily Star. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
- ^ "City of Champions Night at Fairgrounds". Traverse City Record-Eagle. 29 June 1936. p. 26. Retrieved 2014-12-08.
- The Pittsburgh Press. The United Press. 21 June 1936. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
- ^ Gar Wood History, “Baby Gar” Era
- ^ a b c "Gar Wood History".
- ISBN 9780736888707 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Gar Wood: An Old Sea Dog Is Up to New Tricks". Popular Mechanics. Vol. 128. July 1967.
He sold lightning rods to farmers. He invented an induction-coil device to demonstrate their effectiveness
- ^ Baulch, Vivian M.; Shermeyer, Pam (18 February 1996). "Gar Wood — Speedboat King". The Detroit News. The Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum. Archived from the original on 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
- ^ Gar Wood at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
External links
- Gar Wood History, at Gar Wood Boats
- Gar Wood Society
- Garwood Industries in Coachbuilt
- 1929 28' "Baby Gar" Antique Boat
- "The Speediest Craft Afloat", June 1929, Popular Science
- "The Gadget King of America" Popular Mechanics, October 1934, pp 536-539
- "Gar Wood's Mystery Boat" Popular Mechanics, September 1935 Miss America X
- Detroit News retrospective