Jack Bertram Harman

Jack Bertram Harman age 94 died Wednesday July 20th, 2011 at Crittenton Hospital in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Jack was born May 18, 1917, in Detroit, Michigan the son of the late Richard and Mildred Harman. He grew up in Berkley, attending Angell Elementary School, and graduated from Berkley High School in 1935.

Jack began teaching himself to play the piano at a very young age on his parents' player piano, and in school he played the piano and clarinet in the orchestra and at assemblies. His first "professional" music debut, during the depths of the depression, was a Saturday night dance at the local Communist Party Headquarters in Berkley. He was part of a trio; they knew exactly five tunes, which they repeated for five hours, earning fifty-cents.

As a young boy, with treasures savaged from a local landfill, Jack built a crystal radio set, and his first bicycle. On his bike he would pedal from 12 Mile Road near Coolidge, to Grand Circus Park in Detroit to buy used books and magazines. Jack had a keen interest in anything mechanical and scientific… He was an avid reader in both subjects, and during his teens Jack took up amateur photography, he joined a photography club, experimented with chemistry and plastics, and built things of wood. From his father, he acquired a life-long love of trains and enjoyed model railroading as well as numerous trips on trains in the US, Canada, and Europe.

He was a member of the Boy Scouts in his early teens, and in 1930, his troop was the first platoon of scouts that marched through the newly completed Detroit/Windsor Tunnel for the official opening ceremonies.

Following graduation from high school he studied chemical engineering at Lawrence Technological Institute in Highland Park for two years, while working odd jobs to earn tuition money. His first full-time job was with General Motors at Fisher Body. Following that he worked days as an electrician at Brooker Electric, while attending night classes at a newly formed plastics school in Detroit.

Upon completing his studies at the school, he was hired by Udylite Corporation of Detroit, one of the best and most advanced electroplating companies in the country. He worked as an assistant in their physics lab, contributing to the development of the Manhattan Project, which was kept secret even from the participants at the time.

While work and school did consume most of young Jack’s early life her managed to meet and marry the love of his life Olive Herbert on March 8, 1940. They had two children, Ronald and Andrea. In 1941 he and Olive opened and operated a hamburger stand on the corner of 10 Mile Road and Northwestern, serving curbside and also at a small counter inside during the evenings through the summer and fall. War rationing and a storm that blew off the roof the following spring cemented Jack’s decision to close his little restaurant and move on to other endeavors.

Before Jack could make other career plans he was drafted into the Army on July 24, 1945, and first stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. From there he was transferred to Camp Shelby, in Mississippi as part of the 491st Army Service Forces Band, and then moved on to Daytona, Florida, where he was a member of the 391st ASF Band at the Welch Convalescent Hospital. There he played for parades, military formations, and general entertainment for wounded and convalescing servicemen -- clarinet in the military bands, and piano in the dance bands. Jack was honorably discharged June 13, 1946.

Following his dedicated service to his country, Jack returned to work at Udylite Corporation where he developed and held a joint patent for a gas torch. Looking for something different, a career change landed him at Arcadia Manufacturing in Birmingham where he would spend the next twelve years. While at
Arcadia, in 1949 Jack was first introduced to the vinyl-dip process and played an important role in its initial testing by being the first in the country to dip a set of cloth gloves, of which were on his own hands. Going forward, he helped develop the formulas for vinyl-dipped gloves and work aprons to protect against acids and other corrosives. Throughout his tenure with Arcadia Manufacturing, Jack's efforts were instrumental in helping this small company expand to over 50 employees at the time of his departure.

In 1955, the winds of change were calling his name again… this time; it was to embark on a new business venture of his own, which he entered into with the help of his brother-in-law. Their company, Triad Products of Troy, dealt with the manufacturing of plastic vinyl parts of all colors and shapes. Along with that endeavor, he also spent a period of time with Watts Electric in Royal Oak until the next change beckoned once again.

In 1961, Jack founded his second & final company, Harman Corporation, which actually got underway a year earlier in the family's basement. With his expertise as a machine designer and chemist, it was there that he built his first handmade machine for dipping molded products and created a formula that could be molded from its liquid form to a flexible vinyl material. In 1962, he moved the business to Rochester where he built the first "real dipping machine." Jack's son, Ron, ran the machine for many years while the entire family became involved in running the business. Jack's wife managed the books while Ron, his wife, and sister ran the machines and shipped the products as Jack built new machines and maintained the existing models. In the early days of the Harman Corporation, and with little resources for his new company, Jack played in a small band music being his loved helped support the fledging company. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in various nightclubs in the area, you'd find him playing either the piano or organ from 9 p.m. until 2am. For many years, Jack’s small band earnings helped fund and propel the building of the Harman Corporation,...and his dream. Jack’s due diligence certainly paid off… from 1966 thru 1984, Jack was successful in completing the manufacturing of six more machines, which gave him seven in all. Also, in 1968, he developed a system of using air pressure to blow off molds from tools.

On a personal note...though he never ventured down the road of smoking or drinking, Jack did have one vice that will forever draw affectionate reflection. He loved his sweets, and many will remember the "candy drawer" he had wherever he went. Some may have called it a weakness, but Jack just called it "Heaven."