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| (Image from the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame site) |
Norman Mears (1904-1974),
founder of the (at one time) Lowertown based technology pioneer Buckbee Mears
Company (formerly a small graphic arts company co-owned by his father), is a
1993 Inductee to the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame (Geeky Blog Writer’s
Note: I know – I never knew that was a thing either). He is best known for
inventing the metal reticle (gun sights), for use by the Allied Powers with
fire control instruments during World War II and the shadow (aperture) mask to
improve the display on color television tubes.
In 1957 he became the
company president and at one time owned 92% of its stock. At one point around
1966 his company's shadow mask was used in roughly 99% of the 5 million color
TVs sold in the United States. The company doubled its sales from 1965 to 1966
and consequently went public in September of that year.
After Mears retired
(shortly after the company going public), he turned a significant amount of his
extra time toward to redevelopment of the Lowertown area. According to the
Minnesota Inventors Web site he developed the Park Square Court and had a hand
in the planning of all of the buildings facing Smith Park. In 1972 Mears was
named "Greatest Living Saint Paulite" by the city's Chamber of
Commerce.
In 1974, after his
death, the former Smith Park was renamed Mears Park (after Norman) to recognize
his accomplishments – both in business and for the Lowertown Area.
