James Lee Fergason was an American inventor and business entrepreneur.
14 Facts About James Fergason
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James Fergason held over one hundred US patents at the time of his death.
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James Lee "Jim" Fergason was born on a farm near the small town of Wakenda, Carroll County, Missouri.
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James Fergason was educated in a one-room schoolhouse until the 7th grade when his family moved to the county seat of Carrollton.
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The James Fergason family had something of a reputation for educational over achievement.
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James Fergason married his wife Dora the week after graduation from Mizzou, then reported for a brief tour of duty as a second lieutenant with the United States Army in Texas.
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In June 1966, James Fergason joined the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University as its associate director.
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Also at LCI, James Fergason was part of an effort to use cholesteric liquid crystals for thermal mapping, in particular, to screen for breast cancer.
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James Fergason participated in the discovery of smectic C liquid crystal phase.
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James Fergason formed his own company, ILIXCO, in 1968 to manufacture liquid crystal displays.
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James Fergason held over 150 patents in the United States and over 500 foreign patents.
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James Fergason was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
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James Fergason was elected a Fellow of the Optical Society in 2008.
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James Fergason was survived by his wife Dora and their four children, Teresa, Jeffrey, John and Susan, and his 11 grandchildren.