As we celebrate Black History Month here at SoCal Rentals, we’d like to take time to share what we’ve learned about some of the African-American innovators that have made our work possible.

Lewis Howard Latimer (1848-1928)

Lewis Howard Latimer (1848-1928) was the son of runaway slaves. He served in the Civil War and after an honorable discharge was able to get a job at a patent law firm as an office boy making $3 per week. He watched fellow employees use mechanical drafting and practiced at home. Eventually he was promoted to the position of drafter and was able to take home $20 per week. While working at the patent law firm, Latimer worked with— and learned a lot from— the likes of Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. He went on to patent a number of his own inventions, including his most famous, the carbon filament lightbulb. This new lightbulb was much less expensive and much more efficient than Edison’s original design. What a bright man!

Otis Boykin (1920-1982)

Otis Boykin (1920-1982) was valedictorian at Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas, Texas. He went on to attend Fisk University followed by a career in a number of engineering jobs including his work as lab assistant at Majestic Radio and Television Corporation. While he is credited with the design of 28 devices, his main focus was the invention of resistors. His variable resistor was used in guided missiles. His wire precision resistor, which reduced inductance and reactance, was used to make numerous things more reliable, notably computers and televisions. His mother passed away from heart failure when Boykin was just a baby. This inspired his work on a new control unit for a pacemaker. Sadly, he too died of heart failure.

James E. West (1931-present)

James E. West (1931-present) changed the microphone game forever. West graduated from Temple University in 1957 and began working at Bell Labs, where he spent the next 40 years. During that time, West received 250 patents for his work on production and design of microphones. The foil electret microphone, which he co-invented in 1962, provides the technology used in microphones for cell phones, cameras, baby monitors, and hearing aids. In fact, 90% of microphones today use West’s design. Following his time at Bell Labs, West became the professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at John Hopkins University. He continues to work with acoustics, recently measuring and studying the acoustics in the Philharmonic Hall in New York City. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and has received numerous awards including the National Medal for Technology and Innovation In 2010.

Dr. Shirley (1946-present)

Dr. Shirley Jackson (1946-present) graduated as valedictorian from Roosevelt Senior High School and went on to become the first African-American woman to graduate from MIT, where she received both her bachelor and doctorate degrees in physics. Dr. Jackson did valuable research that led to touch-tone phones, solar cells, and fiber optic cables as well as discovering the technology used in call-waiting. Among numerous awards, she was appointed an International Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and served President Obama on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Dr. Marian Croak (1955-present)

Dr. Marian Croak (1955-present) is currently the Vice President of Engineering at Google. In 1982 she began working for AT&T at Bell Labs. She advocated for the switch from wired phone technology to internet protocol. She is credited with the invention of VoIP and has over 200 patents. Dr. Croak created the text-voting system used on shows such as American Idol and the text-to-donate system used to raise money in crisis situations. In 2013, she was inducted into Women in Technology International’s hall of fame.

Mark Dean (1957-present)

Mark Dean (1957-present) graduated top of his class from Tennessee University. In the early 80s he became the Chief Engineer at IBM and helped create the first IBM PC. Dean also created the color monitor and his technology— ISA systems bus— is responsible for the ability of devices, such as a mouse or keyboard or printer, to connect and communicate with the PC. In 1999 he created the gigahertz processor. Dean has won many awards including the Black Engineer of the Year President’s Award. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Our audio, lighting, camera, and LED systems have all been created thanks to the innovations of these amazing African-American engineers. Without these men and women, we would not be able to offer you the quality of gear that SoCal is proud to supply. Black history is American history and Black history is audio/visual history. SoCal is forever grateful for the work these men and women of color have done for us.

Wishing you a productive Black History Month!