| Description |
Sound files; digital, mp3 file |
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Transcript : (74 leaves) ; 29 cm. |
| Series |
Chemical Heritage Foundation Oral history transcript ; 0262.
|
| Note |
Interview conducted by Arnold Thackray and Arthur Daemmrich at Framingham, Massachusetts. |
| Summary |
At the age of twenty-two, Waters founded James L. Waters, Inc., working from his parents' basement. At the same time, Waters met Faith Pigors, whom he married in 1948. In spite of his lack of experience and naiveté in business, Waters' sheer determination to succeed enabled him to overcome the many obstacles that occurred while working on his first instrument, an infrared gas analyzer. Waters sold James L. Waters, Inc. to Mine Safety Appliances Company in 1955, but continued his work on instrumentation in a contract capacity with Mine Safety. Waters founded Waters Associates, Inc. in 1958, and shortly afterwards began to delve into the field of gel permeation chromatography (GPC). As Waters Associates' GPC instruments evolved, the company experienced phenomenal growth and in eight years managed to double its profits, many times over. The business began to decline due to R&D problems, so Waters Associates merged with Millipore Inc. in 1977. After conflicts with the Waters Associates board, Waters left the company to become the director of Millipore and, finally, a venture capitalist. Waters concludes the interview with a discussion of his wife and children and their careers. |
| Cite As |
James L. Waters interviewed by Arnold Thackray and Arthur Daemmrich at Framingham, Massachusetts. (Philadelphia: Chemical Heritage Foundation, Oral History Transcript 0262). |
| Note |
Sound files Science History Institute. |
|
Transcript Science History Institute. |
| Use |
No restrictions on access. Reproduction and use with permission. Chemical Heritage Foundation. |
| Biography |
Born in Lincoln, Nebraska on 7 October 1925. Education: B.S. Electrical engineering, Columbia University (1946). Employment: 1947-1958 James L. Waters, Inc.; 1958- Waters Associates, Inc., Waters Enterprises, Inc., Waters Foundation and Cetek Corporation. |
| Indexes |
Transcript has been indexed. |
| Note |
Part or all of this item has been digitized by Science History Institute. |
| Subject(s) |
Waters, James L., 1925- -- Interviews.
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Waters Associates.
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Electrical engineers -- Biography.
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Electrical engineers -- Interviews.
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Gel permeation chromatography.
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Scientific apparatus and instruments.
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| Genre |
Oral histories. lcgft
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Interviews. aat
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| Alternate Author |
Thackray, Arnold, 1939- interviewer.
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Daemmrich, Arthur A. interviewer.
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Chemical Heritage Foundation.
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| Alternate Title |
James L. Waters oral history interview |
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