Gilmore Schjeldahl
| Gilmore T. Schjeldahl | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 1, 1912 Esmond, North Dakota |
| Died | March 10, 2002 (aged 89) Lenox, Massachusetts |
| Cause of death | Alzheimer's disease |
| Resting place | South Pleasant Cemetery, Christine, North Dakota |
| Spouse(s) | Charlene |
| Children | 5 |
Gilmore Tilmen Schjeldahl (June 1, 1912 – March 10, 2002) was an American businessman and inventor in plastics, adhesives and circuitry. He was awarded 16 US patents and may be best known for inventing the plastic-lined airsickness bag.
Gilmore Tilmen Schjeldahl was born in Esmond, North Dakota to Norwegian immigrants. He grew up in Northwood, North Dakota and did not graduate from high school, but took courses at North Dakota State College of Science and North Dakota State University before being drafted into the U.S. Army to serve during World War II. Schjeldahl served in three battles with the 84th Division, including the Battle of the Bulge, in which his actions were awarded with a Bronze Star.
Schjeldahl began his career at Armour and Company, where he began working with polyethylene. Unable to get the material to seal to itself, he and his wife experimented on solutions at home, where they developed a hot knife-sealing process. He left Armour in 1946 and moved to Minneapolis, where he created a bag-making machine in his home. He used the machine to launch his first company, Herb-Shelly, Inc., in 1948. The company moved into a shop the next year in Farmington, Minnesota, and eventually produced a variety of polyethylene packaging materials and plastic bag liners. By 1954, the company had $500,000 annual sales and 100 employees. The company started experimenting with lamination at this time, researching adhesives for a new DuPont polymer called Mylar. The company was also involved in the fabrication of a balloon for the Office of Naval Research at the University of Minnesota. In May 1954, Herb-Shelly was acquired by Brown & Bigelow. Schjeldahl resigned and left the company on January 8 1955.
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