Arthur Fry
Encyclopedia
Arthur Fry is a retired American
inventor and scientist
. He is credited as the co-creator of the Post-it note
, an item of office stationery
manufactured by 3M
. As of 2006, Post-it note products are sold in more than 100 countries.
Fry was born in Minnesota
and subsequently lived in Iowa
and Kansas City
. He received his early education in a one-room rural schoolhouse. During his childhood, he reputedly made his first foray into engineering by building toboggans from scrap lumber. He went on from those early efforts to study chemical engineering
at the University of Minnesota
. He has 3 children and 5 grandchildren.
In 1953, while still enrolled in undergraduate school, Fry took a job at 3M
(then called Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company) as a new product development
researcher. He worked in new product development throughout his career at 3M
until his retirement in the early 1990s.
scientist, Spencer Silver
, on a unique adhesive
Silver had developed in 1968. Silver's innovation had an unusual molecular structure
, yielding a glue strong enough to cling to objects but weak enough to allow for a temporary bond. At the time, Silver was still searching for a marketable use for his invention.
As the legend goes, Fry was in church when he came up with the perfect application. Fry sang in his church choir on weekends, and he used slips of paper to mark the pages of his hymnal. When the book was opened, however, the makeshift bookmarks often moved around or fell out altogether. On a Sunday in 1973, it occurred to him that Silver's adhesive could be put to use to create a better bookmark. If it could be coated on paper, Silver's adhesive would hold a bookmark in place without damaging the page on which it was placed.
The next day, Fry requested a sample of the adhesive. He began experimenting, coating only one edge of the paper so that the portion extending from a book would not be sticky. Fry used some of his experiments to write notes to his boss. This use led him to broaden his original idea into the concept that became the Post-it note
.
. Post-it notes were released to the national market in 1980. In 1981, 3M
named Post-it notes its Outstanding New Product. In 1980 and 1981, the Post-it note team received 3M's Golden Step Award, given to teams who create major new products that are significantly profitable. 3M
named Fry a corporate researcher in 1986. He is also a member of 3M's Carlton Society and Circle of Technical Excellence.
Fry currently resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota
. He was mentioned in the film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
as the true inventor of Post-its.
In 2003 the Post-it Note was a central role in a new play titled Inside a Bigger Box that premiered in New York at the 78th Street Theatre Lab (written by Trish Harnetiaux and directed by Jude Domski.) In conjunction with the show Harnetiaux, Domski and the artist non-profit NurtureART curated an International Post-it Note Art exhibit and a panel discussion took place with various artists. Post-it Note inventor Arthur Fry participated in the panel which was curated by current MOMA head of design Paola Anton.
In 2008 Post-it helped sponsor a drama series in Taiwan, Fated To Love You
, a romantic comedy about a hard-working young woman who would complete any task left to her on a Post-it. The drama constantly features Post-it notes in the story line, and in episode 9 the lead male character cited Art Fry as creator of Post-it Notes as well as the success the product had for 3M
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inventor and scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
. He is credited as the co-creator of the Post-it note
Post-it note
A Post-it note is a piece of stationery with a re-adherable strip of adhesive on the back, designed for temporarily attaching notes to documents and other surfaces. Although now available in a wide range of colours, shapes, and sizes, Post-it notes are most commonly a square, canary yellow in colour...
, an item of office stationery
Stationery
Stationery has historically meant a wide gamut of materials: paper and office supplies, writing implements, greeting cards, glue, pencil case etc.-History of stationery:...
manufactured by 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
. As of 2006, Post-it note products are sold in more than 100 countries.
Fry was born in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and subsequently lived in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. He received his early education in a one-room rural schoolhouse. During his childhood, he reputedly made his first foray into engineering by building toboggans from scrap lumber. He went on from those early efforts to study chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. He has 3 children and 5 grandchildren.
In 1953, while still enrolled in undergraduate school, Fry took a job at 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
(then called Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company) as a new product development
New product development
In business and engineering, new product development is the term used to describe the complete process of bringing a new product to market. A product is a set of benefits offered for exchange and can be tangible or intangible...
researcher. He worked in new product development throughout his career at 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
until his retirement in the early 1990s.
Post-it note
The product for which he is best known was born in the 1980s. Fry attended a seminar given by another 3M3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
scientist, Spencer Silver
Spencer Silver
Spencer Ferguson Silver is an American chemist who, together with Arthur Fry, invented Post-it notes in 1970.Silver was born in San Antonio, Texas. He majored in chemistry at Arizona State University, earning a B.S...
, on a unique adhesive
Adhesive
An adhesive, or glue, is a mixture in a liquid or semi-liquid state that adheres or bonds items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. The types of materials that can be bonded are vast but they are especially useful for bonding thin materials...
Silver had developed in 1968. Silver's innovation had an unusual molecular structure
Molecular structure
The molecular structure of a substance is described by the combination of nuclei and electrons that comprise its constitute molecules. This includes the molecular geometry , the electronic properties of the...
, yielding a glue strong enough to cling to objects but weak enough to allow for a temporary bond. At the time, Silver was still searching for a marketable use for his invention.
As the legend goes, Fry was in church when he came up with the perfect application. Fry sang in his church choir on weekends, and he used slips of paper to mark the pages of his hymnal. When the book was opened, however, the makeshift bookmarks often moved around or fell out altogether. On a Sunday in 1973, it occurred to him that Silver's adhesive could be put to use to create a better bookmark. If it could be coated on paper, Silver's adhesive would hold a bookmark in place without damaging the page on which it was placed.
The next day, Fry requested a sample of the adhesive. He began experimenting, coating only one edge of the paper so that the portion extending from a book would not be sticky. Fry used some of his experiments to write notes to his boss. This use led him to broaden his original idea into the concept that became the Post-it note
Post-it note
A Post-it note is a piece of stationery with a re-adherable strip of adhesive on the back, designed for temporarily attaching notes to documents and other surfaces. Although now available in a wide range of colours, shapes, and sizes, Post-it notes are most commonly a square, canary yellow in colour...
.
Success
It took a few years for the concept to come to fruition, due to both technical problems with production and management's doubts about the product's saleabilityMarketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
. Post-it notes were released to the national market in 1980. In 1981, 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
named Post-it notes its Outstanding New Product. In 1980 and 1981, the Post-it note team received 3M's Golden Step Award, given to teams who create major new products that are significantly profitable. 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
named Fry a corporate researcher in 1986. He is also a member of 3M's Carlton Society and Circle of Technical Excellence.
Fry currently resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. He was mentioned in the film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion is a 1997 comedy film starring Lisa Kudrow, Mira Sorvino, Janeane Garofalo, Camryn Manheim, and Alan Cumming directed by David Mirkin. The plot revolves around two 28-year-old women who appear to have achieved very little success in life and decide to invent...
as the true inventor of Post-its.
In 2003 the Post-it Note was a central role in a new play titled Inside a Bigger Box that premiered in New York at the 78th Street Theatre Lab (written by Trish Harnetiaux and directed by Jude Domski.) In conjunction with the show Harnetiaux, Domski and the artist non-profit NurtureART curated an International Post-it Note Art exhibit and a panel discussion took place with various artists. Post-it Note inventor Arthur Fry participated in the panel which was curated by current MOMA head of design Paola Anton.
In 2008 Post-it helped sponsor a drama series in Taiwan, Fated To Love You
Fated to Love You
Fated to Love You , also known as You're My Destiny, Sticky Note Girl or Destiny Love, is a 2008 Taiwanese drama starring Joe Chen, Ethan Ruan, Baron Chen and Bianca Bai. It was produced by Sanlih E-Television and directed by Chen Ming Zhang with location filming in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Shanghai...
, a romantic comedy about a hard-working young woman who would complete any task left to her on a Post-it. The drama constantly features Post-it notes in the story line, and in episode 9 the lead male character cited Art Fry as creator of Post-it Notes as well as the success the product had for 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
.