Robert W. Gore
Encyclopedia
Robert W. "Bob" Gore is an American
engineer and scientist, inventor and businessman, who along with his father Bill Gore
invented Gore-Tex
, a waterproof/breathable fabric made from polytetrafluoroethylene
(PTFE).
He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah
, and attended the University of Delaware
. In 1957, while a sophomore
at Delaware, he discovered a way to insulate wires and cables with PTFE tape. In 1969, he stretched heated rods of PTFE and created expanded PTFE, which was patented and assigned the Gore-Tex
brand name. He completed his graduate studies at the University of Minnesota
, earning an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering
.
His father Bill created W. L. Gore & Associates in 1958. Robert was president of the company from 1976 to 2000, and , he is chairman of the board of directors
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
engineer and scientist, inventor and businessman, who along with his father Bill Gore
Bill Gore
Wilbert L. "Bill" Gore was a businessman and entrepreneur who co-founded W. L. Gore and Associates with his wife, Genevieve . He gained international attention and respect for nurturing the company from a home-based family business into a worldwide corporation while practicing a unique management...
invented Gore-Tex
Gore-Tex
Gore-Tex is a waterproof/breathable fabric, and a registered trademark of W. L. Gore and Associates. It was co-invented by Wilbert L. Gore, Rowena Taylor, and Gore's son, Robert W. Gore. Robert Gore was granted on April 27, 1976, for a porous form of polytetrafluoroethylene with a...
, a waterproof/breathable fabric made from polytetrafluoroethylene
Polytetrafluoroethylene
Polytetrafluoroethylene is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that finds numerous applications. PTFE is most well known by the DuPont brand name Teflon....
(PTFE).
He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, and attended the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
. In 1957, while a sophomore
Sophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
at Delaware, he discovered a way to insulate wires and cables with PTFE tape. In 1969, he stretched heated rods of PTFE and created expanded PTFE, which was patented and assigned the Gore-Tex
Gore-Tex
Gore-Tex is a waterproof/breathable fabric, and a registered trademark of W. L. Gore and Associates. It was co-invented by Wilbert L. Gore, Rowena Taylor, and Gore's son, Robert W. Gore. Robert Gore was granted on April 27, 1976, for a porous form of polytetrafluoroethylene with a...
brand name. He completed his graduate studies 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...
, earning an M.S. and a Ph.D. in 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...
.
His father Bill created W. L. Gore & Associates in 1958. Robert was president of the company from 1976 to 2000, and , he is chairman of the board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
.